AALP's Blog – July 2014 Archive (9)

BrIght-eyed and bushy-tailed, Class 15 was up early and headed to Native Offerings Farms (NOF) in Little Valley, New York, an hour and a half outside of Painted Post. A few great "off the cuff" moments and a beautiful serenade by Linda made the time pass quickly.

At NOF, Deb and Stu Ritchie run a 180-acre farm and produce a variety of certified naturally-grown…

On day seven of our North American Study Tour, we visited Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to see the site of one of North America's greatest battles.It was overwhelming to see the exhibit at the Gettysburg National Military Park. The Cyclorama, which was painted in the late 1800's by Paul Philippoteaux brought the experience to life. Then, a walk through the onsite museum…

Friday began with a meeting with Syngenta in the heart of Washington D.C. The presentation followed a recurring theme: Feeding A Growing Global Population. Syngenta's Good Growth Plan contains six areas of focus:

1. Make crops more efficient
2. Rescue more farmland
3. Help biodiversity flourish
4. Empower smallholders
5. Help people stay…

Wow! What a busy, exciting and informative day!



We arrived at the Canadian Embassy and are proud to announce we all cleared the security check. We listened to a variety of speakers and learned about the value and importance of the trade relationship Canada has with the United States. A couple of interesting facts: 

1) US and Canada…

The FFA Creed - as applicable now as when it was written in 1930

After staying with some terrific families in their homes, AALP Class 15 traveled to the National FFA Center in Indianapolis. For some of us, this was the first introduction to the FFA while others had a more in depth understanding of who they are. We learned that FFA goes through the…

AALP Class 15 was off to an early start as we continue our North American Study Tour adventure.  Fun fact: interstates that are odd numbered run north-south. We travelled south on I75 down through Ohio to Indianapolis, Indiana.  

We used our time on the bus effectively.  From practicing "off the cuff" to sponsor spotlights, we kept ourselves busy. We were enlightened with information on an AALP ally AdFarm as we rolled past fields of ripening wheat and tassling…

Today was another great day on #NAST2014.

We started our day at Detroit’s Eastern market, and went on a tour of the local area around the farmer’s market. We heard about and saw some of the local restoration going on in the form of a greenway and bike path. The people in this community are working tirelessly to improve their city by improving everything from access to fresh, healthy food, to green spaces where the community can come together for shopping, eating and…

On Sunday, July 6 Class 15 of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program began its North America Study Tour #NAST2014. 

The first stop on the tour was Detroit and the Sunday Street Market of the Eastern Market. The Sunday Street Market features local items such as home goods, art, jewelry, clothing, Michigan-made products, antiques…

The 29 participants in AALP Class 15 leave on Sunday, July 6 for their North American Study Tour.

During the eight-day tour, they'll learn from a wide range of speakers and tours, from wineries to organic farms and from the Canadian embassy to Gettysburg National Military Park.

Blogs will be posted here daily - follow along on this great journey!