Grant Fleming

Since the group of us from Animal Science was very close friends prior to the tour we had more fun that what the average person had. We were able to laugh and have fun without having those awkward moments when you are just getting to know someone. We visited many different aspects of Mexican agriculture along with their culture and the differences between the United States and Mexico.

Every day is spent touring a new place with the evenings generally open to relax and have fun if you have enough energy. The weather is fantastic sunny skies around 90 degrees or more every day verse Moscow where it is a blizzard with cloudy black skies. This trip was very exciting and expanded my travel destinations because now I have to go back again to see more of the area and possibly relax on the sunny beaches.

Rachael Wilbur

This picture is in downtown Guadalajara. It is the govenors office, similiar to our capital building. This is a building rich in history and has many interesting stories including a large mural, taking up an entire wall and ceiling. This is a beautiful building made up of
mainly marble and behind us you can see the large Catholic church. As you can see it has a pretty amazing view, especially at night when everything is all lit up.

This trip was an amazing experience and I recommend it to any interested students. You will be able to experience and learn about the culture, practice your spanish, enjoy the warm weather and authentic food as well as tour various agriculture sectors and learn
Mexico's important role in our agriculture. You will also have the opportunity to visit and learn about the University Autonoma de Guadalajara, our sister college.

This was an eye-opening trip for me and I enjoyed every minute, with tours such as Mr. Pollo where about 2.3 million chickens are raised, and Tequilla Herradura where the old tradions entertwine with the new to provide the age-old tequila Mexico is so famous for. This trip will leave you with an appreciation for the Mexican culture and way of life.

Bradley Stokes

This is a picture of downtown Guadalajara, the buildings are very old and this square had a Davinci replication of a bull. There were numerous shoe shine booths around this area, not too mention many pigeons. The pigeons were a beautiful mix of grey and purple. The waterfall is not operating at this time in the picture most likely because it was their dry season. The building in the background is a very old catholic church, there is also a blue plastic bull located on the right side of the picture. I do not remember what the big pole was for, but I am sure that it is used for something.

During my experience in Guadalajara, Mexico we visited many different agricultural systems which were located all over the state of Jalisco. We went to a chicken farm, greenhouse tomato production, botanical garden, gorgeous canyon, and a sheep farm. All of which were very different from what you would see in america. From talking with the locals it seems that they do have strict regulations on any item being exported or imported from another country into or out of Mexico. Mexico also seemed to have many services that were controlled by the government, almost like a monopoly. The gas stations and telephone services were privately owned by the government and strickly regulated to their set of standards.

For the most part it seemed that everybody that went on this trip had a very good time. If I was going to tell any other CALS students about this trip I would tell them that it is a very good opportunity to experience something different in their related field of study. The animal science students as well as the plant science students saw different methods and new ideas to take back with us. Though their industry is much different from ours they do use some of the same methods as we do.

Kellie Grant

Guadalajara is the second largest city in Mexico and much of the people live in poverty in very crowded neighborhoods. Here is a picture, taken from the highway, of a neighborhood. Many of the houses do not have roofs as people are too poor to afford that luxury. Also, the water is stored on top of the houses in black tanks, which utilize gravity to transport the water to the indoor plumbing. Though many Mexicans do not have many luxuries, they are very proud of what they do have and keep it clean and tidy.

The Catholic religion is very important in Mexican culture. Each town or city has a Catholic Cathedral in the center square. Here is the cathedral in Guadalajara. The center square is a place for everyone to enjoy; also many vendors try to sell food and handcrafted items. Since Guadalajara was founded by the Spanish, much of the architecture, including the cathedral and surrounding buildings, are predominantly Spanish in appearance.

Having never traveled outside of the United States, I found going to Jalisco, Mexico to be an amazing cultural experience. Having a very limited understanding of the Spanish language, I found communication very difficult with the natives, as many did not speak English; however, this communication barrier made me communicate in any way I could, either non-verbally, through a translator, or using my limited Spanish vocabulary. Also, many other differences between Mexican and American life became very apparent during the trip. Mexicans are less concerned about time and tend to live a less scheduled and time obsessed life. Also, poverty in Mexico is a major problem, but since a welfare program is not established, people will take any job they can to support themselves or a family. As typical in many developing countries, because of this large supply of inexpensive labor much work is still done manually rather than by high-tech equipment. After having studied the economy and issues in developing countries and now actually traveling to one, I feel more inspired to use my education in Food Science to help developing countries in any way I can.

Visiting various agricultural systems throughout the state of Jalisco provided me with the opportunity to compare and contrast with the agricultural systems found in the United States. The Mexican economy is made up in large of small scale family run farms, which greatly differ from the predominately large scale American farms. Also, as Mexico is less industrialized and has a large inexpensive labor supply, much of the agricultural production and processing is done by hand rather than mechanically. The Desert Glory Greenhouse and Tequila Herradura has many laborers doing many physical labor jobs; however, since Mexico lacks a strong welfare system these types of operations provide many jobs to the population. Overall I was very impressed by the level of food safety being implemented at Desert Glory Greenhouse in tomato growing and at Mr. Pollo’s in poultry production. These operations export many products to the Untied States and other countries, thus need to be very concerned with following strict American food safety regulations. These safe food production facilities show that Mexico is able to compete on a global level, accepting and succeeding in globalization.

Overall, I found visiting Jalisco to be an amazing cultural opportunity and I hope to be able to use the information I learned as a future food scientist in understanding the culinary needs of developing countries.

John Verwey

This picture is in front of the tequila plant. It was an interesting place where they teach you how tequila is made from a a cactus looking plant called agave all the way to the finished product of the tequila that you get to sample at the end.

This trip was an interesting trip. You get to stay near the campus in a very nice and clean apartment. You get to see part of Jalisco and see the different cultures in the area. You get to see the different types of terrain and see the different types of living. It is a
different experience. I just want to let future students know that this isn't a free spring break trip where you get to kick back and relax because they keep you very busy from morning to night everyday.

On the trip we did a few different activities. One of our first was seeing the beautiful church in town and see a ballet. One of the other days we saw a chicken farm and a feed mill that supplied the chickens food. We got to see a tequila plant where you see tequila
being made right in front of you from the plant all the way to the drink. One day we took a couple hour bus ride to see a cherry tomato factory (don't forget shoes and pants). On another day we went to a goat farm to help vaccinate goats. On days through out the trip we went to little marketplaces for shopping and seeing the little communities. That is pretty much the gist of it, it is an experience I won't forget.

Katherine Hunt

In my experience the most valuable component of the CALS trip to Gudalajara and the outlying areas of Jalisco was the opportunity it gave us to talk with Mexican agricultural workers and professionals. In this picture Sarah Aguilar, an AVS student, took a moment to converse in spanish with one the employees at the Mr. Pollo feed mill. The employees who showed us around the mill took their jobs as a source of honor and pride. They were exuberant hosts who fielded our questions and afforded us with a first hand look into their daily lives.

Upon arriving in Guadalajara the most surprising thing I encountered was the extreme disparity between rich and poor in the city. There were people from every walk of life, anywhere from teenagers driving red Mustang GTs, to toddlers sitting at the feet of their mothers as they begged for handouts on the steps of the Cathedral. Guadalajara is by no means a poor unsophisticated city and I was surprised by the level of industrialization and commerce, yet at every turn there was another person who seemed to be simply getting by. The campus at UAG is modern and displays beautiful architecture in its buildings and general layout. It had never occurred to me before that a university would need guards to watch the entrance to the campus while they conspicuously carried automatic weapons, but that was the first sight that greeted us upon our arrival each day at school. It was one more example of the beauty that exists in the city but that can never completely forget the poverty of many of its people.

The trips that we took to the Mr. Pollo operation and the tequila Herradura distillery were incredible. The people that we met were very willing to share and help make our experience unique. They were overflowing with pride for what they did and the products they cultivated. It was as if the work they did was more than just a job, but that it was a cultural heritage as well. Ricardo, the veterinarian who worked to maintain the health of the chickens told me during the traditional lunch they invited us to that he is very happy with his job and believes that he has three of the best veterinarians in Mexico under his command. I was struck by the difference in his attitude toward work and my own. I am generally more geared toward getting the day over and completing my tasks whereas he was excited about his job and proud of the low mortality rate that his facilities boast. The warmth of Mexican culture was apparent everywhere we went, from the kind words of the dean of sciences to the efforts of a mechanical engineering faculty member who drove up to four and a half hours a day to make sure that we arrived on time to our field trip. Equally important as the facts and information that we picked up about mexican agriculture were the lessons we learned from the people we met who provided the perfect example of the truth that people everywhere are really all the same.