NORFOLK, Neb. – It’s easy to take the ag student out of the country, but it’s hard to take the country out of the ag student.
That was evident this spring when four Northeast Community College ag students went to Washington, D.C., for a few days to learn about the Capitol, the nation and agriculture. The students traveled along with Brandon Keller, Northeast ag instructor.
After spending some time visiting with the students following their return, it was clear that touring the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) buildings and talking to USDA officials could be considered one of the highlights of their trip.
Natalie Brabec of Leigh said they visited with Ann English of the USDA and were given a tour of the USDA. The tour included stops in several USDA buildings.
Brabec said English mostly shared information about plants and crops, covering that aspect of the USDA’s work. The students also got a chance to ask her questions, including what employers are looking for.
“We talked about things like what they expect of the next generation coming into work,” Brabec said.
When Brabec heard that, she got out her notebook and wrote down English’s advice.
“Be able to communicate, be approachable, go out and do good, be able to help people and never stop learning,” Brabec said. “She said the moment you stop learning is the moment you stop growing.”
R.J. Bayer of Howells said English also discussed the Carolinas, where she does a lot of her work. She also offered encouragement and discussed how she got to where she is now.
Bayer said he enjoyed interacting with Congressional representatives, including Rep. Mike Flood of Norfolk, who also gave them a tour of the Capitol.
“His knowledge on U.S. history is crazy. His knowledge of politics and how (things work) was very impressive,” Bayer said. “Growing up in the Midwest or as college kids, we don’t get to see that or know much about it. We are just kind of told to work hard. It was cool to see what these people do for our country and to learn about their morals, and why community colleges are important and why it is important for Northeast to come to Washington, D.C., so they can get funded.”
Bayer said if he takes another trip to Washington, D.C., he will also bring a notebook so he can write down more of the things so he will be able to remember them.
Brabec said it was inspiring to see Flood and learn how someone from a local place like Norfolk can get all the way to the U.S. House of Representatives. They also enjoyed meeting other staff members from Nebraska.
“Just being able to share our experience from a two-year college was cool,” Brabec said. “I think sometimes the two-year colleges get overlooked. I think they focus on four-year colleges. Being able to talk with them was very beneficial.”
Brabec said she did write a lot of stuff down from the trip, but she wishes she would have written down even more.
“You don’t always remember everything, so writing stuff down really helps you to expand on things,” she said.
Aleksus Wegener of Burwell said she enjoyed going to the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum.
“Last year we watched videos of it online,” Wegener said. “Going to it in person was very educational. It was so amazing to go to it because you’re meeting people from so many places. We met with somebody from South Carolina, and it was so interesting because their way of farming and ranching is so different from our way.”
Wegener said she is trying to incorporate some of the things she learned from the trip into her everyday living, so she would write more things down next time.
Sheridan Smejkal of Wagner, S.D., said she also enjoyed the Agricultural Outlook Forum.
“There was just so much information to take in,” she said. “I did take a lot of notes, but if I would go back again, I’d record it. That way you can listen to it and review it more. There was so much information, such as things happening in California and the different things that are happening in farming.”
Keller said the trip went from a Monday to Saturday in February, and they appreciated the help of Tracy Kruse, Northeast vice president of Development & External Affairs. Kruse helped to plan for some of the meetings.
The annual trip is open to first- and second-year students who fill out an application. The applications are considered by six Northeast staff members who are not part of the ag program, with all the identifying characteristics of the students removed. The top four are ranked by the reviewers, with the ag department and the Northeast foundation each sponsoring two of the trips.
Ag students trip cutline
Ag students going on the trip to Washington, D.C., (from left) are R.J. Bayer of Howells, Natalie Brabec of Leigh, Aleksus Wegener of Burwell, Sheridan Smejkal of Wagner, S.D., and Northeast ag instructor Brandon Keller. (Northeast Community College)
###