Brazilian agrarian imperialism?

So Chavez keeps (or was that kept?) talking about his good friend Lula and what an example he is. Well, he would be well advised to follow some of his realpolitik policies.

Last night I was at one of those festivities that close the days in these international trade fairs and I was talking with a group of Brazilians. One topic was the ranches of 30 K and more hectares (multiply by 2 for acres, I think, but I am on the road, cannot check). These ranches sprouting around in the Matto Grosso are fully mechanized, Great Plains style, with fronts lined with dozens of harvesters to collect the soy crop. Followed by a line of equally impressive machines to pick up the harvest or to plant the new one.

I will not discuss the ecological aspect of it, just limit the US reader to contemplate what did happen to the Great Plains before casting a stone to Brazil settlement of the Matto Grosso. However, one thing is sure, Brazil is continuously increasing its exprots of feed stuff. I even heard that poultry is sent big time to the US since Katrina et al. have wrecked chicken production in the South. I wonder if this will have an effect on the price of the chicken imported by MERCAL...

Meanwhile as Brazil is preparing itself to become the granary of the world, for better or for worse, in Venezuela Chavez declares that anything bigger than a few hundred acres should be retruned to the people, while creating a fake "sem terra" movement. He even resorts to import the real thing from Brazil to try to have the Brazilian leaders teach the few Venezuelans farmers to unite (which they will probabaly end up doing but against Chavez when all the promised help fails to materialize, a given if you ask me). And as Brazil keeps exporting more and more food, Venezuela will keep importing more and more...