The Aspects of Agriculture from another Land Grant University

For the past three years now (and that’s hard to believe), I’ve attended every Block and Bridle National Convention since I was a freshman, and even coordinated the trip last year to the host school, University of Kentucky. This year, the National Convention was hosted by Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan.

Block and Bridle National Conventions usually begin on a Thursday evening, and conclude on Saturday nights. We arrived in Lansing, where the nine members of our club got to listen to a national lobbyist who specializes in agricultural affairs. 

Nine Members of the Penn State Block and Bridle Club in Lansing, MI

The following day was dedicated to tours across the state of Michigan, showcasing how the different styles of agricultural practices have led to the successes in that state. At the first stop on our tour, we visited the Swiss Lane Dairy Farm in Alto, Michigan. Originally a 91-acre tract, this establishment of fourth-generation dairy farmers has grown to thousands of acres. One thing that makes this farm special is that all of the workers and family members of this 1,300-head dairy partake in a program called “Dairy Discovery”. Dairy Discovery is a program designed to bring the youth onto the farm to learn what a farm really is. This is a great way to bridge the generational divide and teach people where their food comes from. During this special tour of the farm, the kids get to help bottle-feed the newborn calves, take a hayride with the big green John Deere tractors, and learn about the nutritional importance that milk provides. (Side note: sorry for the quality of the pictures, they were taken with my phone!)

A view of the double-16 milking parlor at Swiss Lane Dairy

After a day of jam-packed tours across Michigan, we spent Saturday morning in professional development events, during which the Penn State Chapter was even recognized for our efforts with Meat-In Day. After the keynote speech, the club took a short drive to the Michigan Great Lakes International Draft Horse Show and Pull, the largest draft horse show in North America. After viewing some of classes these elegant draft horses, the club members went on a tour of the MSU farm facilities. One of the more interesting things about the farm units is that the poultry facility is raising a flock of emus, and even has minks! The poultry farm actually had issues with animal rights groups a few years ago because of raising the minks at the facility. 

Emus at the MSU Poultry facility

One of the final stops along the “barn tour” was the MSU Beef Barns. This historic facility has been known for producing some of the best Hereford and Angus beef cattle in the nation, and hosts the MSU Block and Bridle Club calf sale, similar to the PSU Club Calf Sale (which was occurring the exact same weekend back in Happy Valley as this convention). The original MSU Beef Barns used to be located right on campus; however, as MSU expanded, the Beef Barns were forced to move off campus. Instead of tearing the entire farm facility down, the barn was cut in three different sections and transported on pallets right down the road to its current location today.

MSU Beef Barn

Finally, after another packed day of touring agricultural facilities, it was time for the awards banquet. From all of the years I’ve attended national conventions, I’ve noticed that Penn State always does well competing for various awards given out amongst the other chapters across the nation. With this convention, nothing changed from the past; Penn State rose to the top again! In all, the club received 3^rd place Scrapbook, 2^nd place Yearbook, 1^st place Webpage, and 1^st place Chapter Activities (for the second year in a row)! The awards were certainly well-deserved by the hardworking members of the club.

Club attendees after awards banquet

Looking back, it certainly was worth the long drive to Michigan, experiencing the different types of agriculture from Pennsylvania’s, and witnessing the fruits of our labor with the club excelling in our awards!