When I signed up for this course I had no clue what type of experience the program would produce and to an extent, as I later found out later, neither did Dr. HN.  As this was only the second year of the program, Dr. HN added a number of new aspects to the course, many of which he had not experienced himself.  This created an environment in which all the students were able to learn alongside our professor adding a level to education that I had never known before.  The amount of information and unique experiences that we were exposed to was truly incredible and I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to come along for the ride.  I believe that I am coming away from this course with a good understanding of many of the aspects that make up agricultural policy and practice in our nation and worldwide.  I never would have thought that there was so much to farming in addition to the amount of controversy and passion that people involved in agriculture deal with and possess.  Coming away from the course I believe that our nation needs to further utilize the many agricultural practices we have available in order to create the most beneficial system.  I would tend to agree with Robert Paarlberg’s assertion that society needs genetically modified crops to sustain its population, but GMOs should be just one of the tools that society can apply along with organic and local practices that promote region food growth.  As a result of this trip, I plan to dive into a vegan diet on my return to Connecticut.  I am curious to see how the new diet will affect my health, but I am also curious to learn if I have what it takes to stick to such a radical lifestyle change for a period of time.  I am ready to return home, but I will never forget the people and experiences I witnessed this May.  Thank you to those who made it all possible.