South Ameri Belli

Top tip whenst travelling South America –don’t eat it unless a) it’s been cooked, b) you were really looking to lose weight on a god awful diet or c) you have a constitution to match my very fortunate husbands! Enough said on that subject today except to say that looking round farms in the sun didn’t help –to pass out or not to pass out that was the question!

Anyway, we have seen plenty of gaucho’s now –Luke doesn’t have to stop to look at everyone anymore and we’ve even seen a lady gaucho –not sure of the correct terminology? We’ve visited a feed mill, where the grain from the south is bagged for cattle feed for the centre of the country.
The north is largely sustainable forests which are used to feed their industry. -They seem to have a very sustainable set up where internal trade is key. The arable lands of the south rotate around wheat which is min tilled in -quite mixed really, soyabeans, drilled direct into wheat stubbles and maize where cattle feature, there are also oats and barley grown in some localities as beer and whiskey are big!

The arable farmers biggest problems are wild oats and flooding -which can cause some significant soil erosion. Spraying here is a relaxed affair! -this pick up is full of full maize fungicide and starane just filling up at the pumps!

We have seen trials of a Dow wild oat product out here which has resulted in clean wheat fields -they seem to wait for the roundup in the rotation to deal with them.

Farming is clearly important to this country, over breakfast yesterday there was a TV channel on dedicated to showing footage of the cattle lots to go through the market. There is also an agri TV channel-which I know many countries have and the best communitcation system I have left till last!

Yes that is a car battery

he is sitting on! Only wish we knew what he was saying!

We return our independance tomorow (non air con'd, non power steering, non central locking, not even a clock!) basic and reliable car and return to Buenos Aires to meet a 'fixer' for some more farm visits and hopefully Mr McCarthy.

p.s. sorry to hear it's so cold at home, 30 today! (won't be laughing in Brasil I feel!).