Da alma às palavras…

                Nem sempre é fácil dar palavras ao que nos brota da alma, a quando damos nem sempre é a descrição perfeita do que queremos dizer, ou fica muito implícito. Quando escrevo meus poemas procuro dar o melhor de mim nessa descrição, para que quem o leia consiga imaginar o que está escrito e entrar nos versos. Quando algum sentimento muito forte me invade só pego um papel e deixo que venham as palavras. Não me pergunto a origem e nem o que significam (a pesar de quase sempre saber o que elas querem dizer), apenas escrevo. E nas entrelinhas dessas estrofes se acha algum verso meio encharcado num pranto ou meio brabo por não ser considerado, algum verso mais alegre ou mais pachola, uns mais pensativos, outros que te fazem pensar. Por isso que é preciso enxergar o que está escrito por detrás das palavras. Depois de feitos os esboços leio com atenção o que escrevi. Às vezes fico me perguntando de on de tirei aquilo, mas sei que veio de algum ligar da minha alma, talvez do entroncamento em que se encontra o coração, ou quem sabe de uma esquina de algum lobo do cérebro. Esse é o mistério que as palavras carregam, nem sempre se sabem de onde vem, mas sempre se sabem para onde vão.

Porto Alegre, 13 de abril de 2008.

 

A book that you have to read!

Some can call it “old stuff”, “old fashioned”, “ancient” or any other related adjective, but will never be able to call it out of date. Here is a fragment of a book that the ones who like and want to study forage, grasslands, rangelands, have to read: Grass: The 1948 Yearbook of Agriculture. As I said before, this book opened many doors for me since I got it in my hands.

John James Ingalls (1833-1900), a Senator from Kansas, wrote “In praise of  Blue Grass” for the yearbook and here is a fragment of what he taught us (for more information about J.J. Ingalls access: http://www.territorialkansasonline.org/~imlskto/cgi-bin/index.php?SCREEN=bio_sketches/ingalls_john)

 

[…]

Grass is the forgiveness of nature -- her constant benediction. Fields trampled with battle,
saturated with blood, torn with the ruts of cannon, grow green again with grass, and carnage is
forgotten. Streets abandoned by traffic become grass-grown like rural lanes, and are obliterated.
Forests decay, harvests perish, flowers vanish, but grass is immortal. Beleaguered by the sullen hosts
of winter, it withdraws into the impregnable fortress of its subterranean vitality, and emerges upon
the first solicitation of spring. Sown by the winds, by wandering birds, propagated by the subtle
horticulture of the elements which are its ministers and servants, it softens the rude outline of the
world. Its tenacious fibres hold the earth in its place, and prevent its soluble components from
washing into the wasting sea. It invades the solitude of deserts, climbs the inaccessible slopes and
forbidding pinnacles of mountains, modifies climates, and determines the history, character, and
destiny of nations. Unobtrusive and patient, it has immortal vigor and aggression. Banished from the
thoroughfare and the field, it bides its time to return, and when vigilance is relaxed, or the dynasty
has perished, it silently resumes the throne from which it has been expelled, but which it never
abdicates. It bears no blazonry or bloom to charm the senses with fragrance or splendor, but its
homely hue is more enchanting than the lily or the rose. It yields no fruit in earth or air, and yet should
its harvest fail for a single year, famine would depopulate the world.

[…]

“Grass: The 1948 Yearbook of Agriculture”, pg. 7

For the complete text access: http://www.grassbydesign.com/pdf/douglas.pdf

Life knows how to take care of us…

Life always put the right things in our hands and lead us to the right way, is just know how to let her lead us, how to listen and learn with her. Before coming to US an old book, seeming “out of date” end up in my hands through my dad. Was a present from a cousin of ours, agronomist, Gabriela Moura. I got really atracted to this book, that is called “Grass: yearbook of agriculture 1948” and started reading it during the vacations before leaving Brazil. This book gave an idea of what I was going to face (about grasslands) whenever I get in US. I also found several answer for questions that for me where new and unsolved yet. Was a pleasant reading. When I arrived here in Texas I started talking to Dr. Vivien Allen and told her about this particular book. Amazed, she told me that was really one of the best books about grasslands ever. I was really happy to know that and I got even more when she told me that there is a review of that book where she also part of it. The book is a publication of the American  Society of Agronomy and is called  "Grassland: Quietness and Strength for a New American Agriculture” (press control and click on in for the link). There are some books that are “master works” and should be read us, students and professionals, to built our base knowledge and opinion.

Nevertheless, the fact of knowing this book also brought me more satisfaction also. This last trip to Houston we, Gustavo (a friend from Indaiatuba, SP) and me, stopped in College Station to visit the Texas A&M University (TAMU). One of my friends, Cody, had his Masters degree at the TAMU and I asked him who should I meet there. He gave me some names and I went there to meet those professor. First was Dr. Urs Kreuter, who received us with a huge smile when I told him that I was Cody’s friend and we talked for a while about my background and interest and his researches. He is also a very enthusiastic professor, those who believe in the students potential and support for all the needs. Professor Kreuter is specialized in Human Dimensions and Socio-Economics of Rangeland. We talked a bit about how difficult is to change realities, does not matter if we are here in Texas or back in Rio Grande do Sul, cultural influence and tradition is a huge factor that lingers the changes (but really good in some other aspects, please, don’t get me wrong) that some times needs to be made. We got to a point that we realized that often the problem is the approach of the person trough whom the changes will be made, the presentation of the proposes, the way that we try to show the advantages of the new concepts.

After that, we went to meet Dr. Mort Kothmann, and old professor from TAMU in the area of Range Management Systems. Meeting this professor was, I am not afraid to say, one of the best moments that I had here in Texas. Enthusiastic and passionate about his profession and with a contagious interest in the area. We had and amazing and pleasant conversation about my life here in Texas, my background, objectives and about his researches and career. I told him about my interests in forages and grassland and rangeland management, and we end up talking about books and how expensive they are now a days and how lower value people are giving to them as times go towards the e-books era. I told him about that “old book”  from 1948 that I read and how impressed I was for finding so many updated subjects and concepts there and he told me that we that want to learn about this subject (and I guess this is valid not just for forages) should go to those old master pieces, because there we can find several answers for questions that we are being asked today. He also told me how important is to write things down in order to perpetuate the knowledge.

Dr. Kothmann, liking my interest about the subject, stand up from his chair, went to the shelf and grabbed a book and told me: “this is a book that you have to read”  and I asked him for the name of the author so I could try to find it in internet and buy in and he told me “you don’t need to write it down, this book is for you”. I was moved by his act, giving a completely stranger one of his best book. Not happy yet, he grabbed another book and also gave me. He told me that he needs to pass ahead the knowledge for those who are interested in it. I had no word to thanks him but I am sure that I will honor his confidence in this young guy that out of the blue just showed up in his office.

Thanks to all those people that have been helping me to build my way. Those who, with me, are responsible for my achievements, my conquests and happiness. Once I’ve read that success is when the preparation line crosses the opportunity line, so preparation is along your life that we get and opportunities is a matter of create them (we create our opportunities), so is just up to us to find the way and meet the success, no one else. We have to desire and fight for that. This is not something that we decide and from one day to the other we just have it. Being prepared takes long and I think I am being lead to towards the right way.

 

Lubbock, Texas, March 10th, 2010.

Meus pêsames

Foi com profundo pesar que recebi a notícia do falecimento do nosso querido Ir. Firmino Biazus. Sei que é um momento de muita tristeza para a comunidade Marista e também para a comunidade de Porto Alegre, pois ele era uma pessoa cuja influência ia além dos portões da escola, mas também creio que agora é um momento de refletirmos à respeito de toda a obra que o Irmão Firmino deixou durante seus vários anos como membro desta congregação; cada marca que ele deixou na vida de todas as pessoas que passaram pelo Colégio Rosário durante esses anos; cada voto de felicidade e prosperidade profeciado aos alunos do fundo do seu coração. Me alegra lembrar de ver a emoção dele diante de qualquer conquista de algum de seus alunos. Ainda hoje me lembro do espanto que tive quando o Ir. Firmino, pessoalmente, foi à Feira do Livro de Porto Alegre me saludar quando lancei meu livro e de ver a felicidade nos seus olhos por estar diante de mais um Rosariense conquistando um sonho. Não posso esquecer também da sua acompanhante no momento: a inseparavel e inigualavel Genô. Lembro das Semanas Farroupilha no colégio onde ele sempre vinha juntar-se à nós na roda de chimarrão e ver como tudo estava andando. Enfim, muitas memórias, muitos momentos belos que me vêm à recordação agora. Fico sentido pela partida mas muito feliz por ter conhecido e convivido com essa pessoa tão especial.

Aos meus amigos, professores, coordenadores e colegas meus profundos pesares. Lastimo não estar com vocês neste momento difícil, mas sempre estarei presente de alma e coração. Ao Colégio Rosário meus profundos sentimentos,

Marcelo Wallau, Lubbock, Texas, 04 de dezembro de 2009.

Some considerations...

In one of the classes with Dr. Allen she told us (Cody, a PhD student, and me) something really interesting: the main difference between Grazing system and Grazing method. It is simple! The system is unique, you cannot transfer it to any other place, even when this place is similar and you can’t expect that it will work the same way if you don’t adapt it. It is like this because the system is composed by many parts that work together as an engine. The goal is that each part of this system (lets call them gears) has a particular characteristic from the place where it comes from. And the most important thing is that the gears are biological process, climate, soil, animals, people (employees), market and costumers, which means that every place that you go you will have to know the methods to create a system adapted to this region. The methods are each gear of the system and knowing them means knowing in details how they operate and what are the options if the gear being used doesn’t fit in the big context and makes the system slow down. For example, if you learn how a grazing system works here in Texas and try to bring it back to Brazil there is no way of it to work, but if you know the grazing methods that can be used instead of this one in the “model” (like continuous stocking, rotational stocking, creep grazing, strip grazing,…), it’s easy to adapt them and create a new whole system. The same goes to the way of working (managing): culture is an important factor that cannot be easily changed but you can work on that and reach a balance between what the system requires and what you have available to establish an order. Than you can slowly change to what it requires.
The interaction among the system is really interesting because if you change one gear, the engine can stop, can run faster, can slow down or it can even brake. This gear can change the whole system or can do nothing (can increase or decrease the production costs that bring a different reaction and affect another part of the system). It can change just a part of the whole system and it also can change the interaction among the other parts of it. Because of that it is important to know and learn what you have and how to change it (possibilities and consequences). You have to know how each part particularly works (that is why it is important to study morphology, ecology, sociology, physiology and all those “boring” courses that we have on graduation).
Before I coming here there where some people (not just now in this trip but every time I said that I would like to go studying abroad) that unfortunately asked me things like that: “why I was going out if the things that I would learn outside cannot be brought to our reality, otherwise it would not work” or “things there are different” or “why are you wasting your time if you can stay and work here”. They probably had seen someone that has been to a foreign country and brought a model of production from there (the whole system) and didn’t adapted to their new reality so it didn’t work. I hope that, now, those people can understand why I am here, to learn more and to find the way succeeds!