When I last wrote I told about our first days adventure and our travels down to Gettysburg. On the second day, we toured the Gettysburg Battlefields. Not only was it a historical landmark, it was really eye opening and a moving experience to see and hear what the soldiers and families had gone through. We did an auto tour, where we drove around the battlefields in our vans. During the auto tour, we heard what the three day long battle was about.
After leaving the battlefields, we drove to Maryland and went to Windsor Manor Holsteins. We got to see some of their top cows and the Maryland landscape. This farm houses their milk cows in mainly pack barns. All cows come outside to eat in a bunk in the barnyard. It was really eye opening to see the climate difference really makes a difference in farming styles. While there, we were giving advice, which is always great to hear advice from current producers. We were told to think positively and we can put our minds to anything we want to do.
Our next days adventure began with a drive to Harvue Holsteins. This is where Frosty was bred and then they then sold her. They said it was one of the smartest decisions they have ever made. They said that the World Dairy Expo Supreme Champion winner, would never have looked as good as the current owners can make her if she was still being shown by the Hardesty family. They took the time out of their day to bring Frosty's full sister up to the main barn so we could all see her. They also showed us all around the facility.
Next we went to Waverly Farms. This facility milks strictly Jerseys. They also showed us some of the cows they were most proud of and their stories. It was great to hear that they had to say. Even though both the brothers are aging, they were both still enthusiastic about the industry.
After we left Waverly Farm, we went to Virginia Tech and met and stayed with members of the dairy club there. We did mixer activities and stayed in their apartments at night. The next morning we had a tour of the campus and the opportunity to speak with Dr. Katherine Knowlton. Dr. Knowlton is an associate professor at Virginia Tech and talked to us about all the opportunities we could have from transfering there. After all, she's trying to have her program grow.
Our final stop was Washington D.C. After having to deal with all the traffic, it was great to be able to spend two days here. On the first day we had free time to be able to walk around, most of us were just tired and wished to hang out in the hotel. But the next day we started the day by meeting with an Assistant to the Senator and learned about dairy policies she is working on. We had a tour of the Capital Building and then we had the remainder of the day for ourselves. We explored the Smithsonian Museums and other sites of the Nations Capital. The next morning, was time to drive back home. But we stopped at Arlington National Cemetery first. It was the most moving experience to see the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It really is remarkable to see all the headstones and grave sites. We learned that 4 soldiers a day are still being buried at the cemetery.
After a week long and too many hours in the vans, we arrived back at the Morrisville State College Dairy Complex on Thursday. This gave us enough time to go visit our families for a couple of days before starting classes on Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment