Last week a
group of the Ag Ambassadors went on a trip to Tucson, Arizona to attend the
2013 Ag Ambassador Leadership Summit. When I found out that I was going on
this trip, I was absolutely ecstatic. Before arriving, I expected the trip to
consist of bonding with my fellow Ambassadors from UK and seeing the Grand
Canyon. Little did I know I was wrong. I was introduced to some of the best
people that I have ever met and we all had a common bond- our love
for agriculture.
Ag Ambassadors from the University of Arizona, University of
Georgia, University of Florida, and The Ohio State University attended the
Leadership Summit as well. Throughout the week we traveled all over the state
of Arizona learning about agriculture and even crossed the state line into
California! On the first day we started with introductions and a presentation
from Dow AgroSciences, who was a sponsor of the Ag Ambassador Leadership
Summit. As I looked around at my fellow Ambassadors, I know immediately it was
going to be a great week. The room was full of diversity, but we were all
similar in our passion for agriculture. The group traveled to Mount Lemmon
where we saw awesome scenic views and learned about the different landscapes that
are found in Arizona. As we started to climb the mountain, the weather was warm
and sunny, but in a matter of minutes we were surrounded by snow! I never
thought that I would see snow in Arizona! 
Throughout the course of the next
couple days, we visited Santa Rita Experimental Range, Yuma Valley Experiment
Station, the Mexican border, Greenpack processing plant and the GRAND CANYON,
among other places! I learned more than I ever thought I would by attending the
Leadership Summit. My entire life I have lived on a tobacco farm. Legal
immigrant workers are hired to help out with the manual labor. Being able to
see where their journey starts (at the Mexican border) was eye opening. I
didn’t realize the strict policies that are enforced when crossing the border
and how hard it actually can be to legally get to the United States. Not only
are people crossing the border each and every day, but goods are as well. Every
truck that comes into the United States has to be checked to insure that
foreign diseases will not get into our food supply. Living in Kentucky I had
never really thought about how this could impact me, but now I do. At the
experiment stations, we learned about wildlife and crops. When we visited the
Yuma Valle
y Experiment Station
I ate the best piece of broccoli I had ever consumed in my entire life! To make
it even better, the broccoli came right out of the field. I picked it myself!
Another aspect about Arizona that I was astonished about was how scarce their
water supply is. Arizona receives 3 inches of rain every
year on average! Whenever farmers are growing crops, they have to order the
amount of water they will need one week in advance. Yes, I said ORDER. This
made me realize how much I take advantage of water availability in Kentucky.
The Grand Canyon was definitely a sight to see. It was beautiful and something
everyone should experience in their lives.
Overall, the people that I met on
this trip were awesome! I loved Arizona and didn’t want to leave. Also, I was
privileged to eat “legit" Mexican food from the region while I was there. The guacamole was by
far the best I had ever had! The 2013 Ag Ambassador Leadership Summit is an
experience that I will never forget because not only did I gain knowledge about
agriculture, but I made memories that will last a lifetime!
Go BIG BLUE!
Hanna
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