Food Travels - Germany: Brittany Fabin, Ag Science - Environmental Soil Science

While in Germany, I learned many new things. Not only did I learn about their culture and history, but also about agriculture and the types of farms and industries involved. When we first arrived I was amazed by the flatness and how perfectly square the fields were that we passed.

We later learned that precision agriculture is a big deal in Germany and that many farmers actually use tractors that drive themselves! Since this type of technology is just starting to become known in America, it was awesome to see it firsthand.
We visited a couple different organic farms. Herrmannsdorfer (Bio farm and market) had its own bakery, butcher, dairy, brewery, farmers market and restaurant. It was an amazing place that was open to anyone. I feel like more of these types of places are establishing themselves in the U.S. and that they are a great way to introduce the public to what farming is really like on a small scale.

History surrounded us, everywhere we went on our trip. We visited palaces, historical monuments and churches, and well known beer gardens. My favorite, non- ag related place that we visited was Ausgang Schloss Castle. It was truly a work of art since different sections were built during different time periods. We got a behind the scenes tour of the entire castle and it was amazing! The stone work and the detailing was beautiful!

Since the trip was based on food, we got to try all of the local dishes and cuisine. It was all very good. Germans eat a lot of pork and drink a lot of beer! After visiting a couple of famous breweries, we learned just what an important role food and beer play in German society.