4, the Japan Agricultural Exchange Council (JAEC) held an orientation seminar for 40 young Japanese agricultural trainees who will participate in a nineteen month-long farm training program in the United States. As part of their training, the Japanese trainees will stay and work on American farms, learning about many aspects of U.S. agriculture, including marketing as well as modern agricultural technologies and cultural practices. U.S.
Embassy Tokyo Agricultural Attaché Evan Mangino gave the trainees an overview of what U.S. agriculture looks like today, highlighting the diversity of U.S. farms and products. The trainees were particularly intrigued by facts that contradicted their perceptions of U.S. agriculture, such as how the number of small, family farms dwarfs the number of large scale operations.
Evan concluded his presentation by congratulating the trainees on their career choice with an oft-quoted remark by Abraham Lincoln, who once said, ”No other human occupation opens so wide a field for the profitable and agreeable combination of labor with cultivated thought, as agriculture.” Evanalso encouraged the trainees to use their new found knowledge and experience to strengthen Japan’s agricultural future.
USDA and JAEC share a long history of cooperation and this seminar reinforced that relationship and continued the Office of Agricultural Affairs’ outreach efforts.
