Being a real farmer. That’s what I thought Governor’s school for agriculture was going to be about. I was afraid it was going to be visiting farms at dawn and sitting in farming classes until dusk, but it has been so much more. 

I’ve learned about soil composition and texturing, economics, food security, food waste, and more about biodiesel than I can fit into this blog. Now as I’m writing this the night before my final presentation, I can’t help but feel nostalgic for my first few days here when I had no idea what was to come. Since then I have seen agricultural drones and even pet calves and foals, along with social experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life. We played volleyball and even Mario kart with a generously mailed Wii. I came here after over a year of quarantine, so meeting new people was something I hadn’t really thought about for a while. After a day here, though, I knew it was going to be a highlight of my high school career. 

I learned so much about college life, myself, and of course agriculture, which is so much more than just farming: it’s chemistry, biology, economics, and more. Every week we had a new class about a new aspect of agriculture, so finding out who the new professor was and what the new class would be always made Monday mornings a little easier. Overall, GSA was not at all what I expected, but it was a great experience that I will always remember.

tj