Americo Vergara
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute- East Troy, WIAmerico Vergara
2009 Crop & Soil Research Volunteer
Americo Vergara has recently joined the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) working with Dr. Walter Goldstein as a volunteer. Americo is an emigrant from Peru where he received his bachelor degree in Food Science (1985) and his Master’s in Food Technology at the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Peru.
In Perú, he served as a professor at the Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva-Tingo Maria, the Universidad Nacional Jose Faustino Sanchez Carrion-Huacho and the Universidad Nacional de Ancash. He also worked for the Peruvian government with the national children’s breakfast program, providing nutritional education to teachers throughout the school system.
His focus at Michael Fields is to increase his knowledge in studies of biodynamic, conventional and organic farming, the breeding and development of corn. He has chosen Michael Fields because of its expansive base of information on different types of organic corn and vegetables.
With Walter, he is also looking to find corn varieties with higher contents of essential amino acids, such as lysine and methionine. His hope is to use these varieties to introduce better food sources for the children’s programs in Peru, continue his research and teach in the university.