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Matt Wolle of Madelia was part of the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (MARL) Program international mission to Cuba from February 15-25, 2010.
Wolle was a member of the 36-person MARL Class V delegation that departed from Minneapolis for Miami on Monday, February 15. The group spent Monday and Tuesday in Florida to learn about U.S. Agricultural Industries comparable to those it would see in Cuba. The time in Florida also allowed the group to meet with Cuban immigrants and their descendents in Miami. These meetings included one with arguably the most well-known Cuban immigrant in the state of Minnesota, Tony Oliva of the Minnesota Twins.
The agricultural stops made by the group included the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. Sugar Cane production, harvesting, and processing enterprises in the Everglades Agricultural Area north of Miami were included. The group also visited a lettuce field where harvesting was taking place and a lettuce packing distribution house. Finally, the sugar cooperative and Wedgeworth Farms hosted the group for lunch at the Everglades Research and Education Center of the University of Florida.
These experiences had the group ready for their Cuban experience. ‘This was a valuable experience for MARL participants,” said Tim Alcorn, MARL executive director. “Our time in Florida was a great primer for the Cuba agriculture we saw. We left Cuba with a far better feel for the economic issues facing the communist country as a result of the U.S. embargo that has been in place since the Cuban revolution in 1959.
MARL program leader Mike Liepold said the current state of U.S. and Cuban relations impacted the trip. “It was like being in time travel. There were 100 years of technology differences living side by side everywhere,” Liepold said. “There were 1950 Chevys all over. We saw 20,000 acre farms, next to people working fields with oxen. We saw homes constructed with marble interiors and basic one-room houses in the country. We met with government farm managers and workers as well as a few independent growers. It was meeting with the Cuban people that we found especially memorable. The trip was truly a life-changing experience.”
MARL Class V agriculture producers were able to learn about the huge potential of the market in Cuba and the limitations faced by the people on both sides to grow that market to full potential.
The group’s agenda during its nine days in Cuba included stops that helped participants understand the country’s food distribution systems, both the staple commodity grain markets for the ration stores and the higher value restaurant and tourists food markets. Both are current markets for Minnesota farmers. Estimates place the growth potential of the market at over $1 billion if the current travel ban were ended.
The group also saw portions of the Cuban agricultural systems, including a state-run farm called Finca Cimex, where vegetables and ornamental plants, primarily cactus are grown.
While the MARL group was in Cuba, Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson, Chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, was preparing legislation for introduction to make the sale of agricultural products to Cuba easier.
This the fifth MARL class to complete an international trip.
The MARL Program is a public-private partnership. Southwest Minnesota State University administers it and the University of Minnesota Extension coordinates the curriculum. The program is privately funded. Class members pay a participation fee, but the majority of funding comes from contributions from private sector associations, organizations, businesses, corporations, foundations, and individuals provide the majority of the funds to operate the program. Two-thirds of the participants are agricultural producers and the other third are agribusiness people and other types of rural leaders.
Matt Wolle is a corn and soybean producer, county Farm Bureau leader, Minnesota FFA and FFA Alumini Leader, Minnesota State Fair leader, ag organization and local civic leader.
Matt Wolle of Madelia was part of the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (MARL) Program international mission to Cuba from February 15-25, 2010.
Wolle was a member of the 36-person MARL Class V delegation that departed from Minneapolis for Miami on Monday, February 15. The group spent Monday and Tuesday in Florida to learn about U.S. Agricultural Industries comparable to those it would see in Cuba. The time in Florida also allowed the group to meet with Cuban immigrants and their descendents in Miami. These meetings included one with arguably the most well-known Cuban immigrant in the state of Minnesota, Tony Oliva of the Minnesota Twins.
The agricultural stops made by the group included the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. Sugar Cane production, harvesting, and processing enterprises in the Everglades Agricultural Area north of Miami were included. The group also visited a lettuce field where harvesting was taking place and a lettuce packing distribution house. Finally, the sugar cooperative and Wedgeworth Farms hosted the group for lunch at the Everglades Research and Education Center of the University of Florida.
These experiences had the group ready for their Cuban experience. ‘This was a valuable experience for MARL participants,” said Tim Alcorn, MARL executive director. “Our time in Florida was a great primer for the Cuba agriculture we saw. We left Cuba with a far better feel for the economic issues facing the communist country as a result of the U.S. embargo that has been in place since the Cuban revolution in 1959.
MARL program leader Mike Liepold said the current state of U.S. and Cuban relations impacted the trip. “It was like being in time travel. There were 100 years of technology differences living side by side everywhere,” Liepold said. “There were 1950 Chevys all over. We saw 20,000 acre farms, next to people working fields with oxen. We saw homes constructed with marble interiors and basic one-room houses in the country. We met with government farm managers and workers as well as a few independent growers. It was meeting with the Cuban people that we found especially memorable. The trip was truly a life-changing experience.”
MARL Class V agriculture producers were able to learn about the huge potential of the market in Cuba and the limitations faced by the people on both sides to grow that market to full potential.
The group’s agenda during its nine days in Cuba included stops that helped participants understand the country’s food distribution systems, both the staple commodity grain markets for the ration stores and the higher value restaurant and tourists food markets. Both are current markets for Minnesota farmers. Estimates place the growth potential of the market at over $1 billion if the current travel ban were ended.
The group also saw portions of the Cuban agricultural systems, including a state-run farm called Finca Cimex, where vegetables and ornamental plants, primarily cactus are grown.
While the MARL group was in Cuba, Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson, Chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, was preparing legislation for introduction to make the sale of agricultural products to Cuba easier.
This the fifth MARL class to complete an international trip.
The MARL Program is a public-private partnership. Southwest Minnesota State University administers it and the University of Minnesota Extension coordinates the curriculum. The program is privately funded. Class members pay a participation fee, but the majority of funding comes from contributions from private sector associations, organizations, businesses, corporations, foundations, and individuals provide the majority of the funds to operate the program. Two-thirds of the participants are agricultural producers and the other third are agribusiness people and other types of rural leaders.
Matt Wolle is a corn and soybean producer, county Farm Bureau leader, Minnesota FFA and FFA Alumini Leader, Minnesota State Fair leader, ag organization and local civic leader.
