Iowa Corn Student Advisory Team Goes to Washington D.C.!
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 1:18 PM by Iowa Corn
Iowa Corn recently traveled to Washington D.C. for the annual Corn Congress policy meeting and Capitol Hill visits. This year, seven Student Advisory Team (SAT) members representing Iowa Corn joined the group. The SAT was formed this year through an application process and is composed of thirteen college students. I joined the group in DC to help see how the policy process happens and how we can make a difference in agricultural legislation. Overall, the SAT had a busy, informative and fun-filled experience.
On Tuesday, the group started off in the Delmarva Region (Delaware and Maryland) where we visited a cucumber farm, and watched as the cucumbers were harvested and then sorted. The Team also toured a free-range poultry farm, this was a great experience for our SAT to see a different side of agriculture. We finished off the day visiting Wye Angus in Maryland to see their conservation practices and their genetic research. They had a 19 year old cow that until recently has still been having calves!
Wednesday and Thursday morning were filled with an informative Corn Congress where the National Corn Growers Association states joined together to talk about policy on things like ethanol and farm bill. Then we had the excellent opportunity to meet with our Iowa Legislators. Lastly, the USDA was on the SAT schedule. This is where we had an opportunity to voice their opinion on the future of agriculture. It was amazing they were asking what we wanted to see in the next Farm Bill and encouraged students in agriculture to get involved as they needed more policy makers with agriculture backgrounds in D.C.
It wasn't all work and no play after all, we were in the Nation’s Capitol- rich with history and memorials. The SAT did get to spend a night exploring monuments on a trolley tour and an afternoon of seeing the sights. The week was filled with informative meetings, great food, and an experience, I am sure the Team will never forget!
Love your blog. I had no idea there was such a thing as an Iowa Corn Student Advisory team. I would love to see the Wye herd. Glad your tour went well. www.crystalcattle.com