|
|
|
Members of the Indiana delegation (Photo courtesy Chris Johannsen) |
Despite the distance and language differences, Indiana farmers are learning that the French sharesimilar challenges in agriculture. Access to markets, economic survival and environmental priorities, among other issues, confront agriculture in both nations.
Purdue Agriculture representatives and Indiana farmers traveled to France last November to explore mutual problems and topics in agriculture with French farmers and educators. The exchange, called Agridays, was developed by Chris Johannsen, professor emeritus of agronomy, and David Sammons, associate dean of Purdue Agriculture and director of International Programs in Agriculture, after Johannsen was contacted by a University of Paris X professor who was interested in precision agriculture. The Indiana Humanities Council and the French-American Foundation in Paris also support Agridays.
|
|
Victor Lechtenberg, dean of Purdue Agriculture (left), and Michel Roux, dean and director general of the Purpan College of Agriculture, in Toulouse, France, discuss common issues during a visit to Purpan's dairy research farm.(Photo courtesy Chris Johannsen) |
"The Indiana delegates were selected because of their diverse agricultural backgrounds and their prominent leadership roles in the state's agriculture,” according to Sammons. “We really wanted the delegation to represent as much as possible the breadth and diversity of Indiana agriculture.”
The group visited pork and duck production farms, a grain operation and a cheese cave. They also sampled some French cuisine, including wine and cheese at a tasting held at the Purpan College of Agriculture, in Toulouse, France.
The next Agridays is scheduled for September and will bring French agricultural leaders to Indiana.
|
