AgSci Interns

This summer I am working on mostly just two projects that try to lend greater understanding behind the main concepts of organic weed management.   The two projects are quite different, however, in their  concepts under scrutiny.  They also differ in the work required to carry out the research. So the first project is one [...]

Hello Readers, Your AgSci Ambassador and familiar voice from Sweden coming back to you to blog about my accredited academic work position for the summer. I am coming at you about a month and a half into my work position in the Department of Weed Science as a Field/Lab Assistant. I have a lot to [...]

Bonjour for one last final post as my France adventure draws to a close. Since my main objective of the internship was to fully understand the concept of terroir and how the farm incorporates value added agriculture in the form of tourism, I am going to elaborate once again on these concepts now that I [...]

Now that we are well into the growing season, much of my responsibilities are focused on making sure the vines are trim, tidy, and healthy. One of the most beneficial practices towards producing quality fruit is to make sure that the vines’ shoots are positioned up trough the catch wires of the trellis system.  This [...]

One of the main functions of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is to perserve the intergrety of the soil and reduce the amount of erosion taking place on agricultural land.  This is often accomplished through conservation practices such as no-till planting.  No-till planting is where the residue from the previous crop is left on [...]

I’d like to start off this blogging series with a dirty joke. What’s black, white, and bred over and over?  A Holstein dairy cow! Actually, the real dirty part of the joke is that they never stop pooping. For those of you with dairy experience this may have been your first answer, but before my [...]

Today, I was able to discuss the consumer trends of olive oil with everyone on the farm, and learn more about the clientele base of the farm. Olive oil is experiencing a dramatic surge in popularity.  The farm has noticed that customers are now especially concerned about the health of the environment, and their own [...]

I know I have previously mentioned the Common Agriculture Policy, known in France as the Politique Agricole Commune, when I initially underwent the French agriculture policy crash course at SupAgro University. However, now that I am on the olive farm and have discussed with my hosts the role of public policy on the daily financial [...]