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Session 2 was held in Sandusky at the Kalahari Resort.  We had numerous speakers during the session, toured multiple different farms and spent a day on Lake Erie at OSU’s Stone Lab.  This session was very interesting and enjoyable and I learned many new things about agriculture in Ohio.

Kalahari was a great spot to have this session, I had never been here before, so even before the session started, driving in and seeing the massive water park was impressive itself.  At the resort is where we had all of our speakers. The speakers presented a lot of great information, and I found it all very interesting, things from learning how to talk to the media and improving our interview skills to learning about how we adapt and deal with change.  The class did a Change Style Preference activity and I was really interested to see my results and where I fell in with the rest of the class. With the new skills that I have gained I think it can help me in the future if there was ever a time I was interviewed by a media outlet but also in every day conversations with people in the ag industry and especially those who are not involved in agriculture.  

During Session 2, we were also able to tour different types of farms. I really enjoyed how three farms were completely different from each other. When we visited Quarry Hill Orchards, it was really interesting to see the new way that they are planting apple trees. Instead of planting them wide apart and letting them grow out, they are now using a new technique where the trees grow up and almost form a wall. This was very interesting to see. We were also able to tour Polter’s Berry Farm. I learned a lot of interesting information on their immigrant work force and the H-2A program they go through to be able to employ them.  I think this was information to know and I can use it to help educate people who question how farmers employ their workers. I thought it was really neat when the owners of Polter’s took us through their cabbage and pepper fields. I thought it was interesting how sandy the soil was compared to the part of Ohio I am from.     

One of my favorite parts of the session was when we toured Stone Laboratory and learned about water quality on Lake Erie. The water in the western Lake Erie basin is the shallowest part of Lake Erie but it has the largest river flowing into it. This is why this part of the lake has such problems with algae bloom.  As advocates for the agricultural industry, it is important to continue to learn what farmers can do and practice to help with the problem. 

Session 2 provided a lot of useful information to the AgriPOWER XI class.  The information that we all learned is going to help us become better leaders for the industry that we all love so much. I personally learned so much from this trip, and I have already been able to put a lot of the information to use.   

Online Extras

Jon Brookbank: What’s your message? AgriPOWER Class XI Session 2 blog

Kevin Ward: Lessons in leadership: AgriPOWER Class XI Session 2 blog