Summer Ag Tour 2017: Eggs and History -- Carissa

{07:30, June 27, 2017: AmericInn, Grundy Center, Iowa}

Left the hotel this morning. We caravanned through the country of corn and soybean fields towards Ames, Iowa. Today we will be visiting Iowa State University’s egg production. Then, we will be going to a living history museum in Urbandale, Iowa.

{10:00, June 27, 2017: Iowa State University Hansen Ag Center, Ames, Iowa}

Once at the University we learned about the grading of the exterior and interior of eggs. It was a great hands-on learning experience! We even got to candle the eggs, which is when you take a bright light and shine it through the egg to judge the quality of that egg.

{11:30, June 27, 2017: Iowa State University Classroom, Ames, Iowa}

There are four cage systems for laying hens. They are, enriched cages, conventional cages, aviary houses, and free-range. I learned that free-range is the most popular system in Europe. Did you know, that Iowa is the largest egg producing state in the U.S.? Iowa lays enough eggs to feed all 50 states for 47 days!

{12:15, June 27, 2017: Iowa State University Union Building; Cafeteria, Ames, Iowa}

Today our lunch consisted of choices. We ate at the Union Building at the University. I personally ate a salad, chips, a cheese stick, and a slice of delicious cheese cake.

{13:45, June 27, 2017: Living History Farms, Urbandale, Iowa}

Next stop, Living History Farms! We visited this rural living museum where we saw how farms have developed since the 1700’s. Starting with the Native Americans to the 1850’s farm life, then ending in the world of 1900’s. I really enjoyed this because there was also an 1850’s style town that had a variety of buildings and we could see a similar way they were set up! I really liked this stop because I too work at a living history museum called Cracker Country in Tampa.