January 23
Today we had a little shake up with our schedule and got to experience some things that weren’t regularly part of the itinerary. To start the morning off, Professor Caron presented on Brazilian art. We learned about “The week of Modern Art”, which was very influential in Brazilian history. This event helped the country establish a national identity and pride in Brazilian Art. After this, we transitioned into Brazilian music and were able to see how the music has changed over time and is unique to certain regions.
After thanking Professor Caron for his time, we were able to hear from Professor Heloisa and her co-workers about CEPEA. CEPEA is an organization that is responsible for collecting data on all things agriculture and generating fair prices for different commodities. These prices are used as a baseline in the cash market and have a significant influence on the futures market as well. We learned that CEPEA employees make an average of 1,100 phone calls a day to people involved in the production of each commodity, and the information they receive from these conversations is what they use to set prices. After the presentation, we were able to tour the office space where CEPEA is located and see how the organization works.
Following a long lunch break we headed back to campus to visit one of the laboratories and learn about sugarcane research. In the lab we observed an array of tests and experiments including sugarcane plants being grown from a Petri dish. We learned that the research done at ESALQ is used by many major companies in the agriculture sector and some of the genetics they developed there have been bought by these companies.
The highlight of the day came next when we walked to the calf research area. There we were able to learn about some of the research being done with dairy calves and meet the farm staff. After listening to their brief presentation, we were finally able to pet and play with the calves. Once we finished up with the calves, we headed back to the hotel for a free evening. The girls took advantage of the free time and went to get their nails done with Professor Cristina and the host students while the boys stayed back. We are looking forward to our visits tomorrow and the trip to São Paulo this weekend.
Cody Tegtmeier