Down on the farm

Down on the farm

Lest you think our lives only involve sunning on the beach, here is another adventure we had recently. Through the AllVallarta.com bulletin board, we have met many very nice and interesting people.
One couple we met recently was Sandie and Ronnie from Iowa. Sandie contacted me because they were staying at a house in Bucerias and needed a little info.
The house, Jardin del Mar, is very nice! It is beautiful and secluded, great for relaxing and getting away from it all. That’s not how their vacation ended up being, but that’s not my story to tell!
Ronnie is a farmer (yes, tractors, barns, combines, that kind of farmer). He has done work in the past for the Monsanto Corp. Well, Monsanto has a facility in the Puerto Vallarta area and he made arrangements to go visit. Harold and I planned to drive them out to the farm, but instead a Monsanto employee came and got us all.
The Monsanto farm is a station that grows corn and sunflowers. The part we visited is not a research station, but they grow seed corn for the US. After the corn company identifies a hybrid seed they want to grow and sell, they grow some plants. The seed from those plants is used to grow more seed corn. Corn is grown here in Mexico because it allows another full growing season per year. That way, research to production takes half as long.
We were picked up in a nice van. The first thing we were told in the van was to be sure to fasten our seatbelts. This was the first indication of how much attention Monsanto pays t safety. The farm is east of Mezcales near Valle de Banderas. When we got there, we all had to sign in. At the office, we were shown a safety film about chemical safety and safety around the farm. Only Ronnie had worn long pants and closed shoes, so only he could visit the fields directly.
This worked out pretty well for the rest of us, though. In the office is a kitchen. We were curious about the kitchen and the woman who worked there. We found out that Martha, the cook, prepares a morning break snack and lunch for the managers of the farm. She showed us the kitchen and offered us a bite to eat. She made fresh-squeezed orange juice for us! It was very good. She also gave us some sweet rolls.
When Ronnie and the tour guide returned, we rode around the farm in the van. Even though we never got near chemicals, we had to wear safety glasses. We saw that Monsanto provides safety gear for the employees working around chemicals. There were also emergency showers and signs cautioning proper chemical handling. Safety around equipment was also stressed. Lockers and lunch areas are provided for the workers. We even saw that they had port-a-potties around the farm. We were very impressed with how the place is run!
We saw the seed corn area and the sunflower area. Monsanto also has a Mexican seed research facility adjacent to the farm we toured. It was all very neatly kept. Altogether, there are about 150 employees at the farm. All crops are harvested by hand. There is irrigation for the crops.
After our tour, another employee gave us a ride back to Bucerias. His cell phone rang, but he told us that company regulations prohibited him from talking on the phone while driving.
We really enjoyed the tour and we enjoyed meeting and spending time with Ronnie and Sandie.