History of Agricultural Weekend Experience

In 2005 the Agriculture Weekend Experience program was proposed to the Iowa State University Agricultural Endowment as an opportunity for students majoring in agriculture to interact with members in the agricultural community. The Students would be hosted by members of the farming community on Iowa farms.

The benefit for students would be increased awareness of production agriculture and farming in Iowa. Furthermore, students would have the opportunity to apply skills and concepts gained in class to real-world situations, thus building a stronger resume. Lastly, the program would offer networking between students and farmers as true agricultural resources.

Participation from the agricultural community would increase public awareness by teaching the application of Iowa agriculture from a producer's perspective. In addition the program would increase awareness of issues students face during their college career, providing a deeper understanding about the technical fields in agricultural study.

The first AWE program took place in April 2005. Feedback was incredible with students marveling over the connection between classroom knowledge and the application to farming. Host families agreed the program was a success and were quick to volunteer for future programs.

Since 2005, the AWE program has provided 32 students with hands-on agricultural experience through annual programs. The program was first offered during the spring semester; in 2007 and 2008 an additional weekend was set during the summer for students to experience a different step in the farming process.