Leave your Chewing Gum and Durians at Home -- Singapore: Day 11 (5/31)

As we said "Good-bye" to Malaysia, we had one more stop before our long trek home.  Singapore is a city-state, so it's hard to believe that we would be able to make agricultural visits there.  During our time in the pristine city, we learned more about the economics and communication industry as it relates to international agriculture.

Before our meetings we had a bit of time to look around the city.  Singapore law states that you will be fined if you are caught with chewing gum, durian, and littering.  Durian is a fruit which for its taste is desired in other Southeast Asian countries, but for it's strong (bad) odor is illegal in Singapore.  This most likely contributed to why the city was so clean.  While walking around, I felt that I was in a city from the future!

A view of Singapore, including the ferris-wheel and a building with  a boat design on top

The first meeting was with Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT).  CME and CBOT are a risk management company that has a focus on international trade, including grain and other agricultural products and the futures and options associated with those industries.  Although futures and options are way out of my comfort zone of knowledge, it was great to be exposed to them because it may not be obvious, they affect us.  In particular, corn prices are always in every agriculturalists' mind and whoever has control of the market can make a big difference.  Another interesting thing about the risk management portion of CME and CBOT (hedging) is that they also deal with weather risks.

Going over the history of the CBOT

Following our lesson on options and futures, we got to learn more about agricultural communications with Bloomberg.  Bloomberg is another international company that not only supplies news to the world (including agriculture news), but they sell terminals, which is software packages that provide companies with subscriptions of constant information about anything they could need, such as market trends.

Margery and me in the ferris wheel
Photo credit: Margery

For the rest of the evening we got to take in the elements of the city.  Margery, Marty, Anne, and I decided to take a ride on a large ferris-wheel like thing to view the city from above.  Although Margery and I are on the frugal side, we felt that the view was worth the price.  We finished up the evening with a nice family style meal with traditional chili crab (which was too spicy for me!).

Enjoying ice cream in Singapore!

Our one and only day in Singapore was bittersweet.  We got to wrap up our adventures by completing SWOT analysis for Malaysia and Singapore after spending one last day expanding our knowledge agriculturally and culturally.  We were sad to be leaving this up-and-coming region in the world and our new found friends.  The next day we spent flying back to good 'ole U.S.A. and parting ways to our homes and further agriculture adventures.  I-CAL was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had from an educational and networking perspective.  I hope that this blog will encourage other young agriculturalists to apply for I-CAL and to also branch out and take chances.  I almost didn't apply for I-CAL and looking back, if I hadn't it would have been a huge mistake.

Thanks for following and I hope you have enjoyed Shasta's I-CAL Adventures!

Wet Markets to Fine Dining: Day 11 (5/30)

A vendor at the wet market cleaning a sting-ray

Our last day in Malaysia took us to a wide range of locations.  We began the day bright and early to another wet market.  This market was larger and more open than those visited in Vietnam.  Also, there was a larger selection of products, particularly marine life.  Many of the stands had live products that could be processed directly in front of you!  Even though there was a supermarket directly next door, people seemed to inclined to purchase from the wet market.  We asked Shellen at one point where she purchases her groceries.  During the week, when she is short on time, she goes to the grocery store.  But on weekends when she can spend the time to make a home-cooked meal, she goes to the wet market.  This is similar to those who visit the farmers market in my college town of Blacksburg, Virginia.  I wasn't expecting an answer like this, but it was interesting to find out how similar cooking meals in Malaysia is to that of the United States.

Me, McKenzie, and Nellie with the long row of cranes at Westport

After the wet market we moved on to our visit to Westport.  This is one of three port facilities with Port Klang (the others are North and South port).  This port is ranked 13th in the world and is a Free Trade location.  The port ships many things in bulk, the main categories of shipments include: dry bulk (agriculture products and minerals), liquid, and vehicles.  Once we had the overview, we got to go out to the port and see how huge it really was!  This visit was really interesting because even though in Virginia we have ports (Norfolk) I really don't have much knowledge about them.

The rest of the day was filled with sight-seeing and networking.  One of the most spectacular sights in Kuala Lumpur is the Petronas Towers.  They are the tallest twin towers in the world!  We got to travel up to the 86th floor and walk across the bridge that connects the two towers.  It was a great view of the city, and I was able to get a souvenir spoon for my collection.

Shadow of the Petronas Towers over Kuala Lumpur

Later in the evening we got to wrap things up from our previous agricultural visits.  The U.S. Grains Council hosted a networking event in which we got to have further conversations with the professionals we had met along our trip, and new folks as well.  This was a career opportunity that not very many people our age get to have!

The next post will finish up the I-CAL adventure with notes from our day in Singapore!

The Culture in Agriculture: Day 10 (5/29)

As we got closer to the end of our trip, we had the opportunity again to meet with U.S. officials working in Southeast Asia.  This gave us a chance to get overviews of Malaysia and Singapore agriculture and how their culture influences their industry.  We also got to learn more about some controversial industry within agriculture of Southeast Asia and then some shopping.

Attaché Rittgers presenting at the U.S. Grains Council office, as Bethany O. takes notes

Our first meetings of the day began at the U.S. Grains office where our dear friends and leaders, Adel and Shellen, have their offices.  We could tell that Adel felt right at home, because he worked in his socks.  We began with a meeting with Chris Rittgers, agricultural attaché for Malaysia and Singapore for the USDA.  The second presentation was by Adel, further discussing Malaysian agriculture.  These discussions were very informative and clarifying.  

From these conversations we were able to understand the importance of having Halal standards for food.  We had heard this several times during our Malaysian tours, but didn't really understand.  It is the way food is processed in order to be edible by Islamic law.  In Malaysia there are prominent ethnic groups which provide the demand for this market.  Sadly there is also a lot of self-segregation between groups (55% Malay, 25% Chinese, 10% Indian and others). Having questions like these answered during our meetings allowed us to tie together the information from our tours and apply it to culture.

On a side note, this meeting also hit close to home.  During this entire trip, I personally felt that a lot of the trade between the U.S. and Southeast Asia never directly influenced my state of Virginia.  As mentioned before, the students on this trip were mostly from California or the Mid-West.  Then you have Virginia and North Carolina representing the Eastern part of the country during the 2012 I-CAL.  The two states aren't known for grain, or high production like the states' of our teammates.  After a conversation with Adel, we found that Southeast Asia (particularly Vietnam) really likes to import apples and Christmas trees from Virginia and North Carolina!

Also, I got to have another discussion with Adel about the demand for dairy products in Southeast Asia.  Being raised on a dairy farm, I always like to know how others feel about my family's livelihood.  Apparently, there is a growing demand for dairy, which makes sense due to the growing middle class of Asia as a whole.  More specifically, according to Adel, there is a want for milk so that children will grow bigger and taller.  The milk that is currently being imported to Southeast Asia comes from Australia.  McKenzie (who is from a dairy farm is Wisconsin) and I decided to move to Malaysia, start a dairy, and export it to Vietnam.  Great plan, right?  Anyway, it was really nice to feel more connected to the industries we were exploring during I-CAL.

A display during our tour at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board

While we traveled throughout Malaysia, almost anywhere there wasn't buildings, there were palm oil trees.  We had the opportunity to learn more about the palm oil industry in Malaysia during our time with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board later in the day.  Currently, Malaysia is the world leading producer, Indonesia, but exports more (40% of global supply).  Along with the increased interest in palm oil usage globally, there is controversy. 

Mine and McKenzie's favorite isle at
Ben's Independent Grocer (B.I.G.)

The rest of the evening was spent at a grocery store and a night market!  At the grocery store we got to see a different side of food distribution for Southeast Asia.  The store was huge and had anything you could ask for!  Marge splurged on her precious Nutella, and McKenzie and I made sure we got plenty of dairy products!  Once again we got to haggle for souvenirs at the night market.  Day 10 was a great example of how we learned about agriculture and culture not only through meetings, but engaging in everyday life -- like shopping!

Take care and keep your eyes out for a new blog post soon!   

Getting Stuck in Holes in Vietnam Can Open Doors

Once again I divert my attention from the adventures of my I-CAL excursion to related topics.  This go round I'd like to discuss the opportunities I've had because of my involvement with I-CAL.

As a part of the I-CAL program you are asked to present about your trip to educational and business groups.  I had the opportunity to present to the Collegiate FFA Chapter and Dairy Club at Virginia Tech.  I will also have to opportunity to speak about my trip with the Virginia State Feed Association in February.

The CFFA presentation was a great way to start off the fall semester!  Friends of mine, Joy and David, also presented about their involvement with CFFA at the national level with their participation in New Century Farmer and National Collegiate Agriculture Ambassadors Programs, respectively.  It was a great night letting fellow CFFA members know about the opportunities that they have to grow professionally, serve the agriculture industry, and have a great time!

Dairy Club decided to have "Internship Month" for our October meetings.  It was really great to present among the really awesome dairy internships that our members participated in.  Sadly, Dairy Club is not one of the listed organizations that can participate in I-CAL.  But many of our members are in other organizations such as Alpha Zeta, FarmHouse, and Alpha Gamma Rho.  

My upcoming presentation for Virginia State Feed Association will be a great time reconnecting with members of the industry.  I have been fortunate enough to meet with this group before through their scholarship program.  In fact, they were the ones that helped me realize my connection with the grain and feeds industry.  If it weren't for them, I might not have applied for I-CAL in the first place.

2012 Collegiate FFA Convention Staff

Here recently, I had another opportunity to share my experience with I-CAL in another manner.  At the 2012 National FFA Convention I was able to serve on Collegiate Staff.  I loved making new friends from all over who were active in CFFA as well.  Promoting CFFA and hosting Collegiate events such as Amazing Race and socials was a blast!

And the opportunities continue!  Through my blog and promotion through my study abroad credit, I hope to let the Virginia Tech agricultural community know about the I-CAL program and the great opportunities that follow it.  Thanks for keeping up and the next blogs should wrap up my trip!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Rolling in the Dough...The Day of Mills: Day 9 (5/28)

Although we were sad to leave Pangkor Island, it was time for us to move along and visit more agricultural locations.  We didn't have to travel far to our first stop.  Soon after reaching the mainland, we bused to the Burhard Malaysian Flour Mill (MFM) Group.  Along the way, we had to watch for wild monkeys out in the road.

Before touring the plant we watched an informational video about the business.  It began in 1965 and was the first mill in Malaysia.  The mill is older and is looking to improve, but was built with very reliable equipment and has withheld a high standard over time.  A very vital part of MFM's infrastructure is its very own port.  Unlike other mills in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, MFM can directly receive the raw products it process and send them back out again from one location.  These raw products for milling originate from the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

Bethany M. and I pose for a picture
at the top of the silos

Our tour began at the top of the facility.  From the roof we could see the silos and the port.  In the 70 silos, 65,000 tons of grain can be stored.  As we continued our tour, we worked our way down the different levels.  This is because the raw products move through the facility this way in order to be processed.  Along with seeing the path that the products travel through the mill, we went into the board room which electronically lets the workers see the functions of the mill.  Many of these workers have engineering based backgrounds.

The final products of the mill include 23 brands of flour.  The different types are used for a variety of final products from hot buns to noodles.  Their customer base is made up of about 60% manufacturing and 40% retail.  Although there are tests run on the flour for every order made, there are no bread origins regulations and therefore cannot demand bread standards from those who further process the flour.  Before we headed to our second tour of the day we were given samples of bread that they were baking for testing, which were so good we were tempted to take a whole loaf!

pellet machine from the feed mill

Our second tour of the day was the feed mill right next door.  This feed mill is a part of MFM vertically integrated company and was born from the company to utilize by-products from the flour milling.  Unlike feed mills back home, they had rations for bullfrogs, among other popular livestock, such as poultry.  It was really neat to see their machinery and their lab for nutritional analysis, even if this is the likely culprit for my nasty eye infection.  That story will continue at a later date.

The last agricultural visit of the day was to the Dindings Poultry Processing Plant, which began in 1990 as a subsidiary of the MFM.  Like the egg processing plant in Vietnam, we got the opportunity to meet with the business leaders to learn about their company and then suit up in white, lab garb for a sanitary tour.  Probably because we were dealing with raw meat, and the more advanced state of Malaysian agriculture the bio-security standards were a bit higher.  We were able to see the beginning and end products of the processing facility, except for the actual slaughter of the chickens.  The blood from the chickens is processed for blood meal back at the feed mill.  The most popular product from this company are leg quarters, which come from the 50-60 thousand birds processed daily.

While making our way to Kuala Lumpar we got to have a couple of cultural visits.  The first was a gas/rest station, which to me was more like the food court at a mall!  We had the chance to grab some cheap and good coffee.  Our final destination for the night before the hotel was the Batu Caves, just outside the city.  It is home to the largest statue in the world of the Hindu deity Lord Murugan.  Behind the statue are 272 steps which leads to the caves.  We all trekked to the top, and some of us even got "blessed"...or something.  

I know I haven't been very good about posting lately, but please keep following my trip through Malaysia!



 

I'm on a Boat! Day 7&8 (5/26-27)

The ferry ride to Pangkor

Our time in Vietnam ended and we were off to Malaysia.  After getting stuck in a hole, it was nice to have a relaxing weekend at the Pangkor Island Beach Resort.  Once we arrived in Kuala Lumpar via plane, we bused and then took a ferry to the resort.

We arrived to the island late in the evening, but still had time to enjoy the scenery.  Some of us played beach volleyball and swam in the ocean.  I managed to prove how high-strung I am because I got startled three times while out in the water.  Twice it was because Daniel and Mathias brushed by me but, the other time was the strap of my own swimsuit startling me.

Daniel (in his fancy new shirt from our) tour, me, and Edward 

Our full day on the island was jammed packed with activities.  Most of the group went on an island boat tour and snorkeling trip.  We had the opportunity to see different parts of the island, check out some aquatic life and Daniel was able to buy more wild souvenirs.  

After our return, we split up to do different activities.  Margery and I went kayaking out in the bay.  Mathias kept trying to swim out to us, and Margery was determined that he was trying to tip us over.  When we finally let him get on the kayak, the man who we rented the boat from ran out onto the beach to yell at us.

Later Nellie, Edward, Mathias, Margery, and I decided to go hiking in the forest.  We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.  The hike, turned out to be a trek.  The trail was very steep and not well kept.  Margery and Mathias thought nothing of it and hiked away.  Nellie, Edward and I weren't too keen on it, especially after Nellie fell off the steep trail and had to get leeches pulled off of her.  We turned back and were glad to make it out without more scratches and leeches than that...for the time being.  Margery found a fat and happy leech under her toes later that evening.

We wrapped up the day by doing a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis for Vietnam before dinner.  With this analysis, we were able to take the knowledge gained from our time there, and pin-point important factors for Vietnam's agricultural future.  These factors ranged from being a complementary market to the United States to a lack of organized governmental support for agriculture.  It would also be useful as comparison between the nations we visited during I-CAL.

Edward, Daniel, Mathias, and Karl singing
"Raindrops Falling on My Head" at karaoke

Dinner was at a Chinese karaoke restaurant.  Chinese is one of the three main ethnic groups in Malaysia (Indian and Malayan are the other two), so it was defiantly better than American Chinese food!  Like Vietnam, there were many varieties of juices along with the meal, but like in China the meal began with hot green tea.  The meal was great and the night got even better after we joined in on karaoke.  The songs we sang varied from Country Roads, to Let it Be.  Bethany O. and Shellen, from the U.S. Grains Council,  finished with Wind Beneath my Wings and blew us away with their great voices.

Our time at the resort was a great mid-point of our trip.  Although it was not very agricultural, it gave us a little insight to the culture we were about to be emerged into.  Also, since we were able to wrap up our time in Vietnam we could be ready for transitioning into Malaysian agriculture.

  

Applying the Science-A Governor's School for Agriculture Tangent

Even though this blog is focused around my I-CAL trip, today I'm going on a different blogging path.  I am currently working at Virginia's Governor's School for Agriculture.  As a graduate of the program and hoping to go into agricultural education, I felt that this was a good job for the summer.  Here I supervise students with their respective research projects on issues, such as Global Food Security.

What you might be surprised to find is that only about 10% of the students here have agriculture experience before attending.  Majority of these students are from urban and suburban areas.  Teaching agriculture in schools is a completely foreign concept to them.  I used to think that it was such a shame that more students who were already involved in agriculture were not in the program.  Today, helped me to realize that those students who don't have agriculture backgrounds need this program the most.

One of these urban students today had spent some time after class speaking with one of the Agricultural and Applied Economics professors.  Later, he told the professor that after hearing his lecture and that of a Crop and Soil Environmental Science professor, he has gotten all torn up about his future.  The student was thinking about doing business, but now after his time here at Governor's School for Agriculture he's contemplating an Agriculture Economics degree.  He said that he loves being able to apply economics.  That's what agriculture is all about, applying science.

Things had gotten kind of wild at Governor's School, but a day like today really helped me to see that there is a bright future for agriculture, even with a dwindling resource of home-grown agriculturalists.  As Adel from the U.S. Grains Council would say: "Agriculture is sexy!" and it appears that is pretty appealing to future generations.