February 14th, 2014
We
departed from Vina Del Mar at 8:15 am and traveled roughly 2 ½ hours to a
Monsanto site south of Santiago near the city of Paine. We traveled through the
valley of Casa Blanca where popular white grapes are grown. Most of the
agriculture along the trip included vineyards, but it we found corn, vegetable,
and fruit production as we travelled south of Santiago.
Monsanto Corn Seed
Production Tour at Paine:
The
staff at the Monsanto site, led by Site Manager Matias Navarrete, provided an
informational tour of their site and activities. The plant was initially built
in 1997 with several expansions through 2010. They produce seed corn at the
location, but also produce small amounts of soybean and canola seed. The seed
is produced for use on farms throughout the United States. Their production
area ranges about 400 kilometers from north to south around Paine. They produce
seed on 6500 hectares (16,000 acres) within their production area
Monsanto
staff provided a one hour tour that included a brief presentation and a walking
tour of the plant facilities. The key areas viewed were corn receiving, corn
husking, drying bins, shelling/cleaning, and bagging for export. Corn is received
on the ear with husks. Following husking and hand sorting, the ears are dried
on the cob at temps around 95-105 degrees Fahrenheit in two directions to
ensure quality. Bulk shelled corn is exported to the United States for final
processing before farmers plant the seed this spring. They took great care in
ensuring quality and safety measures were taken every step of the way.
Monsanto
provided lunch at the Bavaria restaurant nearby. We enjoyed cuisine of German
heritage, including blood sausage. The food was excellent and appreciated by
the class.
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| Monsanto Paine Chile - entrance |
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Explanation
of How Seed Corn is Produced for use in the US
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Demonstration
of where corn is delivered to the plant
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