European Sustainable Agriculture Study Tour June 18-July 8, 2005
Nine students from PSU, two students from UIUC and two students from UCDavis, joined together via the Sustainable Crop Protection in Agriculture Program (SUSPROT) and spent the spring semester 2005 looking at European agriculture from production through food processing and distribution. In addition, agriculture, trade and social policy, environmental protection, sustainability and cooperation within the European Union were explored. This first phase of the course provided both academic and practical preparation for the second phase of the course – a study tour to the four European SUSPROT collaborators – Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, and France which focused on sustainable agriculture.
Course materials/student preparation presentations may be viewed at the Presentations section of the website; also the travel/academic itinerary, budget, etc. Photo galleries of the academic field trips may be found under the individual headings. Following are highlights along with summaries of particular days provided by some of the students.
The group included 13 students and 3 adults (left to right in the photo, center row, Daniel Block, Ben Hartman, Heather , Mary Hornablow, Marcel Allison Senycz, Jackie Yenerall, Katie , Marilyn McPheron. Front row, Melissa May, Jessi Lehman, Arlene Casas. Back row, Phillip Wagner, Dr. Rajotte, Rich Hoover). After many e-mails between the three institutions, travel logistics seemed to be set in place. Our first challenge would be meeting up, from different US departure points, in the Brussels airport.
6/18/2005
The group all arrived at the Brussels airport at 8:45 am but on two different flights. The PSU students and the UC Davis students flew in from Newark and the two students from UIUC, flew in from Chicago. After not seeing the other students in the baggage claim area, we realized we should look further so proceded through customs. Once through, we were greeted by students from Gembloux and suddenly there were the all the other students too. Dragging our luggage behind us, we took the train to Namur and then a bus to our hostel in Namur. Namur was a decent size city with many restaurant,shops, and taverns. The weather was very warm and the sky bright blue with no clouds anywhere. The bus was crowded and hot but during the ten minute ride we could see all of the amazing landscape and the beautiful river. The most amazing site was the city citadel. Its massive size and the castle like appearance made the citadel appear magical. From the bus windows we could also see how important the river is to transportation. There were many cargo barges as well as houseboats and sailboats and even rowboats. The hostel was beside the river on a cobblestone street. It was a very cute brick building with large windows. Our rooms weren’t ready so we simply unloaded our luggage and headed back into town. Since most of us were running on only a few hours sleep and a huge appetite, the first desired destination was a restaurant. As this point the group splintered into different directions. Five of us went to an adorable Pub & Pizza place to immediately be thrust into our first French speaking experience. Fortunately, the waitress sensed our discomfort and spoke in English. The food was great and gave us energy to further explore the city. We passed, with great delight, many waffle and Belgian chocolate shops. There was a large festival in the center of the city with music and dance. After seeing all we could manage for one day, we headed back to the hostel – exhausted!
Arriving in Brussels – Phillip, Allison (PSU), Katie, UCDavis Heather and Danielle, (UIUC)
Views of Namur
6/19/2005
We all got up around seven to get ready for the hostel breakfast at 7:25 am. We then headed to the bus stop to catch a ride to the train station. We had a two hour train ride north from Namur to Brugge. At Brugge we took a boat ride through the Meuse river that ran through the center of town. Brugge is a very old historic city that has been kept up well so it was very neat. After the boat ride we were all free for a few hours to do what we wanted. Some people ate an authentic Belgian meal that was very different but also very good. Some visited museums. Some went to see a gorgeous cathedral with beautiful stained glass windows, very tall vaulted ceilings and the famous statue of Michael Angelo’s mother and child. Another highlight was going up in the Guild of Lace Makers Bellfry tower. Even though it was a long hike up (369 steps) to the top, the view of the city of Brugge was magnificent. The group joined together again at 4 pm to go on a tour of the chocolate museum. We learned a bit about the history and the making of the world famous Belgian chocolate. The samples given us proved how good it really is! With all the rich chocolate in our stomaches, we went back to the train station to catch the train back to Namur. But everyone was catching the train back—as the first nice weekend of the summer, many folks had spent the day at the beaches and the train was packed. . .yet everyone remained patient even in a sauna like atmosphere. We relaxed in the evening – the nice thing about the summer evenings here is how late the sun sets. At 11 pm, it is just getting dark.
6/20/2005
Our academic introduction to Europe started with a lecture by a Gembloux graduate student, Gaetein. He covered how the European Union was formed, what it takes to be a member and the future of the Union, especially in reference to the constitution. This was a good introduction for all we will see during the rest of the tour.
Afterwards we took a tour of the university, including stumbling down steep steps into a crypt (empty) where Katie abused her right to take pictures—ha,ha. After lunch in town we took a car ride to the agriculture research center and had a lecture and discussion on GMO’s in Europe
Finally, at the end of the day, we were rewarded with a tour of old Brussels by Dr. Haubruge and after the tour, the evening was free. It was our first experience using the train system on our own but all arrived back at Namur successfully!
Note: In Belgium, Netherlands and in Germany, breakfast was provided by the hostels and was pretty much the same at each place. Hard rolls or whole grains sliced bread, jams, corn flakes or granola with yougart, cold cuts, cheese, coffee, tea, milk and juice. In the Netherlands, we also had hard boiled eggs, croissants, and individually wrapped ginger cookies available. There were warnings against making sandwiches for lunch and taking them with you. . .the staff would gladly pack you a lunch for 3 euros which contained a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a small chocolate bar.
6/21/2005
None of us tend to get up early, so after another quick carb filled breakfast at the hostel we traveled by bus to the Belgian Blue semen cooperative. This brand new facility contained 120 of the finest beef producing bulls of the breed. We learned all about the breed and the operation via a guided tour of the facilities, a brief video and a lively answer and question session. To end our visit, they treated us to bottled water, “gas or non gas” and lemonade. We then took the bus to Gembloux for a tour of the old farm buildings that were converted to classrooms and assembly halls. We joined some of the students, technicians and professors who were having a syrian style barbeque with Belgian side dishes and refreshments. We all had a great time; the food was excellent and the people were very friendly. In my opinion this was the best day yet and by how happy everyone looked it will be hard to top. We took a brief break from the barbeque to hear a fun little lecture about composting with worms for “money.” This was followed by a speech from the rector of the university that might be shown on the local news (Belgian CNN?.) After getting back to the hostel, things started winding down only a little—we indulged in swimming in the Meuse, Frisbee in the street and discovering wireless internet access in front of the hostel.
6/22/2205
Today was our last day in Belgium. We left the hostel in Namur on a bus to Dinant where we got a tour of the Dinant citadel. In the citadel, there was a room that was bombed during WWI, which had been rebuilt earlier. The room was slanted but the walls were straight, so it was very disorienting. Afterward, we had a bit of time to see Dinant and get some lunch before traveling to the brewery, Brasserie Du Boeg. There we had a guided tour through this family owned brewery and learned about the materials and the steps needed to brew a variety of beers from dark to white beer as well as the GMO policies impacting the grains they purchase for the malt. We sampled one of their newest offerings, a white apple beer – very refreshing on a hot day! Next – on the train again to journey to the Netherlands.
We were met in the train station in Arnham by our Wageningen host, Dr. Joop Van Loon. After purchasing a strip of tickets for the bus, we departed by bus to find our next hostel. The Stay Okay Hostel was located in a forest preserve and we trekked along the bike path, pulling our luggage behind, to reach it. We quickly settled in--.some went in search of supper, others headed for the recreation rooms, others to do laundry, some to use the internet (2 euros for 15 minutes), and some headed to bed. Tomorrow would be a day of exploring Amsterdam.
Views from Dinant, Belgium
6/23/2005
We didn’t wish to waste any of our day in Amsterdam laying in bed so got up and out by 8 am to catch the train to Amsterdam. Dr. Van Loon hopped aboard a couple of train stops down the line and joined us for the day. Once there, the entire group took the canal bus for an introduction. After, we divided up – some to see the Ann Frank house, some to the art museums, some to enjoy an outdoor market. The weather was beautiful and it was a memorable day.
Views of Amsterdam
Everyone bikes in the Netherlands!
Our Netherland adventure began at Wageningen Agricultural University with one of the most informational and interesting days yet. Our host, Joop Van Loop brought together five wonderful speakers presenting their work in such areas as agricultural crop protection, agricultural field design and enhanced function, resources and decision support systems for farmers. We had so many questions for them that we were running out of time until we were to catch the next train to Rotterdam. There we were to meet with a host from Koppert Biological Systems and learn their history, business and products. After 2 bus rides, three trains stations, walking in the heat and getting lost, we finally made it to Koppert. The travel was all worth it to see the great innovations this company could offer the modern day farmer: packaged bumblebee hives ready to be shipped to facilitate crop polination, and bottled biocontrol insects that are natural enemies of common crop pest but do not harm the crop itself. The company was very sophisticated, high tech and extremely welcoming. It is definitely a place where most of our group could picture themselves working in years to come.
6/24/2005
In the morning we went to Flora Holland, a huge flower auction house. It was really neat to see the whole process. We saw the rooms where the flowers were brought in, sold and distributed. The place was so enormous – it was incredible. Next we heard a presentation about biological controls. We also got a tour of the greenhouses where they do experiments with bio-controls. Then we went to a greenhouse of a rose producer who grows a rare kind of rose – he is one of four producers in the world. It was amazing to see how big the greenhouses are. It is so different from the USA where we rarely grow that much in greenhouses. The system seemed much more controlled.
It was really hot, so in the afternoon we went to the North Sea. It was really beautiful and fun to play in the water. Then we took about a million trains and buses to get back. . .we are getting quite nimble at jumping on and off public transportation. If the Dutch aren’t using the trains and buses, you will find them on bikes – everyone rides bikes and the bike pathway systems are extensive.
6/25/2005
This morning Dr. Van Loon picked us up in a van just as it started to rain—the
first rain of our trip. He drove us to the polders which is the land the Dutch
reclaimed from the sea. Now the land is used mostly for agriculture and I found
it very interesting that a country would go to such extreme measures just to get
more farmland. We then visited a site where they rebuild original Dutch trading
vessels. We toured the ship Batavia which used to trade spices with Indonesia.
Our tour guide did a very good job mixing the history of the ship with exciting
stories about its downfall. 
After leaving the polders, we went to an organic farm festival where we visited booths to learn about and try samples of organic products. We went on a hayride around the farm and heard about their pest and disease management practices from Dr. Van Loon.
Unfortunately, as the trip progressed, students were more and more lax about turning in commentaries about the day’s activities. We have only a couple entries from Germany and France but some good pictures!
Germany, 6/28-7/2/05
June 30, 2005
Today we visited two orchards near Lake Constance. The first more traditional orchard used modern bio control practices and the second was organic. The traditional had difficulties due to field sizes and multiple landowners controlling conflicting management practices. The organic farm, on of the first organic fruit producers in the 1970’s, produced excellent quality fruit . Today the owner is well known for his organic practices and use of new varities. Another interesting aspect was the creation of his own specialized farm equipment to deal with organic weed and pest control issues. In between, we had lunch at a small and lovely restaurant. Most of us had spretzel with cheese and breaded pork cutlets smothered in a heavy mushroom cream sauce. Excellent! And only 8.70 euros.
Views on the way to Lake Constance
Views of Stuttgart
July 2, 2006
This was the last morning in Germany. Everyone packed up and carried their suitcases down the 35 or so steps to the bottom of the hill where Dr. and Mrs. Zebitz met us to load all the luggage into a van which would meet us at 11 am at the train station. Then we took off on foot and walked down into Stuttgart to visit the Marthalle and Saturday’s Farmer Market. After Dr. Zebitz gave an overview of the market, we split up with an agreement to meet in time to collect our luggage and catch the train. What a treat to see all the beautiful flowers, fruit and vegetables. Almost
Everyone bought pastries, fruit, cheese, etc. for lunch on the train.
At the bottom of the hostel stairs Waiting to board the train to Paris.
It was a bit hectic and nerve racking as it became close to time to catch the train…everyone hadn’t shown up on time. With only minutes to spare, finally everyone was there – we grabbed our luggage, jumped on the train and waved goodbye through the window. And on to Paris.
The train trip was uneventful and quick. Dr. Marion-Poll met us at the train station and shook his head at all the luggage. And with good reason! It was 65 steps up to the street and several blocks to the train station. Not to mention, squeezing everyone into a crowded car to make the trip to Cite International. But in no time at all, we were booked into our rooms, Dr. Marion-Poll had pointed various students in all directions and everyone was off to explore Paris for the afternoon and evening. The next day, Sunday, July 3, would also be a free day. So with long lists of sights we must see, we all headed out.
Two of the most famous sights in Paris, the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame.
July 4, 2005
First we went to INA-PG and Dr. Marion-Poll explained the French university system to us. It was interesting because it is a very old system that operates like a pyramid. Most can go to university but only a few can go to the top schools. In the afternoon we visited the INA PG campus at Grignon and used one of the classrooms to hear all about the process of cheese making. I was surprised to learn that there are over 400 different French varities! From the classroom, we took a brisk, and windy, walk over to the Grignon experimental farm to learn about the agricultural system in France. An interesting aspect was the many supports that are in place for farmers. After, we continued to learn about French farming while touring the dairy facility and sheep barns. All the farm buildings are very old and are really beautiful.
7/5/2005
7/6/2005
On Tuesday we visited the champagne area of France and had lunch in Reims.
The cathedral in Reims.
Wednesday’s highlight was definitely the Rungis market. It was impressive to see all the fish, meat, cheese, fruit in such a huge market facility. It was worth the 4 am start from Cite International. Please see the academic links for photos from Veuve Cliquot and Rungis.
July 8, 2005
The trip is over. Everyone cleared out their rooms and headed for the airport and the flight home first thing in the morning.