June 23 - 30, 2001

Ukraine has been known as the breadbasket of the former Soviet Union and is home to 50 million people. The main language spoken is Russian. An independent country since 1991 Ukraine is the same geographic size as Texas or France. Black beautiful soil in Ukraine dominates the lands. The southern TAVRIA region will be the area where several days of our tour are spent and is known as the largest irrigated area of all of Europe.

Odessa is a beautiful Black Sea coast city and our point of arrival in Ukraine. This European styled city has a mix of old world and Soviet styled architecture. Odessa has a rich history of being a major shipping port on the Black Sea and home to several universities and the famous Odessa Opera House which we will see on our final day in Ukraine.

USA to Vienna, Austria

Tour participants departs Chicago at 4:00pm flight to Vienna, Austria.

Odessa, Ukraine via Vienna, Austria

After a 3 hour restful layover at Vienna’s airport we will continue on by air travel to Odessa, Ukraine. Arrival into Odessa International Airport at 4:00pm local time. Upon completion of customs and immigration formalities, we will board an air-conditioned Mercedes motor coach for our 4 hour bus ride to Kherson, Ukraine.

Here we will enjoy a "Welcome Dinner" and settle in at our hotel near the Dneiper River.

Overnight: Kherson, Ukraine

Kakhovka, Ukraine

After breakfast, depart to visit Freedom Farm’s soybean processing site then on to their 15,000 acre soybean, corn, wheat and sunflower farm. The tour will stop and examine the several of the irrigated fields of Freedom Farm.

Lunch will be at the village of Doobivka. This former Collective Farm will serve us a Ukrainian farm lunch that will feature borsch (Ukrainian soup) and homemade bread. The trip continues to the Brataslobovka Elevator. This 16 million bushel grain elevator sits in the middle of this irrigated region. On the way back to the hotel the group will visit the Kakhovka River Port elevator.

Overnight: Kakhovka, Ukraine

Kakhovka, Ukraine

After breakfast, depart to visit the TAVRIA main canal pumping station. This canal pumping station fills an irrigation canal that is 90 meters wide and 11 meters deep and over 120 miles long.

Lunch will be at the Victor Cooperative Farm. This 40,000 acre farm features 20 John Deere 9500 combines for it’s harvesting needs. The group will be able to discuss agronomic and business questions directly with this farms director and staff. Later the group will tour part of this farms fields.

Overnight: Kakhovka, Ukraine

Kakhovka, Ukraine

After breakfast, depart for a professional visit to the Kakhovka, SOUTH FOODS facilities. This state of the art sunflower processing plant is the largest foreign investment in Ukraine. Here they purchase locally grown sunflowers and process/package this oil into modern plastic bottles for sale throughout Europe. Also SOUTH FOODS processes tomatoes and cucumbers.

After lunch, we will visit the Doobivka farm irrigation pumping facility. This government operated station provides irrigation water directly onto 4300 irrigated acres of Freedom Farm’s fields. Supper will be at the very modern New Kakhovka Supper Club.

Overnight: Kakhovka, Ukraine

Kherson, Ukraine

After breakfast, our tour will visit the southern Ukraine Irrigation Research Institute just outside of Kherson. Here we will meet with the institutes director and see first hand soybean and hemp field research ongoing and talk with the professors in charge

After lunch we will depart for the city of Kherson. Here we will visit the office of Freedom Farm where we will meet the staff and director of Freedom Farm, Alexander (Sasha) Gordenko. Questions about taxes, banking and bookkeeping will be discussed. Our afternoon will continue with a meeting with the local government officials. This Ukrainian business supper will give tour participants an opportunity for direct questions to area politicians. Evening bus to our hotel in Kherson.

Overnight: Kherson, Ukraine

Odessa, Ukraine

After an early breakfast we will begin our trip home by saying goodbye to our Freedom Farm hosts and head to Odessa.   After arriving in Odessa we will meet with TRAIS Inc. which handles shipping of equipment and grain throughout the world. From here we will eat lunch and shop on the famous Dairybarsofskaya Street. Matrishka Dolls (wooden nesting dolls) and other souvenirs will be for sale. 3:30pm depart for the airport and our flight to Vienna, Austria.

Arrive Vienna, Austria and NoviTel Airport Hotel. After freshening up at the hotel,  will take an evening walking tour of the downtown Vienna area, enjoying the various street entertainers and eat supper at a street-side cafe.

Overnight: Vienna, Austria

Vienna, Austria to USA

After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, our group will head to the Vienna International Airport at 9:00am for our 11:00am return flight to Chicago.

Arrive Chicago at 2:00pm local time, clear customs and depart for home.

09/08/2003