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Rebein Part of Kansas Delegation Visiting Cuba The Salina Journal Dodge City attorney David J. Rebein was one of four dozen Kansans selected to visit Cuba on an educational mission Nov. 17-23. “It was both inspiring and humbling to be part of this historic effort,” said Rebein, who serves on the board of directors of the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership (KARL) Program. “This trip was a beginning bridge between Kansas farmers and the people of Cuba.” Currently, federal regulations allow only minimal trade with Cuba, even though wheat growing is not compatible with Cuba’s climate. The Kansas delegation included 35 Kansas wheat growers. Not only could Cubans benefit from Kansas’s agricultural products, they could learn something from American farming methods. “I couldn’t believe the trucks and tractors I saw from the 1940s and 50s, it’s amazing they are able to grow what they do with what they have,” Rebein said. “It was common to see oxen pulling plows and carts.” Rebein visited a cigar factory and several farms. “The people subsist on a very bland diet. They have very little food or products that we take for granted,” he said. “Most people don’t own a car and walk wherever they go. I was struck by the fact everything is owned and run by the government. The people have an entrepreneurial spirit, but no means of expressing it.” “It is a beautiful country. Cuba is only 700-miles long and 60-miles wide,”Rebein said. “The people we met were friendly and open to American approaches.” Such mutual sharing of information is beneficial for all. “It would be so advantageous for Kansas farmers to sell their products and improve their economic livelihood and also benefit the Cubans’ food needs,” he said. An admitted high point for Rebein was visiting one of his literary hero’s homes, Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Cuba from 1939 to 1959. ”I stood on the verandah of his house and took in the view, his view, of the ocean,” Rebein said. “For a Kansas boy like myself, it was breath-taking. I understand now why he found his literary roots in Cuba.” The Kansas group met with various agricultural and low-level government officials. “It was a great information exchange,” Rebein said. “We understand more of their everyday realities and they are now aware of the agricultural and technological benefits offered by American farmers.”
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