Congo Governor Visits Kosciusko County Farms
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
Katulondi has been governor of the province of Kasai Occidental Democratic Republican of Congo western Kasai since May 2011.
There are 11 provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire. Kasai Occidental is western Kasai where Katulondi lives and serves as governor.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country in Central Africa. The area is rich in natural resources, including diamonds, and has developed products such as coffee, sugar, pineapples, tea and cotton.
Before he served as governor, Katulondi was a commercial banker and worked for the European Union and served as the administration and financial director of the Diamond Board that analyzes diamonds.
He said he hoped to bring back the knowledge he gained from Kosciusko County farmers and apply it to his country.
“A new concept was developed when I was elected and it is a revolution of modernity, and therefore in agriculture we want to bring technology for better production and efficiency,” Katulondi said.
He said farm technology is in great need of improvements in the Congo, especially in large-scale operations, like those found in Kosciusko County such as corn, chicken and eggs, dairy products and soybeans.
Katulondi said the Congo has natural resources for farming, but needs the agricultural education to put the resources to use.
In Kosciusko County Thursday he toured Fred Beer Farms, Milford; Tom Farms, Leesburg; the home of Mike Valentine where Roger Smoker, Eagle Creek Cattle Co. Inc, Warsaw, has cattle; Little Crow Milling, Warsaw; Yeiter Farms, Warsaw; Creighton Brothers Egg Plant, Warsaw; and John Lash Hog Farm, Mentone.
Katulondi has invited Smoker and Yeiter to visit farmers of Kasai Occidental Democratic Republican of Congo in July for two weeks.
Smoker and Yeiter are agricultural consultants to the Congo and will evaluate the areas for dairy and soybean operations in the Congo.
Kurt Poll, Michigan, who also toured the Kosciusko County farms Thursday, is a road builder who will travel to the Congo as well.
Thursday’s trip was arranged by Dr. Florimond Kabanda, of Grand Rapids, Mich., an American citizen who came to the U.S. as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kabanda is executive director of Congo Ministries International that seeks to assist in ministry, humanitarian assistance and economic development.
Through Florimond’s partnership with Dr. Les Lofquist, former senior pastor of Pleasant View Bible Church, Warsaw, Katulondi learned of Kosciusko County’s agribusiness.
The first stop of the day was at Fred Beer Farms where Katulondi received a tour by Jeff Beer, son of Fred Beer.
Jeff showed Katulondi dairy farm operations including the cattle feeding process and how the cows are milked.
He learned about the different types of feed for the cattle including corn, canola, haylage, corn silage, beat pulp, hominy and cotton seed meal.
Katulondi also met Ishag Gedio, veterinarian for Beer Farms, who is originally from Sudan.
Another stop was at Tom Farms where he met Kip Tom, owner of Tom Farms. Katulondi toured the grain farm and had the opportunity to sit in a tractor.
He learned about the farm seed and commercial corn operations.
Katulondi learned about machinery that plants 36 rows of seed at a time.
Tom said it was an honor to have Katulondi visit his farm.
“In my worldwide travels I know there are a lot of places around the world that are struggling to meet their basic needs of feeding there own people,” Tom said. “It’s interesting to meet the Congo governor who wants to take knowledge back home to try to improve lives of the people there.”
Tom said a third of the world lives on less than $1 a day and 40 percent of the world lives on less than $2 a day, and the basic missing part is the knowledge to share with others how to feed themselves using agricultural education.[[In-content Ad]]
Katulondi has been governor of the province of Kasai Occidental Democratic Republican of Congo western Kasai since May 2011.
There are 11 provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire. Kasai Occidental is western Kasai where Katulondi lives and serves as governor.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country in Central Africa. The area is rich in natural resources, including diamonds, and has developed products such as coffee, sugar, pineapples, tea and cotton.
Before he served as governor, Katulondi was a commercial banker and worked for the European Union and served as the administration and financial director of the Diamond Board that analyzes diamonds.
He said he hoped to bring back the knowledge he gained from Kosciusko County farmers and apply it to his country.
“A new concept was developed when I was elected and it is a revolution of modernity, and therefore in agriculture we want to bring technology for better production and efficiency,” Katulondi said.
He said farm technology is in great need of improvements in the Congo, especially in large-scale operations, like those found in Kosciusko County such as corn, chicken and eggs, dairy products and soybeans.
Katulondi said the Congo has natural resources for farming, but needs the agricultural education to put the resources to use.
In Kosciusko County Thursday he toured Fred Beer Farms, Milford; Tom Farms, Leesburg; the home of Mike Valentine where Roger Smoker, Eagle Creek Cattle Co. Inc, Warsaw, has cattle; Little Crow Milling, Warsaw; Yeiter Farms, Warsaw; Creighton Brothers Egg Plant, Warsaw; and John Lash Hog Farm, Mentone.
Katulondi has invited Smoker and Yeiter to visit farmers of Kasai Occidental Democratic Republican of Congo in July for two weeks.
Smoker and Yeiter are agricultural consultants to the Congo and will evaluate the areas for dairy and soybean operations in the Congo.
Kurt Poll, Michigan, who also toured the Kosciusko County farms Thursday, is a road builder who will travel to the Congo as well.
Thursday’s trip was arranged by Dr. Florimond Kabanda, of Grand Rapids, Mich., an American citizen who came to the U.S. as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kabanda is executive director of Congo Ministries International that seeks to assist in ministry, humanitarian assistance and economic development.
Through Florimond’s partnership with Dr. Les Lofquist, former senior pastor of Pleasant View Bible Church, Warsaw, Katulondi learned of Kosciusko County’s agribusiness.
The first stop of the day was at Fred Beer Farms where Katulondi received a tour by Jeff Beer, son of Fred Beer.
Jeff showed Katulondi dairy farm operations including the cattle feeding process and how the cows are milked.
He learned about the different types of feed for the cattle including corn, canola, haylage, corn silage, beat pulp, hominy and cotton seed meal.
Katulondi also met Ishag Gedio, veterinarian for Beer Farms, who is originally from Sudan.
Another stop was at Tom Farms where he met Kip Tom, owner of Tom Farms. Katulondi toured the grain farm and had the opportunity to sit in a tractor.
He learned about the farm seed and commercial corn operations.
Katulondi learned about machinery that plants 36 rows of seed at a time.
Tom said it was an honor to have Katulondi visit his farm.
“In my worldwide travels I know there are a lot of places around the world that are struggling to meet their basic needs of feeding there own people,” Tom said. “It’s interesting to meet the Congo governor who wants to take knowledge back home to try to improve lives of the people there.”
Tom said a third of the world lives on less than $1 a day and 40 percent of the world lives on less than $2 a day, and the basic missing part is the knowledge to share with others how to feed themselves using agricultural education.[[In-content Ad]]
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