| |  | | Herb Production in Brazil
Answered by: Richard Alan Miller
Question from: RG
Posted on: December 07, 2007
Excellent website, really informative. I am a commercial herb(coriander/dried parsley)/arable farmer in eastern UK, moving to Bahia state in Brazil. The farm is about 15 degrees south of the Equator, average temperature of 24 degees C (14/34 range), year round sunshine, average humidity 62%, rainfall of 650 mm in a 5 month wet season.We have excellent deep red soils, and enough irrigation (pivot/drip/sprinkler) water for about 400 ha of continuous cropping. We will be mechanised for growing maize/sunflowers/sorghum/onions.
The question is what herbs could we grow in this climate? We are within trucking distance(450 kms) of a city of 3m people, so fresh cut is an option, but I think seed/dried production would be more suitable. Is it to hot for parsley, curly or flatleaf, as we have international customers for this product?
Please excuse the delay in response, as it has been extraordinarily busy this week. And, thank you for your nice compliment.
I also farmed coriander in Oregon, with some 4,000 acres in production that year. Moving from England to Brazil should be a true culture shock, with finding machinery and used farm tools. If done correctly, the Brazilian government might be approached for assistance, as this is something that will help them move into the "New World Order."
I also have personal friends within that government who would like to see me consider a visit to that part of the world. Because I am semi-retired, I seek ways to travel now and seer parts of the world I have never previously visited.. My first question would be how you dehydrated your parsley? I want to know what technologies you are now familiar.
Parsley has been dehydrated using a Binder dryer (German). This is a continuous feed dryer, and can be used for a number of important spices (including cilantro)... I just happen to know where a fully functional dryer is now for sale in Canada. However, what I would recommend in Brazil would use it to dehydrate comfrey, as a new supplement for feedlots.
Aside from specific spices I could recommend, I would also like to suggest comfrey for both cattle food supplements and as a biomass source for alternative (solar) alcohol. Your background and exper8ience with dehydration puts you in a unique set of possibilities.
http://www.nwbotanicals.org/oak/altagri/comfrey.htm
http://www.nwbotanicals.org/oak/altagri/farmproject.htm
I recommend a telephone call, where we could discuss these possibilities, and my semi-retired status and availability (541-476-5588). I can also construct a basic farm plan, for use in grants or underwriting.
http://www.nwbotanicals.org/oak/oakservice.htm
Again, I cannot stress the possibly interest in the Brazilian government for a test study for these two markets (cattle food supplements and solar alcohol). You could become a model for other farms in the region.
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