Yesterday took our delegation from Mexico City to the State of Hidalgo where we solidified the relationship between our two states. We began the morning with a traditional breakfast, not of eggs, bacon or pancakes, but of fruit and shredded lamb, hosted by the president of the Regional Farmers' Union of Hidalgo. We then toured a mid-sized local dairy operation where we got up close and personal with cows being fed.
The delegation then split into separate groups with some of us leaving for Hidalgo's largest public university, the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo. There we received an overview of the University's programs and more specifically their focus on agriculture. Founded in 1961, the University has 13 undergraduate degrees with 4,500 students, and its research touches on 92 different topics. While there, we heard detailed reports from professors on several research projects including biotechnology, pork disease, animal meat quality, and food safety, among others.
We also toured the university's own ranch and dairy processing facility. This demonstration farm and pilot plant has 330 cows, uses advanced technology and produces artisan cheese and yogurt products for the local markets. Uniquely, it also is financially self-supported as it sells its own products. Purdue University has similar facilities with its nine research farms in Indiana and is committed, as are the representatives from Ball State, Ivy Tech and Indiana Universities, to find a way to work more closely with this ranch and other parts of Hidalgo's University.
In fact, we ended the day with a formal ceremonial signing of a memorandum of understanding between Hidalgo University and our four academic institutions to cooperate more effectively. Indiana University already had a relationship with Hidalgo but the other universities are now on their way to more interaction whether in the form of faculty discussions, study abroad programs or recruitment for graduate programs.
This was the second agreement signed between our two states yesterday as Lt. Governor Skillman and Hidalgo's Governor Chong had earlier signed a broader MOU to develop a longer term relationship. This visit and the MOU signing clearly had tremendous meaning to the Hidalgo representatives with every cabinet member of the governor's administration in attendance at the ceremony and local media swarming the delegation at every stop.
One key component of this agreement is the commitment of Indiana to assist Hidalgo in defining its own strategic vision and plan for growing agriculture. Hidalgo officials were extremely impressed with Indiana's agriculture strategic plan and want to implement something similar. This could include a focus on food distribution logistics, alternative energy technologies or even biotechnology. And, should there be an emphasis on the latter, Indiana could directly benefit should Hidalgo officials work to influence the Mexican government to approve more corn varieties.
The entire delegation joined their counterparts from Hidalgo for a wonderful dinner at the Hacienda of Governor Chong. Built in the 1500s following Spanish rule of Mexico, the home was beautiful with a huge open courtyard in the middle of it where dinner was held. It was clear that the red carpet had been unrolled for us in Hidalgo and that all of the right steps have been taken to cement the relationship between our two states.
We left Mexico City at an unbelievably early hour this morning for travel to the port city of Vera Cruz which we will tour this afternoon, giving us yet another glimpse of an important Mexican city.
