My trip to France

This most past summer I had the opportunity to travel to Angers, France with the College of Agriculture and it was soooo worth it! Before going we took a semester long class with Tom Foulke, who is a professor in the Agricultural and Applied Economics department. We got to take a close look at the history of France and its agriculture and spent time in class preparing for our departure. Once in France we spent a weekend in Paris and got to explore how they got their food to their many restaurants, oh and of course we went to places like the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower! One of the perks of this trip is that we were also joined by other universities, there was 40+ students with us. We spent most of our time in Angers, which is in the western part of France and surrounded by agriculture! The trip was not only rich in agriculture, but also history. Imagine visiting a castle (or a Chateau as they say) that was created in the 15th century, words can not explain who cool that is. We also visited some American land in France! The Normandy American Cemetery is where American soldiers were laid to rest after WWII, the trip also included Omaha Beach. My favorite part about France was learning about their agriculture and how they have the upmost respect for where their food comes from. France is a very small country (compared to the U.S.) and they do an excellent job promoting a relationship with producers to consumers. Their food is labeled, and a good majority of farmers attend the weekly farmers markets with their product. Other enjoyable parts of this trip were staying with a host family for the entire month and having free weekends to explore France! I can’t say I am fluent in French now, but I’ve got the basics down and I have a new-found respect for European agriculture. I highly suggest attending this trip!