[COLUMBUS] With a goal to gain some real-world exposure of unique agriculture opportunities in a different region of the country, Ohio State’s Agribusiness Club took a field trip to Louisiana and Mississippi over their 2024 winter break. Twenty students in the Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics program spent a week meeting with leaders and touring facilities including:
- Louisiana Sugar Refinery and a sugar cane production operation,
- Cargill’s reserve grain export terminal,
- CGB and Zen-Noh headquarters as well as Zen-Noh grain export terminal,
- Clear Creek Studs equestrian farm,
- Cal-Maine farms egg production and packaging farm, and
- Mississippi State University research facilities and farms.
“We were able to tour and learn about the sugar refining process at the Louisiana Sugar Refinery facility and then followed that up with a tour of a sugar cane production operation and see it being harvested in action,” said Adam Rischar, President of Ohio State Agribusiness Club. “Another purpose of the trip was to further build our networks. Being able to meet and make connections with people who are in industry and experts at what they do is always something we are trying to build and improve.”
The Ohio State Agribusiness Club aims to provide members opportunities to make connections with industry professionals as well as other students.
“We want to provide members with the ability to learn about different opportunities or possibilities that they could pursue with their careers as well, “said Rischar.
Club advisor and Van Buren Professor Brian Roe noted that “The annual trip is a highlight of the club’s programming year. It opens their minds to the world of agribusiness possibilities and also forces club members to undertake the significant logistics and fundraising needed to transport a large group of students half-way across the country.”
The Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE) is a national leader in applied economics with cutting-edge programs in agricultural economics and agribusiness; environmental and natural resource economics; sustainability; international and development economics; and urban, regional and community economics.
#
Contact: Brian Roe roe.30@osu.edu
Written by: Diane Miller miller.12334@osu.edu