"Outtakes and Observations" documents the international travels of the LSU Ag Leadership Program, and a tribute to its original writer, Michael Danna. Mike loved traveling the world with each class and blogged from all corners of the globe starting with his trip to South America as a member of Class VIII in 2004. Mike lost his third battle with cancer on March 6, 2015, but his work continues here. Members of each class will offer their thoughts and insights during their travels, so check back often as we honor Mike’s memory and look forward to the future leadership of Louisiana agriculture.
By Mike Danna
Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations Director
Every adventure has a story. Our story started today. Here’s a little quiz. What do you get when you cross a bored bus driver with three hours to kill and a group of American farmers touring a cattle farm? A drunken bus driver, that’s what. Oh, and those same American farmers sitting at a Brazilian Federal Police checkpoint for an hour and a half.
Read MoreBy Mike Danna
Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations Director
Up until 1997 there wasn’t a single boll of cotton grown in the state of Mato Grosso. No cotton meant no infrastructure, no gins and no growers. That was 13 years ago. Today the region grows more than 925,000 acres of cotton supported by hundreds of producers and features 121 state-of-the-art cotton gins. It’s all thanks to a grower cooperative known as AMPA and the Instituto Mato Grossense Do Algodao, or IMA.
Read MoreBy Mike Danna
Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations Director
Welcome to the Mato Grosso State in Brazil’s western region. The state (that’s what these areas are called here) is the size of Texas and California, yet has just 2.5 million people. No subdivisions and no major urban areas mean lots of farmland in production. The Maraba Farm we visited Tuesday has more than 67,000 acres in row crops, including corn, soybeans, cotton and dry edible beans. The farm also works 10,000 head of cattle.
Read MoreBy Mike Danna
Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations Director
Greetings from Campo Verde, in the western Mato Grosso region of Brazil near the Bolivian border. First things first. After 40 grueling hours that involved weather delays, four flights from four jumping off points and plenty of memorable commentary from Errol Domingues, members of the LSU AgLeadership Development Class XI arrived in Brazil. Touchdown in Sao Paulo was 5:30 a.m. Central Standard Time, or 9:30 a.m. here in Brazil after a nine-hour, 35-minute flight.
Read MoreBy Mike Danna
Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations Director
Like your leadership classes, this trip will be an adventure. It’s going to be hectic at times, but enjoyable and rewarding as well. For those of you traveling out of the country for the first time, you’ll get your “sea legs” and have many tales to tell for many years to come.
Read MoreBy Mike Danna
Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations Director
Brazil is big. That’s good from an agricultural standpoint. The more land you have the more you things you can produce. No doubt you’ve heard the stories of how Brazil has reduced its dependence on oil by fueling its cars and trucks with ethanol. In fact, Brazil is the world’s second largest producer of ethanol and the world’s largest exporter. Together, Brazil and the United States lead the world in the industrial production of ethanol, accounting for 89 percent of total global production in 2008.
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