Our agriculture students have enjoyed potentially life changing experiences during their latest international study tour – a 1,400 mile trip around Iowa, mid-west USA.

The 23 strong group of Level 3 Agriculture students were introduced to American farming practices at their best during visits to large scale arable farms and cattle ranches plus research and science centres.

Highlights of the trip included tours of a 6,500 cow dairy unit and arable farms producing thousands of acres of seed corn, commercial corn and soybeans. The students also visited a denitrifying bioreactor, watched industrial scale drones in action and looked at progressive businesses using LEAN management.

The students also joined in the lifestyle of their hosts, enjoying time off for hiking and sports and visiting a baseball stadium, a Dairy Queen ice cream parlour and the Dallas County Rodeo.

Student Will Leese, who has just finished his Level 3 Extended Diploma in Agriculture and has a job as a procurement officer, said: “This trip was amazing, the best I have ever been on, and fantastic value. The sheer size of everything we saw was mind blowing! We had a great time taking part in the social life too. The rodeo was a big hit with us all!”

Find out more about our agriculture courses at www.reaseheath.ac.uk/agriculture