At 6:30 A.M tomorrow morning, I will be departing Iowa. I am very excited to get home and get back to my routines at home, but man these three weeks have provided lots of opportunities to gain insights into farming. I feel so blessed to have met the people I have and learned so much during the past three weeks. It has definitely been an experience from riding in the Roadmaster, meeting Kelvin Leibold, and artificially inseminating sows–but nonetheless, those experiences added some spark to the trip.
I thought it was particularly spectacular to meet the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Bill Northey. Not many people get the opportunity to meet someone of such high ranking in politics. Given that Iowa is second in the nation in agriculture, he has a pretty important job. It was really fun getting to ask questions about things we have been hearing during our time in Iowa. He was very open to talk to us and an extremely nice guy. I honestly could have spent several hours asking him questions, but unfortunately he is an important man with a busy agenda! I was thankful for the 30 minutes that he took with us–extraordinarily gracious.
I really enjoy how relaxed about life everyone is here in Iowa. It is such a calming atmosphere. We have gotten to ride in the back of the pick up on a couple of occasions, and we even got to enjoy a hay ride at the Bontrager farm, which really reminds me of the country. Although, I am ready for civilization, I’m not gonna lie–I will definitely miss the serenity of the windmills.
As I leave Iowa, I will admit I support conventional farming probably even more then when I arrived. I have definitely learned a lot about organic farming, which has made me more open to it, but I do not fully support it. It seems to still have several flaws within it that will have to be worked out over time. Since there is so much controversy over “What is Organic?” I am going to wait a little while until Organic is really defined. I do think I am going to invest in the Furman CSA next school year; I mean, who doesn’t like fresh vegetables??
This trip has definitely been a life changing experience for me. I left home with zero interest in agriculture and our cattle business at home and now I am returning excited to drive the tractor around and manage my small cattle herd. My parents are ecstatic, and I am ready for a little adventure. If we have learned nothing else, we have definitely learned farming and livestock seem to always involves some excitement!
I am very thankful for Dr. HN for putting this program together and spending his May with us! I am also thankful for Ms. Nancy and Dave, her husband, for spending their May with us and taking care of us. They always make sure we are happy and all of our needs are taken care of! This trip has truly been an unforgettable experience!