By Katrina Hageman
Each fall, the Department of Agronomy aspires to try something unique and different with its Agronomy New Student Learning Community field trip. This year, students and faculty traveled to southwest Iowa, where a highlight was a farm-to-table dinner hosted by College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alums.
The annual field trip takes place the Friday and Saturday before the fall semester begins and aligns with the department’s commitment to helping incoming first-year students establish a sense of community.
“The first weeks of college are the hardest,” said Mary Wiedenhoeft, Morrill Professor of Agronomy and academic advisor. “We want to help students get through the transition fast, feel comfortable when classes begin, and help them find their people.”
On the first day of the trip, students toured Iowa Cover Crop in Jefferson, the Wallace Farm near Orient, and Iowa State’s Neely-Kinyon Memorial and Research Demonstration Farm by Greenfield.
CALS alums Daniel (‘05 agronomy) and Ellen Walsh-Rosmann (’09 public service and administration in agriculture, international agriculture) hosted dinner on their farm near Harlan. The Rosmanns own Milk & Honey, a farm-to-table restaurant on Harlan’s historic town square that uses Iowa-sourced ingredients in their dishes.
“Students were able to interact with community members at the farm-to-table dinner,” said Rebecca VanderHeiden, agronomy academic advisor and learning community coordinator. “The community thought it was fascinating to talk to students who come from different states and agricultural backgrounds.”
“The farm-to-table dinner was fun and uplifting to see how agriculture impacted all of their decisions with the meal,” said Kate Wenger, a freshman in agronomy. “Each course was sponsored by a small agricultural business, which opened my eyes to possible careers in agriculture.”
“The meal included multiple courses of charcuterie, salad, steak and more,” said Cameron Addington, a freshman in agronomy. “The fellowship, farm-to-table story, and delicious food made the meal the highlight of the field trip.”
On the second day, students visited Farm Service Cooperative in Defiance, Agriland FS in Harlan, and Garrett Land and Cattle near Arion. A unique aspect of the trip is students get to interact with CALS alums who work at many of the places they visit.
“We visit alums on the learning community trip because they are passionate about giving back and connecting with future students,” VanderHeiden said. “Agronomy faculty and staff are very supportive of the trip and truly work together to make this a great experience for our incoming freshmen.”
The learning community trip creates opportunities for incoming students to build friendships and learn about the many careers available in agronomy.
“My favorite part of the trip was making connections and setting myself up for success by introducing myself to peers before classes began,” said Caleb Goldschmeding, peer mentor and a sophomore in agronomy. “Meeting the professors I will have for the next four years was very beneficial and seeing a glimpse of what we would be learning in the future was exciting.”
“During the trip, I found people who have the same goals and common interests, which helped me find a community of my own,” said Mason Clarahan, a sophomore in agronomy and animal science and peer mentor. “It’s nice to be in a community that builds me up and wants to see me succeed and be more than just a number at this big university.”
Once the pre-semester trip is over, students in the learning community continue to gather throughout the academic year, attending socials, exploring campus, taking part in scavenger hunts, and hosting guest speakers and student panels to keep their connections with each other strong.
