University Park, Pennsylvania – Forty members of Dairy Science Club In Penn State Agricultural Sciences College I went to the Netherlands during the spring holidays to learn more about global agriculture and explore a new culture.
“Going to expand our horizons by experimenting with a variety of agricultural practices in a different country was really something special,” said Jay Bratton, Millerstown, who is the current club president and a junior specializing in management of agro-industry and economy.
Le Penn State Dairy Science Club serves the dairy industry and helps club members to develop leadership qualities by industry and public service, campus dairy promotion events, youth education, education and recognition of members, fundraising and social activities.
Chad Dechow, associate professor of dairy cattle genetics, and Dale Olver, assistant teacher teacher for dairy and animal sciences, co-adopt the club.
“The opportunity to travel to the international helps our students to carry out the global nature of agricultural production and also allows them to find out about the stories and cultures of other nations,” said Olver. “Our club strives to build a strong sense of community, and these trips also promote this camaraderie among the members.”
The annual spring trip is a highlight for students. Club members vote on a destination, alternating between traveling at national and international level. The selected destinations have strong agricultural industries, and students are strongly involved in the planning of the route, which includes a mixture of judgments related to dairy products, industry visits and cultural sites. Recent trips took students to Texas and Italy. Bratton noted that the club works hard to make the trip as profitable as possible.
Study abroad can occur in many forms, and Dairy Science Club is an excellent example of how students can combine their interest in dairy sciences with international experience, noted Ketja Lingenfelter, Deputy Director of Global Commitment of Students in the College in College AG Global Sciences unit.
“Thanks to the impressive management of Dale Olver and Chad Dechow, students can appropriate their experience by collecting, planning their destination and determining their route,” she said. “This opportunity not only offered them a memorable experience, but has also developed skills and knowledge at a global level that can benefit them in their future careers.”
During the trip, club members visited small family farms and larger facilities. All visits to the site have highlighted the commitment of the Dutch dairy industry towards cows comfort, profitability and environmental awareness.
One of the largest installations that students have visited was the Coöperatie Rundvee Verbeting Coöpetering Coöpetering Center, Friesland. Students also visited the Leeuwarden dairy campus, a leading research and training center, to learn more about its objective of developing a sustainable dairy supply chain.
“Coming from a dairy environment, I must say that my favorite part was to visit the different farms,” said Bratton. “Take the similarities and the differences between practices in the United States and the Netherlands was really fascinating.”
Then the students visited Abmah Farm, who has a herd of nearly 400 cows treated with six M2ERLIN robots. These robots are made nearby in Fullwood Joz, a main manufacturer of milking equipment. The students were able to see the assembly of a robotic milk from start to finish. Club members have also learned more about environmental regulations placed in stricter farms and protocols, farmers must follow with regard to things such as manure management and milk production.
Madison Benfer, from Curryville, is a senior animal science Major who will graduate this spring. She was president of the club during the 2023-24 academic year and helped plan and coordinate the trip.
“In Amsterdam, we stayed in an inn, which I have never done before,” she said. “In addition to visiting the industry sites, we were able to explore the city with a visit and a visit to the canal. We also visited Zaanse Schans, a historic village, as well as the Royal Holland Flora auction and a Jonquille farm. My favorite part was to see the sale of flowers and learn how cut flowers are distributed in the world. ”
Bratton added that understanding and respecting different cultures is important as students move in their lives and their professional career.
“The trip also helped us to bring us closer as a club and allowed members to obtain new respect for international agriculture,” he said.
Deanna Behring, dean assistant to international programs and director of AG Global sciences, stressed the importance of students who explore global prospects for agricultural innovation by travel to destinations such as the Netherlands.
“Renowned for its progress in technology and the sustainability of the point, the Netherlands-despite its modest geographic size-ranks among the main agricultural exporters in the world,” she said. “Its global influence is particularly notable in sectors such as ornamental horticulture, dairy products, eggs, meat and vegetable production.”
For more information on the Dairy Science Club, follow the club on Facebook or Instagram at @PennstatedairyscienceClub.