Brazil Agricultural Tour
January 24 - February 6, 2012 SOLD OUT
February 7 - 20, 2012 SOLD OUT

See corn, soybeans, rice, cotton, and other crops in various stages of growth - planting to harvesting. Visit Brazil's largest ethanol plants and the world's largest soybean farm. 

Day 1: Miami

Arrive at Miami airport and transfer by shuttle to your included hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 2: USA / Manaus / Amazon River

Depart Miami on our early morning, five hour flight, to Manaus, Brazil. Upon arrival in Manaus, clear immigration and customs, then board your motor coach for a short transfer to the hotel for check in. Change into your warm weather attire and you'll be ready for a cruise on the largest river in the world, the Amazon! Enjoy our included lunch and the impressive view of the meeting of the waters, the Negro River and the magnificent Amazon. The Rio Negro, a river with dark, almost black colored water, flows into the giant Amazon's light or sandy-colored water and together flow side by side nearly four miles without mixing. This phenomenon is due to the differences in temperature, speed and water density of the two rivers. The Rio Negro flows at near 1.25 miles per hour at a temperature of 82 degrees, while the Amazon flows between 3.25 miles per hour at a temperature of 72 degrees. You are sure to enjoy this comfortable and interesting private cruise on these two rivers. Overnight in Manaus. Inflight meal service, L, D

Day 3: Manaus / Brasilia

This morning after a tour of Manaus, we transfer to the airport for our flight to Brasilia. This capital city of Brazil is a totally planned city, with an all-new skyline. Brasilia is home to the nation's President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. With its modern and interesting architecture, Brasilia is laid out in the shape of a large airplane. Transfer to our very nice hotel and rest for the night. Perhaps you will want to take in the colorfully lit water fountain display in the park across the street! B, In-flight Meal Service, D

Day 4: Brazilia / John Carroll Farm

After breakfast, we begin our Brazil Agricultural Tour by traveling north about 5 hours for a visit to the Carroll Family Farms. John Carroll, an American owner and manager, will be there to answer all your questions regarding farming in Brazil. Carroll Farms is located about 70 miles south of the city of Luis Eduardo. The farm in Brazil consists of 25,000 acres of cotton, 3000 acres of soybeans and 800 acres of experimental corn. We’ll spend the balance of the day enjoying a farm tour of John’s property, learning about his farm operation and how he is able to successfully operate in another part of the world. See similarities and great differences in how their land is farmed and managed compared to operations in the U.S. B, L, D

Day 5: Luis Eduardo / Brasilia

This morning we travel back south to the capital city of Brasilia for a tour of this very modern city. This evening, check out the nice shopping mall next door to our hotel. Here you'll have an opportunity to see what Brazilians are exposed to in terms of shopping items as well as prices. After our tour, we retire for the night at a very nice hotel in Brasilia. B, D

Day 6: Brasilia / Cuiaba / Nova Mutum

After breakfast, we transfer to the airport for our flight to Cuiaba, a stepping stone on our journey to Nova Mutum, a city in Brazil's largest agricultural state of Mato Grosso. The red soil, along with the generous sun and the abundant rainfall of this tropical climate provide the potential to grow high-yield crops. During the growing season, October through April, they receive 80 - 90 inches of rain, while May through July virtually no rain falls. We'll drive about three hours to our destination, where you'll see some of the best production land in Brazil. We stay the night in Nova Mutum, a very young city that was born from the new development of the one-time forest turned soybean land. Sky-high soybean prices in the 1970's started the flow of farmers into Mato Grosso. Before that, the flat-to-rolling Savannah had been home to beef producers. Bulldozers cleared trees and brush from the land, large discs followed and lime spreaders poured in to make the acidic soils sweet. Millions of acres have been cleared in this area to make Brazil America's largest soybean competitor. B, D

Day 7: Nova Mutum / Lucas

Today's visit includes large farm operators in Matto Grosso, Brazil. Here you'll have an opportunity to discuss everything from input costs and crop choices to land costs and farm profitability. We view the crops firsthand and investigate the huge line of farm equipment, much of it manufactured in Brazil. Farmers owning 80 tractors, 40 combines, a dozen cotton pickers, and several spray planes are not unusual. We'll see large-scale wood-burning grain dryers and visit a cotton gin. Learn how some Brazilian farmers have brought in swine breeding stock from Canada and now raise and fatten large numbers of hogs each year. They have also developed cattle feedlots to utilize the cheap corn grown in the area. This afternoon we'll travel a short distance to the city of Lucas, a very young city overflowing with economic development that would rival any other in the world. We will meet an entrepreneur who has developed a large business consisting of soybean, cattle, poultry, and dairy operations. He is also a major shareholder in the bio diesel plant that we visit tomorrow. He has come a long way from the 90's when he left Brazil to to study and work in the agricultural sector in Iowa. Learn about the windfall profits in this area that have made common people very wealthy. We overnight in the small city of Lucas. B, L, D

Day 8: Lucas / Tangará da Serra

This morning begins with a special visit to a modern bio diesel and alcohol plant. Here they are capable of producing biofuel from a variety of raw materials, including soybeans, crambe, castor beans, peanuts, sunflower, cotton, and jatropha. Jatropha is becoming more and more popular to produce biofuel due to its efficiency. Corn will yield about 200 barrels of oil per section per year, and rice will yield about 1,000 barrels. Jatropha will yield well over 2,000 barrels of oil per section per year, and it also increases the fertility of the land on which it is grown. It is a perennial that can grow in arid conditions, on any kind of ground, and does not require irrigation or suffer in droughts. After the biodiesel plant visit, we travel southwest to the city of Tangará da Serra, home of our Brazilian guide, Ricardo. The soybean harvest will be underway, and since we are traveling by motor coach, we'll be able to stop for field inspections along the route. Throughout the tour you'll have an opportunity to see crops from the early stages all the way to harvest. You will also see first hand how this nation's main obstacle is transportation - see long truck lines at the local elevators and their very poor road conditions. Upon arrival, we'll enjoy a wonderful dinner at a local restaurant, before checking into our hotel for the evening. We will stay the next two nights in Tangará da Serra. B, D

Day 9: Tangará de Serra

Today is a two part tour, one for the gals and another for the gents. The ladies, accompanied by a couple of English speaking Brazilian girls will have an opportunity to spend the morning shopping in the city of Tangara da Serra. The gents will visit a number of implement dealers such as John Deere, Case IH, Valtra and others. Also make a quick stop by a home improvement store, which will introduce you to a large Brazilian version of Ace Hardware. We will all meet for lunch at the local shopping mall before departing for a visit to the largest soybean farmer in the world. Mr. A. Maggie, the former governor of the state of Matto Grosso, has farmland stretching across the country of Brazil. We'll learn about his huge agricultural enterprise, which includes grain farming, seed production, marketing and barge shipping. Be ready - the numbers are mind-boggling. This visit may help you learn how someone can farm 350,000 acres of soybeans profitably. Most area crops are trucked west to the Madeira River, where they are loaded on barges owned by Maggie. The barges carry the crops northeast to the Amazon, where they are loaded on larger vessels for international shipment. It is harvest time and you are likely to see 30 to 40 combines operating in one field. Overnight in Tangara da Serra. B, D

Day 10: Tangará da Serra / Cuiabá

Today we'll visit one of the largest ethanol plants in Brazil - and you'll learn how they have achieved a positive energy status. Sugar cane is the source of the alcohol, produced by crushing the sugar cane and leaving the stalk fiber as a by-product. This product, after having been run through the crusher twice, looks similar to dry silage. It is piled up and later burned in large steam furnaces. These furnaces produce the steam that provides the energy to run the plant, including electricity. There is more energy produced than needed, so the surplus is sold. Brazil has a mandatory 25% alcohol in every gallon of gas sold. Their late-model "flex fuel" vehicles can burn any percent of alcohol, including 100% fossil fuel or 100% alcohol. Brazil became energy self-sufficient as of March 2006. At the end of this visit, we will drive back to Cuiabá, where we'll stay the night at a very new hotel near the airport, B, D

Day 11: Cuiabá / Iguassu Falls

Today we depart Cuiabá on our flight to Iguassu Falls. We'll arrive early afternoon, leaving the day open for relaxation in our beautiful hotel. Take a swim or just rest up for tomorrow's tours. This evening we prepare for a wonderful dinner and show that features musicians from Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. B, in-flight meal service, D

Day 12: Southern Brazil Farm / Iguassu Falls

Today's excursion begins with a guided tour of a farm located about 50 miles from Iguassu Falls. This visit introduces us to farming on a scale similar to that in the U.S. - a nice contrast to the huge farms you visited in Mato Grosso. Corn, soybeans, wheat and grassland make up most of the farming in the southern region. Here you'll have a chance for crop inspections and also visit a cow-calf operation along with a confinement feedlot. The working chutes and yards to handle cattle will amaze you. He feeds out a portion of his production on rations comprised of milo silage, along with grain and liquid supplement. After the farm, we return to the Iguassu area for lunch, and then on to the Falls! Walk along the boardwalk for an up-close and personal view of the mighty Horseshoe Falls. This is truly a breathtaking scene, as it is much greater than a single sight! Since we are so close to these remarkable water falls, after the tour of the falls, we will take a short trip through the rain forest on our way to the Macuco Boat Safari. Capture a magnificent view of the falls as our boat powers through the sea spray. Afterwards, we'll return to our hotel for a relaxing evening. B, L

Day 13: Itaipu / Sao Paulo / Depart Brazil

Today, enjoy a visit to the incredible Itaipu Dam, the world's second largest dam. Watch a video explaining the magnitude of this project, one of the seven man-made marvels of the world, before traveling along the perimeter of the site for views from all angles. Afterwards, we'll return to our hotel and prepare for our late-afternoon departure. B, In-flight meal service

Day 14: Arrive U.S.A.

Arrive in Miami, pass through immigration, pick up your luggage, go through customs and catch your connecting flight home. In-flight meal service