By Tim Martini – Colorado State University, and Amy Petersen – Utah State University
The program has come to a close, after all the memories made, experiences shared and laughs to remember, we just wrapped up our last day in Taiwan. We started off with a tour of the wet market, which was very different from the wet market in Malaysia. This market was indoors, vendors used ice to keep meat products cold and there were less people and gross smells in the air.
Although, somehow people still managed to drive their scooters in the building.
From the market, our group traveled to Wei Mon Industries, a company specializing in bioplastics. This was an informative visit. We learned that bio-plastics are made from plant materials, not oils, so they are biodegradable, sustainable and environmentally friendly. Products made from bio-plastics include cups, plates, eating utensils, cake and fruit trays, “to go� containers, and more. At 60 degrees Celsius, it would take 67 days for a cup to fully decompose, if left outside at a normal temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, decomposition would take approximately 1-2 years. We also learned that the plastics are made from any high starch material. Wei Mon uses a lot of U.S. corn! About 10 kernels of corn will yield one kernel of bio-plastic. This company is taking huge steps in helping to “green up� our planet. They are progressive agriculturalists looking at the potential of plants and helping to bring that potential to life.
From Wei Mon, our travels brought us to Taipei 101, the second largest building in the world. We stepped on the world’s fastest elevator that brought us to the 82nd floor in less than 30 seconds. Let’s just say we were flat bookin’ it. Due to some rain today, our view of Taipei wasn’t great, but with the help of a tour we were able to get the general idea of what we were looking at.
Once back at the hotel we took advantage of some time to repack all of our stuff and try to stuff as much as we could into our bags. Some of us (mainly the girls) may have some issues when it comes to checking our bags tomorrow due to weight limits. One thing is for certain, this trip has been a great experience. We all know that agriculture is a global industry and being able to spend time here in Asia has opened our eyes to different agricultural practices and industries. We can’t thank the U.S. Grains Council and The Grains Foundation enough for sponsoring this program. A special thanks to Clover Chang, USGC director in Taiwan, and Adel Yusupov, USGC regional director in Southeast Asia, for taking time to travel with us, answer our questions and show us an unforgettable time. Thanks for all you do!