May 18


Ni Hao (Hello ) From China!

As our endeavor continues we are broadening our horizons by learning all about China's agriculture as well as learning parts of a new language. Today our day started by listing to Paul Burke, Regional US Soybean Export Council Director for the area. China plays an important role in the exports of U.S soybeans. Fun Facts: China imports 63% of the world’s soybeans, China buys 30% of all U.S soybeans (is your mind blown yet?!).

While at DuPont Pioneer headquarters of China, Adrian Gomez who is the Marketing and Sales Director there discussed the footprint Pioneer has in China. They have built relationships with local farm communities to build a brand in China. They have 11 research stations, 1 global tech center and 3 production centers. This is DuPont Pioneer's 20th anniversary being in China to continue to build brand recognition they are implementing a new program called Village Technical Service Station (VTS). This program allows farmers to learn, disuss and utilize Pioneer products as well as Pioneer Salesmen to fully maximize production. Fun Fact: China averages 143 Bu/Acre, also China's silage market is expected to double in the next 5 years (due to increase in milk/dairy products- dairy cattle need the food)

Our next stop was at a fruit and vegetable farm worth $10 mil on 50 acres.  Our lunch consisted of duck, purple potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes and fried milk- most the food had been produced on the farm. One neat feature they showed us was they grafted cucumbers onto pumpkin vines to have a vine that could withstand the large cucumbers they were producing. Fun Fact: They had an ostrich flock (2), peacocks, rabbits, deer and they even showcased the one and only state bird of South Dakota (pheasant).

After the farm we headed to the Tea House to taste test 5 different kinds of tea. The herbs that they use for tea are thought to heal the body in various ways and cure the incurable diabetes (cough cough Andrew Berg). Fun Facts- Mom bought you tea (Love, Anna).

We ended our night by spending thousands of dollars on GREAT steals at the silk market (we did not spend thousands, only hundreds). You could purchase anything from fake designer sunglasses to tailored suits. We used our negotiation skills by talking down to 20% of the original price. Our favorite buys were gun scopes, silk robes, purses, jade and clothing.

More fun facts:  We are becoming fluent in Mandarin. We can count to 20, we can say handsome Shawe (spelling may be off), Bad dog is Hui yazi, Cheers is gumbae, and ugly is bushawe.

Till next time as the adventure continues.....

Love the bloggers, Anna & Hayden
 
Greenhouse visit
 
Tea house
 
Emily, Breanna, Andrea at greenhouse
 
Group photo at Dupont Pioneer
 
Pioneer
 
Greenhouse
 
Greenhouse visit
 
Ducks
 
US Soybean
 
 
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

May 19

Image
Hello friends and family back home! This morning we woke up early to endure a 2.5 hour bus ride to Tian Jin where we visited John Deere. We were greeted by Justin who has been working for John Deere for 6 years as the manager of manufacturing. Justin told us that they were one of 6 manufacturing plants in the world; it is very similar to the John Deere Plant in Waterloo, Iowa.   He gave us a brief introduction of his job title and then he explained some factual information about the company. The factory’s full efficiency can produce 100 engines per day, ranging from 50-600 horse power. Currently due to demand they are only producing 50 per day. We were then given a short tour around the engine factory, where we were able to look at some finished engines up close, they were very shiny and green. We ended at the John Deere conference room and ate a bag lunch. Next we visited Artex Barn Solutions, a dairy-focused company where they manufactured livestock headlocks and also livestoc
Read more

May 8 and 9

Image
It’s been a great day for traveling.   Everyone got checked into the Sioux Falls airport in record time, and then relaxed before an uneventful flight to Chicago.   We had a 3 hr layover so most people wandered around O’Hare airport in anticipation of the 14 hr flight.   The flight was great, got to see so movies on the little screen, and most people were able some get some sleep.   We arrived in Hong Kong at 6 pm Tuesday and as soon as we left the plane, we knew we weren’t in SD anymore.   It was in the 80’s, both temperature and humidity.   Actually it felt pretty good.   An hour through immigrations, baggage claim, and customs, and then we were met by our tour guides, Jocelyn and Chaz.   They were our tour guides on past trips and do a great job.   We boarded a brand new bus and headed for supper.   On the hr drive to supper, Chaz shared some pretty interesting facts about Hong Kong.   It is made up of a series of small islands totaling 420 square miles (the size of a SD county),
Read more

May 21

Image
May 21, 2017   Sunday Today is our last day in China.   Wow, the two weeks went fast and we had a great time!   We really got to see and experience a lot in a short amount of time, yet we know it only scratched the surface.    I've heard several students comment on the value of this experience.   When you consider the access to agricultural facilities in addition to the cultural and historical tourism opportunities, plus the nice hotels, awesome meals, and professional local tour guides in each city-- this is truly a great way to travel!   I'd like to thank all of the family, friends, and businesses who helped support these 19 students by encouraging them to embrace this international opportunity, or by financially supporting their adventure.   I believe this short, two week experience will be the starting line for future travel for several students.   Their eyes are open and their minds are curious.   Today we visited the Pearl Market shopping area before heading to the
Read more