On Tuesday and Wednesday we were hosted by Sr. Juan Guillermo Fernandez of the Montana Ranch. He prepared a wonderful tour which allowed unprecedented access to many of Costa Rica's well known agricultural companies. So unprecedented that in some of the locations we were not allowed to take video or pictures. The city of Las Juntas, where Montana Ranch is located, has a large amount of food, animal, and ag production within a one hour radius.
On the morning of the 15th we met Sr. Fernandez and visited a Teca (teak) plantation. The Italian owner of the "teca" plantation harvests his trees and produces "muebles"(furniture) for the Four Seasons Hotel. Later in the morning we went to the Jade Lime farm. The visit was incredible, especially for our plant pathologists and horticulturalists. Unfortunately, since it is the rainy season and there was a lot of standing water, it was a breeding ground for mosquitos. At one point, you noticed some of us had a towel and were swatting the mosquitos away, while others had developed funny arm and leg movements to keep the critters off. The only person who stood still was Stephanie, the videographer! By the end of her taping sessions, she had over 50 mosquito bites on her arms and legs!!
After lunch, we went and visited a Tilapia farm with Andres as our tour guide. We learned that the most important factor that needs to be controlled in the fish farm was oxygen levels. The water used in this farm came from the river. Check out the pictures below to see what other creatures like to sneak into the tilapia farms. Along with the growing of the fish, we also visited the processing plant of the tilapia. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures, but the fish is being sold under the St. Peter's Company name.
On the 16th the group split up into small teams. Maria and Robert went to a Picasa Chicken Operation, which serves as the reproducer and producer of chickens. Again, no pictures were allowed! The measures for biosecurity were extremely strict and Maria and Robert each had to take 5 showers as they moved throughout the chicken plant. Kari and Stephanie were taken on a driving tour to a friend's farm of Sr. Fernandez . He has a beautiful selection of horses that he shows throughout Costa Rica. The rest of us went to the Choma farm which produces pineapple for Dole. Sra. Maria (not UGA's Maria) was the farm manager, and showed us the whole life cycle of the pineapple. Again, no pictures were allowed, but of course, we did get to eat all the pineapple that we could have ever dreamed of eating.
As a group, we then reunited at RP Fieno's horse farm. They raise mix breeds and pure bread Iberoamerica's. We were given a private show by their top trainer. See the pictures below.
Enjoy!
Carolina
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