Agricultural and Environmental Communication in England and Scotland, May & June 2019
Program Overview
This education abroad program is specific to my major, agricultural communication. Through this two week program we traveled through England and Scotland to learn about their agricultural practices and how British media both differ from and resemble United States media in their coverage of a wide range of social and technical issues associated with food and agriculture. During the program, we had the opportunity to meet with English and Scottish communicators, visit farms, and many historical sites.
Pre-Departure Reflection
In the spring of 2019, we were enrolled in a half semester course where we began to look at agriculture in the United Kingdom. We listened to news reports from the BBC on their current agricultural issues. It was interesting to learn more about Brexit and be informed on this topic before traveling to the UK. We also chose an agricultural issue to research and share with the class. My topic was food insecurity within the England and Scotland. My poster can be viewed here. I was very excited to travel to the UK, I had never been to Europe and I was excited to learn about topics I have been hearing about in history since I was in elementary school. I also was excited to visit the countryside and visit with farmers.
While Abroad Reflection
The first country we traveled to was England and we began our program in London. Throughout our trip, the class maintained a blog. I absolutely fell in love with London. The architecture was beautiful, the history was interesting and I loved learning about the Royal family. Our hotel was very close to Kensington Palace! We visited the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. We had several chances to eat at the local pubs and try fish and 
chips.
We visited three different agricultural publications. We visited with Farmers Weekly magazine, which is an agricultural publication in England. We talked about the production of their magazine and also discussed current agricultural issues. We also visited with Farmers Guardian and the Scottish Farmer. It was interesting to hear how these publications compete with one another and how their coverage of issues varies depending on location in the UK.
While in the UK, we talked to various people and were able to hear different perspectives of Brexit. It was a major concern for many farmers and agriculturists. There was so much uncertainty to what will happen, how it will happen, and the repercussions to the decision. It was very interesting to hear how the English and Scottish views differed. It seemed Brexit was passed due to the large population in the major cities in England, specifically London. Farmers in the UK receive benefits from being a part of the EU and without these were very unsure how they would continue their practices.
We visited several different agricultural universities where we had the chance to hear about their education system and programs available. The education system in the UK is much different than in the United States. We visited Writtle University, one of the largest land-based university colleges in the UK and Royal Agricultural University, the oldest agricultural university in the UK. In Scotland we visited Scotland’s Rural College. We discussed the programs they have that would be similar to agricultural communication and how they teach these courses.
One of my favorite places we visited was Bath, England. We toured the Roman Baths and it was extremely
interesting to visit such a historic city. While in the UK, it was so cool to think about how old everything was. The United Kingdom is so much older than the United States and I loved to hear about the history behind the places we visited. We learned about this history during a walking tour of Bath.
We visited the Bath and West Show, which was similar to a fair we would have in the United States. I loved seeing the different sheep, cattle and dog shows. As I exhibited cattle at the national, state, and local level I thought it was so cool to compare their livestock shows to ours. I also showed dogs at the Ohio State Fair and Highland County Fair and being able to see the English and Scottish breeds of dogs was so cool! Again, many of the breeds of animals originated in Europe so it was cool to see how how influential these breeds and the UK is on our animals we have in the United States.
We traveled to Stonehenge and Stratford-upon-Avon, where we saw William 
Shakespeare’s hometown. We also visited Liverpool, home of the Beetles (my dad was so jealous!). Along the way we visited with farmers and learned about their agricultural practices. We discussed Open Farm Day, where farms are open to anyone and everyone. It was interesting to hear the farmers perspective on this topic and how they feel it is a great educational opportunity. I am not sure how this would go over in the United States. The farms in the UK have several weeks and months of planning to ensure this is a positive opportunity for both the farmer and the consumer.
We spent time at St. Andrews and saw the cafe where Prince William and Princess Kate met! It was so beautiful on the coast and we were able to see Old Course. It was fun exploring the town and the different historical locations.
We spent the majority of our time near Edinburgh. We had time to explore the city and we visited the Edinburgh Castle. We attended the World Famous, Taste of Scotland Show where we learned about the culture of Scotland. We learned about the dancing, music and the history of the Scottish. I realized I am a big fan of the bagpipes! We even got to dance during the show. It was a highlight of the trip and my favorite thing we did in Scotland. We visited two different sheep farms and it was so beautiful to see the landscape and property this farm was on. On the one specific farm we were able to see their three border collies go and herd the sheep in this very large pasture area. It was awesome! I also realized I was missing out by not being a Harry Potter fan. I fixed this immediately on our free day by buying the first book and then reading the whole thing on the plane ride home.
After Return Reflection
England and Scotland are both rich in history and have beautiful architecture and countryside. I am interested to see how the issues of Brexit continue to play out. I have a better understanding of agriculture in the UK and the relationship between the United States and the UK in terms of trade. Hearing from farmers and agriculturists is not something you can truly grasp by watching the nightly news or reading stories online. Seeing first-hand their dedication to farming and the environment and being able to compare this to the United States allowed me to have a better global perspective. I hope to return to England and Scotland one day to continue learning about the history! I was able to reflect on my trip on the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership’s blog.
