Thursday, May 20, 2010

...next thing we knew, we woke up in front of the Coliseum...





Here's another update for the last few days...

NOTE: Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair!  It's a long entry, but we are caught up (and we included lots of pics)!

Our last stop in Ilok was a visit with one of their area extension agents, Dragun, whose specialty is in viticulture.  He’s worked with vineyards in the area to increase production and quality of grapes and to better the agrotourism in the Ilok region.  He’s also conducted workshops on winemaking and storage to increase quality.  Dragun works with the National Ag Advisory Service to find speakers and presenters, many of which come from universities or larger wine companies (like the one that we just visited), for these workshops.  Programs are chosen based on what farmers view they need and what the agent thinks, using his expertise.  A specific goal is made in the beginning so the program can be evaluated for success later.  He sends in a report to the national office for evaluation of the projects to determine the success of the program.  To gain the respect of the farmers, Dragun said that you need to gain the trust of the people.  You must also work hard to keep it, because once you do one thing to lose that trust, you cannot do anything in the community.
-Nikki-

We headed back to Zagreb, stopping in Zoran’s hometown of Slavonski Brod to have dinner at his parent’s home.  Of course we were welcomed with a shot of brandy…better than the last welcome shot!  The meal was very nicely prepared meal of wild game and vegetables, cooked over an open pit.  We then drove the rest of the way back to Zagreb and met up with Martina and Ivon for a few beers.  We went to a couple of bars and discos until 3:30 a.m…these people weren’t even letting up when we left…a little different experience than home!!
-Ben-

**CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO VIEW ENTIRE COLLAGE!**

Erin, Nikki, Brooke's dairy visit:
We went to Matija’s family farm in Križevci and visited their dairy farm...which was one of the more technologically advanced that we've seen on our entire trip.
- The farm was established 15 years ago, but still continues to improve and expand production.  They currently own 40 hectares (there are about 2.5 acres in a hectare) and rent 10 at 700 Kuna/yr/hectare.
- Their production is currently at 37 milk cows, and plan to expand to 60 milking cows in the next 3-5 years.
- This is one of many farms who partner with Dukat, the largest milking company in Croatia.  In the last few years, Dukat has helped them to build a very modern stable, which cost around 3 million Kuna.  Besides cost help from Dukat, they received 40% of the cost from the government for dairy development (includes automatic regulation, back scratchers, manure lagoon, and an 8-slot milking facility).˝
- Main problems include: milk price, quality of heifers (which are imported), and the amount of land available...they continually want to expand production, but can't because there is no land available to increase their forage production.
- They can improve the operation with better management of genetics and feeding, although there is small room for improvement.  They are currently satisfied with production.
- Matija's family fed us a delicious lunch and supper, along with some great homemade wine...we also visited two other locations that showed us around and of course offered us more wine and snacks : )
...and then we climbed a mountain...and explored the ruins of an old fortress near Križevci.

University of Maribor, Slovenia
Monday morning we left the Forestry Fakultet with our original group of Montanans along with Doug Steele (Vice Provost and Director of Extension in Montana) 3 Ag Fakultet members, Nina, and 2 Czech Republic students and headed north to the country of Slovenia.  We visited the University of Maribor, which has 17 Fakultets (colleges) and 25,000 students—650 of which are in Agriculture.  The Fakultet of Agriculture and Life Sciences is actually based out of an old castle (recently renovated) and its outbuildings.  They own 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of land, which includes fields for crops (wheat, corn, and rape), gardens, vineyards, orchards, a botanical garden (largest in the EU), greenhouses, and 2 estates.

The production includes strawberries, peaches, cherries, plums, and apples (90% of production), among other things to contribute to their brandy distillery (4,000 liters this year), winery, juice (50,000 liters apple juice), and whole fruit sales.  They raise about 1500-2000 metric tons of apples per year, and 5-6 tons of strawberries per year.  They are not very profitable as their budget is around 3 million, and their inputs and profits are about equal (all wages come from sales).  All of their trees are root grafted…Europe has a problem with disease, so roots are imported to be grafted. 

The university is really big on international collaboration, including co-op agreements, exchanges, and international projects/programs.  Their biggest challenges are: loss of agricultural land, changing classification of the land, size of land/production, and the Extension service is not formally connected to the university (actually with a separate association). 

As usual, we were fed a delicious meal…Slovenian, of course!  Mushroom soup, pork, chicken, potatoes, rice, bread, apple juice and wine (both made on the property), and traditional (recipe and name protected) cheese cake.  After the late lunch, we headed over to the winery for a tour and…WINE SAMPLING!  We had a really great time at the University of Maribor, and really appreciated all of their hospitality!  On our way home, we stopped at Trakoscan castle and park…a very beautifully preserved estate with lakes.

Istria
Bright and early Tuesday morning, we began our long drive to Istria, the northwestern cultural center of Croatia.  Our first big stop of the day was in Poreč at their Ag Economics and Agrotourism Institute.  They own 25 hectares of land there (no livestock), and are they are mainly there to do scientific research and commercial projects, help with marketing products, enhance production, and transfer information.  They are actually used more than the Extension service in Istria, since the Ministry of Agriculture completely separated them (they did a lot of the research that Extension could utilize).  Opportunities at the institute include viticulture and olive production, and they also offer certification in production of quality wines. 

Poreč is on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and has been part of Italy multiple times.  The city is beautiful, containing a 1400 year old church, many shops and restaurants, and is a tourism center during the summer months.  We walked along the seaside and touched the water to “become one with the world” as Nina said, and then decided to eat.  We visited a local restaurant that served…you guessed it: seafood…let us tell ya, it was an INTERESTING meal!  We started off with salted sardines (not terrible but not good…look at Brooke and Nikki’s faces below!), and moved on to grilled squid, and fried sardines (not bad at all)...the beer sure tasted good!  Overall, the experience gave us an opportunity to become more “cultured.”

We left Poreč and, as usual, fell asleep in the car.  When we woke up, we were parked along the harbor and staring up at a coliseum…thinking “why the heck would we drive to Rome?!  This is awesome!!”  We were actually in Pula, another cultural epicenter along the Adriatic Sea that was also under Roman influence for a time.  The coliseum is just under 2000 years old, and quite intact…it serves as a reminder of the past, and is connected to the present, as many concerts are held there.  We all really enjoyed this surprise, and really appreciated the experience.

On our way home, Zoran scheduled a visit with another dairy farm in a small rural village area.  They had 60 milking cows, along with heifers in development, and a few calves.  Their milking room is a 6-station herringbone setup, which takes about 3 hours each milking.  The cows all have collars with a microchip, which is important for receiving their concentrate feed.  They walk up to the two feeders which read their microchip and portion their grain according to their production.  The farm produces all of their own forage, but does their processing differently than all of the others…in a way that you never really see it done over here.  They cut the hay, and immediately bale it, then they bring it into what looks like a greenhouse, but has large round, grated vents in the bottom. A bale is set on each vent, and he turns on the heater-blower system…it only takes 7-8 hours to dry the bales.  This is a great system; because you can keep these quality bales for an extended period of time…they also keep all of the leaves and stems intact, making the bales much higher quality.  This was a really neat opportunity to get to see in a different region of the country…the only not so great thing was the extended period driving home scrunched in the car, returning at 1 a.m…

Hope you enjoyed reading about our adventures of the last few days!  See you again soon! 

-Erin, Jon, Brooke, Ben, Nikki, & Marty-


2 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you decided to share your journey with all of us back home! I feel like I'm there (and of course I'm very jealous that I'm not). The country looks amazing - it really makes me want to pack up and visit. I just love all the details about the people, food, landscapes, and culture over there. Oh, and all the pictures! Keep up the excellent work!
    ~Torey Schledewitz

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  2. Thanks for the wonderful stories....as you know, I am VERY ENVIOUS! Keep having the time of your lives........Bill

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