Vietnam Cochran: Tree Nuts and Dried Fruits

November 5 - 18, 2022

The objective of this USDA-FAS Cochran program was to provide information to six Vietnam fellows about the availability and marketabilty of tree nuts and dried fruits in the United States. The fellowship was led by North Carolina State University’s Agriculture and Life Sciences International Program’s Global Academy, but took place entirely in California. The fellowship began in Sacramento before traveling south to Modesto and Fresno, and ended in San Francisco. Along the way, we explored the challenges of nut and fruit production in California (and emerging solutions) and market opportunities for Vietnamese importers. Meetings with USDA and UC Davis researchers, growers, commodity boards, and governmental officials were an opportunity to share experiences and knowledge about fruit and nut production, quality control, exportation, and processing.

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Algeria Cochran: Livestock Risk Managment

September 23 - October 7, 2022

A cohort of six professionals from Algeria consisting of five veterinarians and one agronomist participated in the two-week USDA-FAS Cochran Fellowship Program on Livestock Risk Management. This fellowship was led by North Carolina State University’s Agriculture and Life Sciences International Program’s Global Academy and took place in North Carolina primarily in Raleigh, but spanned into surrounding cities and towns for site visits. The objectives of this training included increasing fellows' knowledge of the U.S. livestock industry certifications and standards, increasing Algeria's capacity for agricultural research, and improving the U.S. - Algeria bilateral relationship. Fellows worked toward these objectives by meeting with NC State faculty, local farmers, private businesses, and U.S. government representatives.

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Turkey Cochran: Food and Feed Enzyme Regulation

July 23 – August 5, 2022

The objective of this USDA-FAS sponsored Cochran program was to educate six Turkish fellows on the United States’ regulation of food and feed ingredients, with heavy emphasis on enzymes. This educational experience aimed to equip the fellows with knowledge to implement transparent, predictable, and science-based regulations for enzyme usage in Turkey. The two-week training program consisted of many lectures, facility visits, and interactive sessions, taking place in both Washington D.C. and North Carolina. In D.C., the fellows were able to meet with various departments within the USDA to discuss policymaking and enzyme regulations in food and feed. Along with the USDA members, the fellows met with representatives from the Enzyme Technical Association, Council for Responsible Nutrition, and Alltech. Upon reaching North Carolina, the fellows participated in various interactive sessions focusing on innovative food/feed ingredients, including enzymes, where they were able to learn about the benefits of using these enzymes. To conclude their visit to NC, the fellows toured various facilities, including Novozymes, Bioresource International, and NC Food Innovation Lab.

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India Cochran: Biotechnology and Biosafety

December 1 - 14, 2018

The Indian Fellows arrived in DC to kickoff their 2 week training. While in DC, the group met with USDA, CGIAR International Food Policy Research Institute, APHIS, EPA, and FDA to discuss biosafety. The Fellows then traveled to Raleigh for the remaining of their training. While in Raleigh they met with NC State Faculty who have a biotechnology and biosafety research focus. The second week was greeted by Snowstorm Diego, which left considerable snowfall. After digging out from the snow, the Fellows were able to complete their training by visiting the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, BASF, Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center and meet with North Carolina Growers Associations. The objective of the training was to expose the Fellows, who serve as regulators in India, to the U.S. approach of biotechnology regulation and biosafety and to help India develop its biotechnology regulatory framework to reduce barriers to trade in GE food and agricultural products.

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Ecuador and Peru Cochran: Pasture Management

November 25 - December 8, 2018

The Eduador and Peru Fellows spent 2 weeks in and around Raleigh, North Carolina to receive training on pasture management in order to increase the health and production of the animals in their respective home countries. Through this Cochran Fellowship, the Fellows met with scientific experts within the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the USDA Farm Service Agency. Additionally, they met with NC State University faculty involved in pasture management, grass breeding, livestock nutrition, silvopastures, and forages and pastures research. To round out the training, the Fellows also visited local farms as well as NC State University experimental research facilities. The objective of the training was to expose the Fellows to best management practices to help maximize the health of their animals while conserving pastures for the future.

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Pakistan Cochran: Soybeans and Dry Distiller Grains

November 3 - 16, 2018

The Pakistan Fellows spent 2 weeks on a USDA Cochran fellowship in the US traveling from North Carolina to Virginia, Missouri and Illinois. The goal of the training was to improve the awareness about the products available, processing and marketing infrastructure and capacity building of the solvent industry, feed mill managers and professionals. The Fellows toured Purdue Farms', Smithfield Grain's and Cargill's port terminals, and met with numerous trade organizations like the American Soybean Association and the U.S. Soybean Export Council as well as other governmental agencies as means to increase connectivity between the trade professionals of the U.S. and Pakistan. During this training, the Fellows also experienced snowfall in Missouri, which was an experience in itself!

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Ghana Cochran: Agricultural Biotechnology

September 30 - October 12, 2018

The 2-week training program provided the Ghanian Fellows an opportunity to investigate what a country with GMO's would look like. Through this, the Fellows met with a wide-assortment of faculty and professionals including NC State's Office of Technology Commercialization and New Ventures, numerous research faculty, Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center, RTP biotech companies, and farmers. After this program, the Fellows will have the tools to have educated discussions about GMOs in Ghana.
The delegation also braved Hurricane Matthew as it came through North Carolina on their final days.

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Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela Cochran: Sorghum Exposure and Utilization

September 30 - October 12, 2018

Throughout the 2-weeks, the Fellows from Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela were exposed to the sorghum industry and considerations when incorporating sorghum into animal feed. The goal of this training program was to increase connectivity between the industry and research professionals of the U.S. with the industry professionals from Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela.
The delegation was on campus at the same time as the Ghanian Fellows and they had some good interactions.

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China SCEP: Crop Germplasm Conservation

September 16-27, 2018

This program provided the fellows exposure on how crop germplasm is identified, inspected, and conserved and how this information is shared throughout the country. The Fellows traveled throughout the country to talk with numerous professionals and scientists. In Washington, DC, the Fellows met with the National Plant Germplasm Laboratory, the American Seed Trade Association and toured the USDA National Arboretum. In Raleigh, NC, the Fellows met with NC State University Plant Breeding Consortium faculty , toured the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Seed Laboratory, NC State University Micropropagation and Repository Unit, and Syngenta Seeds. Then the Fellows traveled to Colorado where they met with the USDA-ARS Plant and Animal Genetic Resources Preservation, Seed Preservation Program. On the final leg of their trip, the Fellows toured the M. Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center and then the Tree Fruit, Nut, and Grapes National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Davis, California. This cross-country training introduced the Fellows to a wide array of US agriculture and the multiple approaches to germplasm conservation within the US.

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Turkey Cochran: Biotechnology Policy and Communication

September 3-14, 2018

The goal of this program was to help Turkey develop a science-based and transparent approach to the genetically engineered products and improve the Turkey Biosafety Law. During this program, the Fellows learned about U.S. and global policies for biotech regulation; biotech production, supply, and demand; biotech research and development; risk communication in agricultural biotechnology; animal feeding and feed production.
We did have to cut the 2-week session short due to Hurricane Florence, but we hope the experience was well-received and some long-lasted relationships were developed.

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China SCEP: Variety Protection Patent

Through a USDA-FAS sponsored SCEP program, Global Academy hosted a group of fellows from China from the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) on the topic of plant variety protection and patents. During their time in the US, the group spent time in Washington, D.C., Raleigh, N.C., St. Louis, MO, and San Francisco, CA.
The MOA members were able to meet with their US counterparts to discuss agriculture variety protection and patents through conversations with Janice Strachan from the USDA Plant Variety Protection Office and Elaine Wu and Shubo (Joe) Zhou from the US Patent and Trademark Office. These meetings were valuable in that it allowed for Chinese and US government representatives to exchange knowledge related to their own country’s practices.
The group had the opportunity to visit with three of the primary plant genetics and seed companies in the US; Bayer CropScience (Raleigh, NC), Monsanto (St. Louis, MO), and Syngenta (Raleigh, NC). These companies offered the group a unique industry perspective on plant variety protection and provide them with specific examples and case studies. Additionally, the group attended lectures and case study examples in plant protection and patent law from two esteemed NCSU faculty members.

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Turkey Cochran: Agricultural Biotechnology

A group of seven agriculturists from Turkey participate in a two-week training program in the area of agricultural biotechnology, developed by CALS Global Academy in conjunction with NC State’s Genetic Engineering and Society Center (GES). The involvement of GES, co-chaired by Dr. Fred Gould and Dr. Jennifer Kuzma, allowed us to involve lecturers with a diverse background who are experts in communicating about biotechnology. In order to provide the fellows with a multitude of perspectives on agricultural biotechnology, the use of lectures, industry visits, and field experiences was carefully balanced. The program consisted of a diverse group of lecturers spanning eleven departments representing three different colleges.
This assorted group of esteemed faculty lecturers allowed the fellows to learn about the scientific, economical, and political aspects of biotechnology as well as learned effective strategies to communicate with the public and private sectors on issues related to agricultural biotechnology. The benefit that the industry and field visits offered is that the group was able to observe and engage with industry experts and their NC farming counterparts. Industry visits to Syngenta, BASF, and the NC Biotechnology Center allowed the fellows to learn about the effort required to create their products as well as their environmental and economic impact. The fellows also visited two family farms that have incorporated biotechnology crops. These visits allowed the group to get a farmer's perspective on the impact that the implementation of these crops had on their day-to-day operations. The fellows were also able to ask questions related to pesticide use and using GMO crops in rotation with non-GMO crops.

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Jamaica Cochran: Community Development

August 14 – 27, 2016

A group of seven marketing extension agents from the Jamaican Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) attended a two-week training program on small farmer engagement through the promotion of community development. The program was coordinated by CALS Global Academy with assistance provided by Dr. Joy Morgan and Dr. Mark Kistler from the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences.
The program was designed to engage with the fellows through a combination of lectures, roundtable discussions, and practical field visits. The lecture and roudtable format allowed for the fellows to be presented with the overview of a topic, but then allowed for more in-depth question and answer session. This allowed the fellows to ask questions that are pertinent to their farmers and organization. Additionally, the field visits allowed for the fellows to see a diversity of postharvest management, agritourism farms, and extensions programs.

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Moldova Cochran: Post Harvest

June 4-17, 2016

A group of seven Moldovans coming from a variety of different agricultural backgrounds and professions participated in a two-week training program in the area of postharvest. The program was coordinated by CALS Global Academy in conjunction with two retired NC State faculty consultants with expertise in this area. CALS Global Academy provided the logistical coordination support while the training consultants developed the training agenda.
The program was carefully designed to impart knowledge of postharvest through a combination of lectures and practical field visits. The benefit that the field visits offered is that the group was able to observe and engage with industry experts and their NC farmer counterparts. The program coordinated visits that allowed the group to visit farms and facilities from the coast all the way to the mountains of North Carolina. This allowed the group to see a diversity of farming environments and items produced. Through their journey across the state, the group also had the opportunity to visit with different agricultural producers, such as Dole Foods in Kannapolis.

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Kenya and South Africa Cochran: Agricultural Policy

Five fellows from South Africa and two from Kenya came to the United States to be trained in Agricultural Policy for three weeks. The fellows engaged in a variety of activities related to US agricultural policy. In order to give them a broad educational experience, the group underwent educational seminars provided by North Carolina State University, toured farms, visited research farms, processing plants, met government officials, among others. At NC State, the group had discussions with faculty members from Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Department of Agricultural and Extension Education. The lectures focused specifically on various aspects of international trade policies, agricultural extension policies, and domestic and international organic policies. The group met with officials from North Carolina Farm Bureau, NC Sweet Potato Commission, North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. In order to learn more about how associations help shape agricultural policy, the group attended Carolina Meat Conference in Winston-Salem, NC. Finally, the group also had the chance to tour Farm Pak Products Inc, a private company located in Spring Hope, NC.

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