Agricultural News
OALP Looks at Spanish Agriculture in the Context of Hundreds of Years of History
Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:17:05 CST
The reports from the OALP Class 14 international travel experience continues to be reported by Clinton Griffiths of OSU Ag Communications. Clinton has journaled for us about their travel to one of the most historic areas of Spain, as well as some of the most cutting edge agricultural production the Class has seen to date.
We have his comments below- and if you click on the Listen Bar below- you will hear Class Member Michael Marlow of Monsanto explain his perspective of the day, the trip and of the importance of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program. By the way, the picture here shows some of the grounds of the historic landmark, the Alhambra that Clinton writes about below.
Here's the latest from Clinton:
On Tuesday morning, Feb. 23, the class began the day in Granada, Spain at the sight of one of the oldest building in Europe; the Alhambra. This is one of the most visited destinations in Spain and is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace grounds were the residence and fortress for rulers of Granada for thousands of years prior to the current monarchy. It is a complex mix of Spanish, Muslim, and Roman architecture complete with gardens, elaborate houses and soaring views of the valley of Granada. Class members are learning the importance agriculture played in the location of these classical Mediterranean cities.
The valley of Granada has around 40,000 hectares or 80,000 acres of irrigated farmland. The water comes from the snow-covered peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains that surround the fertile valley. Traditionally this valley made its wealth from three trades: sugar cane, silk in which silk worms were supported and fed by some 80,000 mulberry trees in valley, and paper. Today a sophisticated network of canals, aqueducts and dams are supporting the continuation of this tradition and helping producers succeed in a struggling economy.
As the group left Granada it made a quick stop at a local wine producer for an explanation about growing grapes in the region and then it was through the Colorado-esqu mountain range to the Mediterranean coast. The class's final stop was in Motril for a visit with a 525 member producer cooperative called La Palma.
As of last year, La Palma was the world's largest producer of cherry tomatoes, a feat it has accomplished thanks to a sophisticated network of greenhouses. This part of Spain is covered in white plastic houses growing everything from tomatoes, to paprika peppers, to cucumbers. Much of the production is done hydroponically and for many in the class this was the first time they felt Spain might be outpacing American agriculture technologically. Yet, they see the potential this type of technology could hold for American producers in the future especially in dryer climates.
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