Finding the Delta in Costa Rica
John David Guthrie
LSU Ag Leadership Class XVII
Visiting Panama and Costa Rica solidifies that we live in a global market. Globalization has not only opened new markets, but also given us access to germplasm and traits sooner than if we were dependent on local research. The agricultural community has one common goal, to feed and clothe everyone on the globe, which takes leaders.
The Bayer CropScience Deltapine research farm and winter nursery in Costa Rica. Every cotton variety that makes it to a Deltapine bag in the US originates in Costa Rica. Having assets in Central America allows Bayer’s research to continue year-round, vastly increasing Deltapine's capacity to develop key varieties.
Yesterday we toured the Bayer CropScience Deltapine research farm and winter nursery. I learned quite a bit about it despite being a Bayer employee. We learned that every cotton variety that makes it to a Deltapine bag in the US originates in Costa Rica. Having assets in Central America allows Bayer’s research to continue 12 months out of the year, thus allowing our researchers to find key varieties earlier than they would have otherwise. Another function of Bayer’s assets in Central America is to perform seed increases to get more high-demand varieties into our farmer's hands, showing that we are committed to our farmers.
I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect from this experience, and I was probably a bit arrogant and thought there was nothing this class could teach me. I was wildly wrong. This class has taught me much about leadership, issues facing domestic/global agriculture, and the importance of stepping up and fighting for your industry. This class has also allowed me to cultivate friendships that I will have for the rest of my life.
The most important thing this class helps with is getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. This industry is one that not only battles markets and the environment but also a negative public perception from those who have no idea where their food comes from. The negative public perception is our fault. We need to be better at educating those who don't know, and that takes leaders.
Dr. Bobby Solieau has profoundly impacted me and is hands down one the best program facilitators and one of the best communicators I have seen in my career. He does a great job of stressing the importance of telling agriculture's story and how we must tell our own story. To quote one of our first speakers, “if you’re not at the table, you're on the menu.”
I would recommend this program to anyone in agriculture; no matter which facet of the industry you represent, it's worth it. Learn to lead, find comfort in uncomfortable situations, be in front, or get left behind.