Dr. Marshall McDaniel, agronomy, accompanied a group of 17 CALS students on a spring break travel course to Spain, which included agronomy students Allison Smith, Tiaira Cordero Lopez and Karl Graulich. The group visited many farms including olive, dairy, vineyard, rabbit, snail, almond, peach, a yogurt facility, fruit processing and cultural visits too. McDaniel said it was a “fantastic, edifying trip.”
Agronomy senior Allison Smith said she chose to visit Spain to see how another country practices agriculture. “Spain seemed to be a great choice since they have similar industries to the U.S., but a lot of different ones as well so I was able to compare and contrast but also learn about an industry that is completely new to me” said Smith. Her favorite part of the trip was learning about the Spanish culture and the different agriculture sectors that aren’t as popular in the U.S., such as a snail farm and an olive oil production facility. “I learned so many new things on this trip. One thing that stands out is that their olive/olive oil and wine industries are huge and have a lot of cultural significance,” said Smith.
Agronomy sophomore Tiaira Cordero Lopez liked how “Spain is a culturally rich country that embraces tradition and flair.” Her favorite part of the trip was seeing all the different management systems that Spain has in their farms and production facilities.
