Christian Rohr says Germans are a lot better at crop farming than Americans.

But Americans know a lot more about dairy farming, he adds.

Rohr, 22, who lives near Hamburg,Germany, has spent the past two weeks on the Walter Gieseke farm nine and a half miles northeast of New Ulm,”Learning quite a bit about dairy farming.”

He is one of four German farmers visiting America this year on the International 4-H Youth Exchange,spending five and a half months observing American agriculture by staying two to three weeks on several farms.

“In Germany,” said Rohr,”we have 60 million people in a state like Minnesota.”

As a consequence, farms are not nearly as large, averaging 90 to 100 acres. His family farm, which raises dairy herds, cattle, corn and sugar beets, is considered large at 175 acres, he said.

WHILE STAYING with the Giesekes he traveled everyday to St. Paul, where he became an American Breeding Service technician by learning techniques of artificial cattle insemination.

It was just one aspect of the learning he gained through staying with eight different farm families since his arrival.

“They were all real nice,” said Christian, who speaks excellent English, although he has never been to America before. “I hope Germans will be as nice to the Americans who come to stay with them,” he said, referring to the four 4-H’ers from America who will travel to his country for the program.

HE ARRIVED at the Roman Jaus farm in Gibbon July 16 for a three week stay, helping with work on the dairy farm and visiting other farms they thought would interest him.

Rohr said he has learned much about dairy farming from his experiences that will be of value to him back in Germany.

His adventures on farms began in New England after four days’ orientation in Washington D.C. last May. He left Minnesota Monday after two months here to travel to Toronto for the International Plowing Championships.

He was a contender in Germany he said, but someone else won the German title. Thus he is traveling at his own expense to Toronto as a spectator.

The German government paid his plane fare; while in America he is sponsored by the Kellogg Co., National 4-H Foundation and friends of 4-H through the Cooperative Extension Service.

The group similar to 4-H in Germany is called Landjugend, for 15 to 25 year olds, he said. He is a leader in Germany, which led to his being chosen for the IFYE program.

After Toronto Rohr has ten days free time before he must return to Washington for debriefing and then the trip home Oct. 17. He plans to buy a car with another exchange participant from Scotland and head for California.

New Ulm Daily Journal

Sept. 23, 1975