Chinese Visitors witness valley farming pride (08-31-07)
Dr. Colin Henderson (center) of El Sagrado Farm explainis his organic and off-grid practices to Chinese agriculturalists hosted by Adams State College Community Partnershps. Karen Henderson is at far left.
Among the first visitors to White Mountain Farm's solar pivot operation was Fenguy Zhu, a Chinese farmer from Guangdong province. The visit was coordinated by Adams State College Community Partnerships, the Chinese Association of Science and Technology (CAST), and USDA RC&D. Zhu, who owns and operates a 3,000 acre farm in Southwestern China, grows grapefruit as a primary crop. He is interested in U.S. farming practices and specifically in renewable energy farming applications. Zhu was accompanied by Bimg Luo, his interpreter and business associate; Drs. Xuewei and Yingbei Wang, CAST founders; and Wendal Wang and Steve Cai, both of CAST.
Their farm tour started with a dynamic presentation from Trinidad State Junior College's Ted Smith regarding China's aquaculture history. World-wide, 59.4 million metric tons of farm fish are typically produced each year. Ninety-one percent of that is produced in Asia, Smith said. They also discussed current FDA bans on selective seafood imports from China.
The Chinese delegation also met with Dr. Colin and Karen Henderson at their off-the-grid farm in Conejos County. Through his interpreter, Zhu asked how a medical professional could find the time to farm. Dr. Henderson's replay emphasized the importance of eating good quality, healthy food. The trend to buy food locally was also a topic of discussion. Next, the group met with Erwin Young and his son, Jay, of Colorado Gators. They viewed a working farm with a tourism element which is a relatively new concept for the Chinese commercial open market.
The tour ended with the Ford Farm in Center, where Skip Haws and Jenna Ford showed the international guests a full-scale potato operation. With the help of Jenna and Skip's neighbors, the guests saw a large scale composing operation and a potato storage facility. The visitors got a sense of the importance of the community to the farming industry.
This tour is part of a continuing collaboration between ASC's Community Partnerships and the Chinese Association of Science and Technology (CAST) of Denver. "These kinds of collaborations help bring people together to share ideas and build relationships" said Mary Hoffman, executive director of Community Partnerships.
