I arrived in Iowa on Monday evening, 6 May, eager to begin the second iteration of Farm.  This year, six students are participating in the program.  They are Beau Brogdon, a junior political science and Spanish major from Snellville, GA; Haden Ellis, a junior history and Spanish major from Montgomery, AL; Caroline Lepczyk, a junior biology major from Madison, CT; Rachel Martin, a sophomore sustainability science and art history major from Lakeland, FL; Kyle McGann, a senior political science major from Mt. Laurel, New Jersey; and Ryan Wise, a junior business administration major from Avon, CT.  All of the students are living in the 1917 Neubauer farmhouse, which is the home base for the students during their Iowa adventure.

My sister, Nancy Roberts, along with her spouse, David Roberts, are once again serving as the house parents for Farm.  Additionally, Nancy will focus her efforts on the cooking and nutrition aspects of food policy.  My brother, Denny Neubauer, is in charge of leading an on-going seminar on production agriculture from the preparation of the fields for planting, the planting of corn, and the application of pesticides.  Scott Neubauer, my nephew, who is a permanent resident of the farm house, will also provide his insights as a new farmer, who is taking up the family business (5th generation) with his father.  I am very excited that Scott is joining the Farm instructional team this year.

I hope you enjoy our musings as we travel through Iowa experiencing her people and learning about the state that is at the epicenter of agricultural policy and politics.