While on the flight to Iowa, I slowly start to wonder what will happen my first day of FARM. All I know about Iowa is what I have heard: black dirt and flat land with lots of agriculture. I start to ponder how the city and towns will compare to my childhood in central Florida: smaller and more widespread or larger with more people? Moreover, I am incredibly excited about finally getting to the farmhouse! I have no idea what the house, barn, or land will look like and I am curious to see a real farming community.

Upon arriving in the state of Iowa, I found the rich soil and flat land and so much more! The capital city of Des Moines is a beautiful, thriving city and small towns really are small towns.  However, I noticed when flying over the state how much farmland was being taken over by urban sprawl. Farmers are losing valuable land to developers who find expanding the city sideways to be more profitable than upwards. It is good logic for a businessman, but not for a farmer who needs the land for their livelihood. Moreover, I thoroughly enjoyed the arrival to the farm. All of the farmland was very interesting to see for the first time, including the wind turbines spotted throughout the landscape – they are so much bigger in person! I loved touring the farmhouse because of the historic significance to the family and the renovated barn is beyond amazing. So much hard work has been put into our arrival! The night ended with a discussion with the oldest brother, Denny Neubauer. It was very interesting to hear the point of view from a farmer who has worked the land for many years and his experiences with the transitions of new technology. On the Neubauer farm, they are renting a tractor worth a quarter of a million dollars! The new technology has GPS that tells the tractor exactly where to go without human control – unfathomable to me! I have already learned so many interesting things about farm life and am very excited for what is to come!