Comments by "serafina costa" (@serafinacosta7118) on "Brazil's Game-Changing Wheat: A Revolutionary Shift in Global Power || Peter Zeihan" video.

Most of the Brazilian grown wheat is done at the State of Rio Grande do Sul prairies ( except for the Serra Gaúcha region known for its winemaking , it reads as Gaúcha Mountain Range ) , which borders Argentina. So , in the plains, they are either grazing cattle ( the Hereford European variety mostly ) , or growing cash crops , wheat being one of them. In the Deep South , most farm land are smaller acreages , comprised by and large of family farms, whose output is sold through agricultural cooperatives. A lot of those Gaucho families ended up North , and in places such as Mato Groseo, Goiás , and even Northeast. In the central part of Brazil , there is warmer and humid climate, over the cerrado plains. The cash crop of choice is soybeans , for animal feed, food production , and exports. We get our wheat supply , mostly for domestic consumption , either grown at home , or imported from Argentina and Uruguay. I am not sure what strain is grown in Brazil, but the Southern climate is cold during winters. There are not deep florests there , so air humidity , while not dry, does not hinder traditional wheat harvesting. The cold winters are augumented by a bone cutting windshield , known as “ minuano “. If you know anything about Brazilian Gauchos is that they can grow anything they want out of scant resources. They are the types that hold down , face the odds, and get most of any land they get their hands on. On the dry Northeast States , plagued by droughts , with plenty Northeast migrant families leaving barren land behind , Gauchos would buy those plots , and before you know they would be harvesting water melons. And then there is well funded Brazilian research on agricultural and animal research. I am sure , in Rio Grande do Sul , Universidade de Santa Maria does a swell job in turning out quality research and grads. Yet, the most advanced production on research and grads are in places such as ESALQ ( Escola Superior de Agricultura Luís de Queiroz ) , on Piracicaba -SP, and Universidade Federal de Lavras , on the state of Minas Gerais. Those two alone can match or beat any American University with an Agricultural Science Program. Hands down. So Peter , you are overdue to get your arse in Brazil.
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Not sure if would work in Africa. It takes plains m seasonal climate , prediction go rain fall, a mesh of roads and rail roads , and those bribe seeking officials at borders would have to go away. Wheat planting and harvesting requires combines , and other specialized agricultural machinery. It’s not about labor costs. It’s about infra structure , arable land , subsidized interest loan programs , and a low cost of doing business. You have to overcome a whole litany of issues that are pertinent to different African countries , sometimes with conflicting interests amongst themselves , and that is just before the first seed is ever planted in the ground. Even with the Chinese dolling out money like there is no tomorrow , they have to have all ducks in the row. And even if the Chinese managed to get people talking to one another , then you have to pray other powers are not spilling discord to sabotage China’s efforts, a dogging problem in Africa over decades.
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Nonsense. The type of land that lends to wheat growing is in the southern tip , by Rio Grande do Sul. At best, they would grow it by the Midwest on Cerrado, where soybean, rice , and other varieties already have harvests. Or are geography and culturally challenged. Blame your educational system and Reaganomics.
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Strong agriculture breeds strong manufacturing. Food production, machinery building , storage , roads , trucks , trains, steel mills. That is the ABC of civilizations.
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Now we’re talking. At last, some factual input. Thx.
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They already practice rotational growing techniques in Brazil. Two of the world’s top universities in Agricultural Science are in Brazil. ESALQ and Lavras.
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@weslleypinto they are clueless. They still think we speak Spanish , and that are jungles everywhere.
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None. Brazilian wheat alone is not enough to meet Brazilian domestic demand. We have to make up shortages by taking Argentinian and Uruguayan surplus.
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Brazilians alone consume lots of wheat. Anything made of wheat for retail ( beer , bread , pastries , fast food ) is turned into cash. We do not export much of it. We actually import from Argentina , Uruguay.
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@Leftatalbuquerque My dear Canadian poster… My clueless guess about the stretch on arable Canadian land on Canada that does not cut into the Nation of Tribes includes Alberta ( part of it ) , Winnipeg , the heavily agricultural use lands in Atlantic Provinces ( including Saint Edward Islands , New Foundland , and Nova Scotia ) . Not sure about The Pacific Coast, and I plead ignorance about the Canadian Rockies. Most of those 360 km from the American border are either in Agriculture ( Quebec ) or being claimed to urban sprawl , as 80% of Canada’s population lives there. Parts of Ontario that once held florest, even 40-40 years ago , are grown to be infill urban sprawl. That is Mississauga, Windsor, for sake of an example. That above amounts to the little I know about Canada , and I stand to be corrected. Now onto Brazil…. Patches of land that are being razed for illegal logging and cattle ranching are in Amazon , on public land , and yes , that alone spells ecological disasters . One of the menbers of the actual cabinet is blocking oil drilling at the Amazon River basin, against the wishes of Petrobras. Search Marina da Silva. She might look like your garden variety cleaning maid , but she is one though cookie on environmental policies. The Amazon basin , with its top soil, is not suitable for wheat harvesting. The overwhelming stock of Brazilian cash crops are grown in the following states : Rio Grande do Sul ( where’s most of our domestic wheat comes from ) Paraná ( what, soybeans , coffee is long gone , corn ) Santa Catarina ( orchards ) São Paulo ( clay soil good for Sugar Cane , orange orchards , other fruits , corn , dairy and other varieties , potatoes , bananas , tea ) Mato Grosso ( North and South ) /Goiás ( beef cattle , soybeans , rice , beans , sorghum ) Minas Gerajs ( Coffee , dairy cattle ) Espírito Santo - tropical fruits Bahia - tropical fruits , cacau , dendê Oil , coconuts, cashews The entire Northeast coastal States. Which is sun baked , and a few years ago , growing anything in its hinterlands ( read Sertão and Caatinga ) was a challenge. Now, with ditches at the São Francisco River, local agriculture has grown by leaps and bounds. The Amazon ( Amazonas, Para , and Maranhão ) is awful , even with built roads. You have issues with logistics , not all roads are paved or are in dire need of reoairs , and then half of the year pours rain every day of the rainy season. Can’t grow any type of wheat variety there , period. Most of the land boat to cities like Manaus and Belem come in by boat, and they bring in native harvested fruit species, nuts ( the Brazilian nut you buy at your grocery store is called Castanha do Pará ) , and fresh water fish you haven’t fathomed to exist )). May I suggest that your passport ready, book your flight ticket , kiss your dear ones goodbye , budget and plan to spend at least a year crisscrossing the country. Until then , you will have no clue and you are out of your debt. Not your fault. You just need extra polishing.
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@snarky_user you nowhere close. You started talking about Africa , which was your implied suggestion. And all of the sudden you are talking America. American freight railroads work, period. African Rail , it took the Chinese to build them, because nothing out there works.
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Amazon? What hole did you crawl from under ? Brazilian wheat has been harvested for domestic consumption by decades and has been done so in Rio Grande do Sul prairies and then later expanded to the Midwest at the Cerrado plains. The strain research is aimed at getting better yields at the cerrado region. Meaning Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Goiás. Those are already rice and soybean growing regions for decades already. Reaganomics and American Public Education.
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@DurzoBlunts wheat is grown in the Southern prairies , homer. On land bordering Argentina and Uruguay. For its top soil, climate , and topography. Get out of your cave yokel.
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We do not grow wheat in the Amazon. It is in the Rio Grande do Sul and Cerrado. Time for you to start visiting your local library , if it has not been targeted for fund cutting. Or try Wikipedia. A little homework before you spout your American spooned nonsense is overdue.
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I am nowhere near Africa to know it any better. The problem there , from looking outside in , is that you have a fragmented continent, and every border crossing you have to pay your bribes. On awfully maintained roads. So much so , small freight is carried by old Russian planes , flown by old Russian Pilots. If it weren’t for the Chinese throwing a lifeline through infra structure investments, that whole continent would be in the dark ages. And then there is sabotage. You want to derail China’s strategy for your own gains in Africa , all you need is to arm malcontents and everything goes back to colonial times. Successful scale agriculture requires solid banking , commited research , physical infra structure , the right people , access to water , the right legal framework , and sound trade policies. All of the best land in the world won’t make a difference if these factors are not aligned. And íf you see Netherlands , you will know what it takes to succeed in productive agriculture. The Chinese are making a run in Africa because they full well know they can get away with full land title ownership and working around on ter other missing pieces. They can’t own farming land in Brazil. So at best, they can win concessions for ports and terminals.
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I meant changed. My apologies. Damn iPad.
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If there is one thing Brazilian food production and R&D has proven over decades is to be imperivious to changes over domestic politics. Better yet, the Brazilian Agricultultural Industrial Caucus has managed to have their people in all spheres of Brazilian politics and even in lobbyist groups in the United States , of all places. They even managed to bankroll the last Moron in Power to occupy the Presidential Palace , now dethroned. And they put up some serious offensive against the incumbent before and after the elections. And they were no chicken shit. Serious money. You need to catch up upon your readings son. This is the very reason some of the best University based R&D Programs the world over are Brazilian based. Places like ESALQ and Lavras pay no dues to any other University or entity outside Brazil.
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All of the above companies are in Brazil. Bunge , by the way, was originally an Argentinian company.
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That’s might come from haters. I don’t care for his wrongs, for there are plenty armchair experts surfacing to post corrections on his musings at the excuse of cheap shots wannabes. That is the beauty of the web. And you have to take into account his vision is American centric . One does not get invited to the lucrative Guest Speaker Circuit by being a doomsayer. And most Americans ( and Brazilians too ) , have a very self centered notion of how the world functions and will take what the news feeds give them. So he is in his comfort zone. Also, I plead ignorance on his sources , but your typical DC bureaucrat gets his / her cushy assignment , collects feeds from the host country and sends them to their bosses. It is about the gig for them , not to get the accurate picture. For that , they need to be on the ground, and outside Rio-Sao Paulo-Brasilia. Outside Missionaries , these cats don’t stray from their comfort zones. I take his daily shots for what they are worth. He is overall exceptionally decent for what comes up, specially on American Policy Making , Energy Markets, Defense , and his reads on Demography ( for what they are worth , you can’t trust census data so much ). And he is well rounded in world history. And he has no leaning to right or left, no politics , no panfletary garbage, which makes him a good sound bite. His field competition is almost non existent, so he is the rockstar for now.
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@ultimoguerreiro82 They can’t make the distinction between the Cerrado and the Amazon basin. For them is just one big lump. They get their news feeds from the same clueless sources. Just for sake of an argument , go back to 70’s footage and they take an entourage dancing salsa or merengue as samba music and dancing. There is a whole lot of piled ignorance and chronic public defunding ( Reaganomics ) , so Geography is not their forte. Even their “ consultants “ and government sponsored ataches can’t make proper distinctions.
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@DurzoBlunts on your mind. Like you really cared to scour satellite images and had the geographical regions right to begin with.
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Agree. But someone needs to set the record straight. And a few are due for having their tushies spanked.
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@AleRees you are welcomed.
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@MrVitorao quoting a passage in the Movie “ City of Industry “ when Skip goes about buying a handgun from some homie and can’t be bothered to read the gun papers to ask where they come from …. And the brotha ( gun seller ) replies , nodding in disbelief and sarcasm ….” Reaganomics , MF can’t read “. See , that is your opiniated average American , spouting nonsense , only because he/she can be bothered to check facts and reality. They are spoon fed with nonsense and media gibberish talk. And they go out to all corners with their garbage as if they owned the truth. Stooopid Amerrikans.
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@zacholiphant1064 that makes sense. Regional markets for wheat. They still have to figure out the lack of precipitation and sazonality. But that is an interesting development to see.
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We already have figured out this decades ago. You haven’t quite discovered gun powder grasshopper.
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@pohkeee you are correct . To me recollection Fordlandia ( Henry Ford ) harvest the sap of Rubber Trees ( Serungueiras ) , and Eucalyptus for paper pulp production ( some American Megalomaniac dude named Ludwig ). Both ended in colossal failures. They bought , paid , invested, and then we bought back for pennyies on the dollar ( maybe not so on Ford’s deal ). I am no Gaúcho , but until you see them clearing some land , odds are against the wannabe colonizer. Those f..ers are born and bred to grow stuff out of nothing. You can drink all Yerba Mate and brag about your sexual prowess , but you can’t match them.
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@debs-jf5bd as I said about Africa. As for the USA , lived and travelled there for 28 consecutive years.
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@JimBeansSaloonCream well, you are entitled to your opinions. I see successful agri enterprises in Africa , but they are often regional and small scale operations that are suited for domestic consumption. At commodity production level , I am yet to see anything that impresses me. The exception to the rule are places like South Africa , where they take their winemaking business seriously, and produce a export bound quality wines.
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banpotandblm that was a perspective drawn during the 50’s and 60’s. Those retirantes. That change dramatically after government incentives ( SUDENE ) , and the Rio São Francisco damns. A lot change since , but the gauchos invaded the northeast. Way back in thr 80’s.
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@HoradrimBR English please. This is not a compadre chit chat. The others need to benefit from the exchanges too. Don’t be a homer!!
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@diegoyanesholtz212 interesting. Ceará sounds like a place. I wonder what the topology is like there.
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One has to live and study a host country before they spout their opinions. He is out of his debt on Brazil. I like him , but no consultant is perfect.
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You got that right.
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@SignalCorps1 . Wrooong. Tapioca pão is made in places where consumers are not demanding. In São Paulo, and other southern states , consumers won’t touch blended stuff. They rather cheat with potassium bromide .
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That and the Southern tip. That is where wheat production started. Rio Grande do Sul. Most of these Amazon Florest are from clueless Americanos. Reaganomics and Unions , their public education has gone nearly bankrupt. Geography is not mandatory in their curricula.
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@thomasherrin6798 where did you come up with this..? The farther South you get from the Equator , the colder it becomes. And last I heard , we are not selling our debt to force you in trading in our currency , so we can ship you some of our currency for yours. It is the other way around.
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taponmyprofiletoreachout_t no I won’t . Not interested in being scammed.
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That comment is borne out of your American Centric ( or European ) ignorance. If you care to read my post on this video , most Brazilian wheat production comes from the Country Southern tip , at the prairies. Get out of your hole, homer.
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@thalesmoraisbragalyra8731 he is a homer. Why waste time in him ?
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@leotre148 it is just for fun. It takes a lot more to educate them. Fundamental education defunding is showing their “superiority “ bare.
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@lrn_news9171 the Serra Gaúcha. The n there are Palmeira das Missões, Cruz Alta, São Luiz Gonzaga, Giruá, Joia and Santa Bárbara do Sul, all wheat growing regions.
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