International Agribusiness in Diversified Livestock and Grain Production
Visit a diverse group of livestock, grain and other agribusinesses during this intense and fun-filled, nine day trip to Uruguay. A sampling of the destinations include: large cow-calf and sheep ranches, grass-fed and organic beef and lamb operations, pasture-based dairies, organic vineyards, organic fruit and vegetable producers, large grain and oilseed producers, international grain-merchandisers and several other firms that you probably won’t find in Georgia.
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One thing that perplexed me on this trip to Uruguay was the fact that the government had placed “zone restrictions” on this one farmers land. When I think of zoning restrictions in the United States or in Georgia, I think of the zones that state if it is for agricultural purposes, residential purposes, if you…
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On the very last day of our trip we all went to Alto de La Ballena, a vineyard in Uruguay. The owner, Paula Pivel, greeted us along with her daughter and two dogs. She told us that the vineyard was built on Sierra de la Ballena or The Whale Hills. She lost her job at…
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Day 5 in Uruguay! I honestly started falling in love with Uruguay by this time. This was also my favorite day of the trip. Our day started off at the INIA research station called Palo a Pique. There, we learned about their forage based beef production. Dr. Jose Ignacio discussed the research being done in…
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After months of waiting and nervousness, I finally boarded the plane heading to Uruguay! The flight was a red-eye and I honestly thought we would never land, but we made it! The airport was completely different from the ones in the US, the employees were actually nice and helpful. We all exchanged some cash for…
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Until this trip, I had never been so far out of the United States and had certainly never taken a 9-hour plane ride. I was really nervous about it, but I enjoy flying and getting to see the world from above. While most of our flight was at night, the sun rose over South America…
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Prior to traveling to Uruguay, I thought I had seen a bunch of cattle. I have seen the large beef cattle finishing operations of the midwest. In South Dakota, I saw a huge feedlot. This is very different from Uruguay, where the beef is grass-fed. Central Uruguay is covered in grasslands, which is why it…
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Our first few days in Uruguay was an experience I will never forget. I remember getting off of the plane, completely exhausted and ready for bed. However, from the moment we landed, our adventure began. Meeting Bruno in the airport, I could already tell that this week was going to be a constant adventure filled…
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Every single day in Uruguay has truly been an adventure. Whenever I feel like I have experienced all that Uruguay has to offer, the surprises just keep coming! Today we had the opportunity to spend some time with Mrs. Paula Pivel at her winery Alto de la Ballena, the estate sits perfectly in between…
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So far the highlight of my week has been our visit to El Paraíso farm! El Paraíso is a family farm founded by Ms. Julia Ortiz and is now managed by her son José Gayo and his family. To begin our visit on the farm, Mr. José gave us a breif presentation about his farm…
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On Friday we visited Mrs. Paula’s winery called Alto de la Bellena. There we toured the winery and tasted some of her grapes and wine. Then we visited the last farm where we toured the farm on the back of a pick up truck. We saw the cattle and the sheep living together in the…