Perham, Minn. – On an educational tour of agriculture and academic institutions across the Midwest, 25 Argentinian farmers, agronomists, scientists, journalists and industry members visited the R.D. Offutt (RDO) Perham Farm on Thursday, June 17.
Together with Dr. Andy Robinson, North Dakota State University (NDSU) and University of Minnesota (UMN) Extension Agronomist and Associate Professor, RDO Farm Manager Pete Babler, and Agronomists Mark Riepe and Nick David, hosted the group, trading information about farming practices and equipment.
Image 1: RDO Midwest Agronomist Nick David (middle) shows Umatilla potato plant to Argentinian farmer Gaston Viani (left) and Dr. Cristina Palacio from the National University of Northwestern Buenos Aires.
Image 2: From left, RDO Agronomist Mark Riepe, RDO Perham Farm Manager Pete Babler, NDSU Andy Robinson discuss potato plants at Perham farm.
“It was a wonderful experience to talk with farmers from across the world to compare notes on potato varieties, soil types, crop inputs, irrigation and cover crops,” Babler said. “When you get farmers together, we can always find commonalities and never run out of things to discuss.” The tour was coordinated by Dr. Gary Secor from NDSU’s College of Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources.
“My friend and colleague, Dr. Cristina Palacio, from the National University of Northwestern Buenos Aires, contacted me about hosting a tour group to learn more about American agriculture and educational programs,” Secor said. “We were pleased to coordinate the tour at RDO Farms, which has long been a partner of NDSU.”
The group started its tour earlier in the week at a farm in Devil’s Lake, ND, and spent a day at NDSU before touring RDO. The group then visited another potato farm in Clear Lake, Minn., toured the University of Minnesota Sand Plains Research Farm in Becker, Minn. before visiting the University of Minnesota. It has additional stops in Indianapolis and Chicago before heading back to Argentina.
