Ag Club Travels to Europe for Agricultural Excursion

Spring Break was an eventful time for many Bismarck State College students. Whether it be traveling home, spending time at work, or visiting another country, students each had their own unique adventure during the break.

This was especially true for BSC’s Ag Club as they traveled to Europe for their annual club trip. Around 30 students traveled to Europe for the five day jaunt, where they received a first-hand look at different agricultural practices and historic places in Germany and the Netherlands.

This was not just any five day jaunt though. Ag students had to enroll in a class in order to learn the history and agriculture sites that they would be visiting. Preparation was necessary in order to participate in the trip. 

Finally, before Spring Break, the club members were ready to go. The club left Bismarck on March 5 and arrived in Europe on March 6. They stayed there until March 13, returning to Bismarck on March 14.

The first day of travel led the ag students to Frankfurt, Germany. There, they toured the town and saw a variety of sites. This included places such as Romerberg, one of the oldest parts of Frankfurt. Afterwards, the group went to the town of Cochem and saw the Moselle River Valley as well as the Schloss Reichsburg, a castle in Cochem.

On the second day the group visited a vineyard, where they learned about the winemaking process and different agriculture techniques.

The third day consisted of touring around Koblenz in Germany. There, they saw the Deutsches Eck, where the Moselle River and the Rhine River meet.

Day four led the group to tour Gestapo headquarters and to the Cologne Cathedral. The group spent more time in Cologne, visiting a chocolate factory and seeing where the Olympics were held.

On day five the Ag Club visited Terra Nova, one of the largest coal mines in Europe. There, they learned that the mine would be filled with water and eventually turned into a lake. Many of the areas near the coal mine were beach themed because of this. Next, the group visited a dairy, where they learned about farming techniques in the Netherlands area after visiting Holland that day.

BSC Sophomore Taylor Pritschet is the President of the Ag Club. She studies Farm and Ranch management and plans to graduate from BSC this April. Pritschet went on the Ag Club trip and highlighted her favorite part of going to Europe.

“I’m very much so on the ranching side of agriculture, so I really enjoyed the dairy and learning about the cows and how they used their ground to feed their cattle and the different regulations,” Pritschet said. “I think that was the coolest part to me.”

Next year, the Ag Club plans to visit Greece. Ag students interested in the trip next year can inquire with Associate Professor of Agriculture, Technology, and Natural Resources Marko Davinic about the trip.

~ Page ( ) of The Mystician 87.13 ~

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