Pennsylvania Ag Connection - Student Stories: Puerto Rico's People, Culture Soils Impressive

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Student Stories: Puerto Rico's People, Culture Soils Impressive
Pennsylvania Ag Connection - 02/05/2010

Puerto Rico is known as La Isla Del Encanto, or the Island of Enchantment. Timothy Silberg understands why, but for him, it's not just about the people and scenery -- it also is about the soil.

"A lot of people know about Puerto Rico's hidden gems -- its lands and its people," said Silberg, who graduated from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences in 2009, "but they don't realize that 10 of the 12 soil orders recognized worldwide stretch across the island."

Silberg, an agricultural science major from Doylestown, Pa., spent a summer as an intern in Puerto Rico, where he ran his own farm. Some of his tasks included mapping, disease treatment, planting and harvesting the crops of his choosing.

Impressed with the quality and number of crops growing in Puerto Rico, Silberg contends the island has potential to become an international producer.

"Puerto Rico has some of the best soils in the world," he said. "It could be a crown jewel of crop production."

Silberg even took some of the coffee he grew back to his hometown.

"I wanted to go back to Doylestown and try to sell some coffee there," he said. "I am very interested in the international crop market."

During his time in Puerto Rico, Silberg fell in love with the open, friendly community of the island.

"In America, we live in the fast lane and end up missing things," he said. "In Puerto Rico, people really know how to slow down and enjoy life."

Silberg recalls one of his most memorable experiences in Puerto Rico was jumping off a 60-foot waterfall in Cabo Rojo. "You scream and then realize it's not over," he said, "you're still falling!"