Lincoln, Nebr: On August 16th and 17th, three of the Nebraska Dairy Ambassadors ventured out on a tour of multiple agribusinesses along with the Corn and Soy Ambassadors. Throughout the two days, ambassadors visited agribusinesses ranging from Kawasaki all the way to the Fresh Thyme Farmers Market. Ambassadors kicked off the agribusiness tours with a stop at Jisa’s Cheese & Dairy where they got some hands-on experience with the cheese-making process. The first day activities concluded with the Ambassadors networking over dinner learning about each other’s future career plans.
Tours on the second day included the Union Pacific’s Harriman Dispatch Center, Midwest Labs, and Farm Credit Services of America. The tours provided Ambassadors with a better understanding of how our ag products travel to reach their destinations across the country, consumer-purchasing trends, and the career opportunities that are within the agriculture industry. Bailey Petersen, a dairy ambassador, stated, “I had a blast learning how broad the different agricultural industries are and how each of the companies we toured were impacted differently. The most interesting piece was that the intersection of all these industries led to positive change and that we, as students, have so many opportunities to help move things forward.” Jessi Sayers, a second year Dairy Ambassador, stated, “it was interesting to see how each industry is very different in the items they produce or the service they provide, but at the end of the day, they all have one end goal in helping the agriculture producer. I also really enjoyed visiting and engaging with the corn and soybean ambassadors. I made some new connections and strengthened my relationship with others.” All the Ambassadors are grateful for the opportunity to learn more about agriculture thanks to the sponsorships from Midwest Dairy, the Nebraska Corn Board, and the Nebraska Soybean Board.