The history of international travel and trade is the history of invasive species. Brazil, like everywhere else in the world, has its problems with invasives that have become pests - oranges in Brazil canbe attacked by Medfly (Mediterranean Fruit Fly) and Citrus Greening Disease (a bacterial disease that’s vectored by an insect, the Citrus Psyllid), bamboo is widely established and has become an urban forester’s nightmare, and there are a number of plant diseases – but this isn’t nearly as serious an issue in Brazil as in the U.S. There are fewer invasive species in agricultural systems here than in MN. According to producers and industry representatives, Brazil’s immense biodiversity, even in the semi-tropical regions we’re touring, goes a long way to prevent the successful introduction, establishment and dispersal of invasive species into agricultural systems. And invasives typically don’t do well in competitive, tropical habitats; certainly, the invasive species we’ve discussed have been primarily tropical species themselves and most of the cropping systems in which they have become established are perennial monocultures. The recognition of species as invasive, however, may also color the issue. While there seems to be minimal weed control in the systems we’ve visited so far, and industry representatives report invasive species are not an issue, university scientists report it is a funded research topic. While the extension presence among faculty at state universities is very strong (most of the faculty have what amounts to a 3-way appointment), we wonder if there has been significant educational effort on invasive species. Many producers, when pressed, do respond that the pests with which they are currently dealing are ‘new’ – you do the math…