Bus trip hardly qualifies as a break
"We want to spend as much of our time as far away from Indiana
as possible," Russell says. "It's not just to teach our students
about agriculture wherever we go; we can do that with books and pictures
back on campus. But this class is a lot more than just agriculture."
The traveling tour rolled through nine states in seven days, making
stops along the way at four universities with strong agricultural programs
(Mississippi State, Southern, Louisiana State and Auburn).
"The idea is to have the kids look at the schools as potential
graduate school opportunities," says Russell, who gets together
with other faculty members in October to start organizing the trip.
Sandwiched, or stuffed, in between the college destinations are stops
at numerous agricultural operations along the way.
This year's trip included stops at a sheep farm, a USDA research center,
a catfish production facility and processing plant, a feed mill, a thoroughbred
horse stable, three cattle ranches, an egg-laying business, a chicken
processing plant, a shellfish hatchery and a farm that breeds Tennessee
Walking Horses, where students got to see agriculture in operation.
Oh, yes, there also were trips to the Shiloh National Battlefield and
Cemetery and the Memphis Zoo.
"I don't know how the faculty does it, pulling all of these stops
together," says Molly Kepler, a junior from Rochester, Ind. "It's
amazing how many contacts they have not only in education, but in agriculture,
too."
Here's how Russell explains it: "We try to provide as well-rounded
a trip as possible and at the same time infuse them with as much local
culture as possible. We may look at the program and see that we may
not have cattle or sheep on the agenda. Then we make some calls to local
Extension educators along the way and see if they can help us fit something
in between stops."
Students pay a course fee of $200 to cover costs of the trip. Four
students share a room to keep costs down. Many of the meals are provided
by hosts at each site.
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