Feb. 4-6, 2014

Feb. 4-6, 2014

The late nights and not having internet have left me behind on the blog.  The students are swimming in the pool tonight so I thought I best use my time wisely or I will be working on the blog when I get home J

On Tuesday we started out the day at Hering Textile Factory.  It was very interesting.  I knew a little bit about the textile industry but this tour took us from start to finish.  We saw the machines that do the weaving, to the various colors of cotton and weaving the patterns, from the start of the garment to the finish and then even saw the screen printing.  We saw rolls upon rolls of colors of cotton.  Again, I think this is an industry that is not really thought about, just taken for granted.  We saw the department that does the repairing and sewing on the buttons etc.  We even saw a museum that went through the history of the company that started with two brothers who came to Brazil and made the company what it is today.  We even were able to try old equipment that had been restored by a German man who has worked for the company for 41 years.  We were able to meet him and he talked with us.  After leaving the factory we went to one of their actual stores and I have seen the store now in the last few malls we have been too.

From there we went to a small brewery called Bierland.  We learned the process of making beer and what products adjusts the flavor.  The amount of yeast and hops has an impact on the flavor and color.  It was extremely hot outside as well as inside the brewery.  Those who wanted to were also able to enjoy the “cervajas” after the tour.  It was a neat tour for yet another industry within the disciplines offered in CFAES.  There was quite a bit difference in taste between the dark and light beers.  There even was a red wine beer.  Once we left the brewery we had a six hour drive ahead of us.  We did not get to the hotel in Concordia until 1:30 am.  We can sleep on the bus but it just isn’t the same as sleeping in a bed.  Needless to say it was a short night since we had to be on the bus at 7:30 am.

Wednesday started at Embrapa National Pork and Poultry Research Center.  Due to food security reasons we were not able to tour the facility but we did have a presentations in each area by researchers which gave us a lot of information about swine and poultry production in Brazil.  Since we just had presentations we were gong to try to eat lunch early because we had a long drive to get to the next stop.  We planned to eat at the research center so we had a little time to burn before lunch was ready early at the research center.  You can see the students burning a little extra energy or regressing to their childhood days.  I wasn't sure we weren't going to have to pay for some playground equipment before we left.  We left early but still arrived late for the next visit. The roads were terrible and it seemed we went up and down lots of hills (mountains) to get there which delayed our estimated time of arrival.

Next stop, Aurora, which is a cooperative and initially we listened to a presentation discussing the co-op and its values and customers served.  We then were able to view via window from an elevated tunnel the complete slaughter process of hogs from delivery, stunning, bleeding out, hanging, removing hair, gutting, cutting, etc.  The harvesting process was difficult for some of the students but I was very proud that all 20 students hung in there with the tour.  Eating is an important part of everyone’s culture.  Respecting animals and what they provide for us is very important part of our survival and culture.  At the end of the tour Aurora was kind enough to serve as some samples of their products and a mouse pad.  We also learned that Aurora was just approved for marketing in the U.S. so we should watch the grocery shelves for their products.  Once we left Aurora we boarded the bus for Francisco Beltrao and arrived about 10:30 pm.

Thursday -  I think everyone is running out of steam.  We left about 8:00 am and our first stop was Gralha Azul Avicola a chicken egg production and hatchery.  Again because of bio-security we could not visit the hatchery or production facility but we were able to tour the egg processing plant.  Like most stops we had a presentation first and then drove to the egg processing facility. We saw them bringing the eggs off of a truck in stacks. The stacks were then placed on a machine that uses air suction to lift the eggs and put them on a conveyor belt. Although it was not being utilized that day, the conveyor belt has the capability to clean the eggs. After being cleaned, the egg shells are visually inspected for quality using light. The eggs then go through a machine that weighs each individual egg and tells the computer the grade. After being weighed, the eggs are sent down a line where they are grouped by perspective size and packaged.  The system is not new but for what they were doing they seem satisfied and not interested in making any improvements in the next five years.  We stopped for lunch and had the traditional buffet which is very popular in Brazil.

Our afternoon tour was Marel (Modular Furniture).  We were informed that they market to high income families.  We were able to tour the plant and I think the students could see the type of wood made for the furniture, the differences in wood used between Brazil and the U.S. plus the differences in tastes amongst the students.  Once we finished with the production plant we were able to also see some of the designs on display and I think the students were surprised at what they saw as finished product on display versus what they saw in the plant.  The furniture was what we would call modern and maybe closely described to as similar to Akea in the U.S.  I didn’t take any pictures on this tour.  We left this tour and headed to Igacu Falls, a four hour drive.  It will be a 6:15 am departure time for the bus in the morning.  The students did get a little pool time in after we arrived Thursday night.