Oswaldo Massao Ishii - Desbravadores do brasil

São Raimundo das Mangabeiras - Maranhão - Brazil In 1985, I told my father that if he bought land in Maranhao State, we would go there together and explore I had been a doctor and worked for five years in the city of Sao Paulo. I decided that it was time for me to be a farmer and keep the family tradition alive. My grandfather arrived in Brazil in the 30s. At the time, he came to work on a coffee farm in the Alto Sorocabana region. This region is in the interior of Sao Paulo, in the region of Altos de Machado. My grandfather started working in a coffee field, in the 30s and 40s When he was 12 years old. He came from Tokyo (Japan) and my mother came from Osaka. In the 40s and 50s, my father bought a farm in the interior of Parana State, in the region of Guapirama. The farm was located in the north of Parana in the area of Tomasina. After he bought his farm was when he really started farming. He first planted potatoes and then cotton. The farm here, is the main farm, it's Saint Luzia is named after my Mother. Her name is Luzia. So we called Santa Luzia. The evolution of technology was huge for us. The soybean and cornfields evolved a lot. In the 90s, corn yields here were about 60 bags per hectare. Now, we produce around 200 bags per hectare on our farm. The most important things are the trust and credibility that Pioneer gives us. These are the types of things that are most important for growers. In regards to leadership, Pioneer is the corn leader here in our region and it is not a coincidence. The hybrids, genetics, biotechnology and team of representatives… It is not a coincidence that Pioneer is the leader. It is because of the hard work and dedication of the company. In the Japanese culture, it is important to have someone continue the family business. That´s the oriental culture. We all know that we will have to prepare someone for the future. So, that is why I left medicine. I left for the sake of my family. My family was more important than my career as a doctor. Thinking about all of the generations that came before me weighed a lot in my mind and in my heart. It is an oriental matter. “In work”, my father always said, “the men cannot ever lose their credibility. You have to remain credible your entire life. If you lose that, you lose your humanity.” So, we have to have credible, courageous and determined. These things combined create a force that will that allow us to grow. DuPont Pioneer