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A touch of Denmark arrives on the Lemoore High campus for ag lessons and meatloaf
The students in question, and their principal, enjoyed a nice lunch of meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, and cookies courtesy of the school’s cafeteria staff, and between bites, conversed with their teenage counterparts from the school’s Future Farmers of American program.
The students are about as far away as one can get from their home as one can get, unless your home is on Mars. The 36 teenagers are from Hoeng, a small city about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Copenhagen, Denmark. Their American-style “field trip” began when they left home on November 3 and will sadly end when the contingent departs for home on November 12, but only after learning about California’s vast agriculture prowess.
So far the 36 strong have visited cotton fields, foot processors, and dairies since they’ve been here. Their final day will be spent in Las Vegas, prior to their departure.
What’s it all about? “This trip is meant to give our students an idea about how farming occurs in other countries,” said Principal Henrik Jensen. The idea, he said, is that his students, most of whom plan on entering the agricultural world, take the ideas they’ve learned in America and put them to use in Denmark.
Just for the record, Jensen said Denmark’s main crops include wheat, barley, canola and corn.
The students had just completed a tour of a local dairy before they arrived for their meatloaf lunch and a presentation from the high school’s FFA program. After lunch the group planned to visit the school’s on-campus farm.
Nineteen-year-old Mads Nielsen, between bites of meatloaf and potatoes, said that for him the trip has been a pleasant experience. “It’s definitely an eye opener,” he said, speaking nearly flawless English, filtered by his obvious Danish accent. “It’s always interesting to see all the different ways of doing things. It’s a great way to learn things and see other cultures.”
The students currently attend Zealand Agricultural College, a small school of about 200 students. Most of the students fully intend to join the agricultural industry upon graduation.
In Denmark, students don’t attend American-style high schools, but rather, after the equivalent of an American ninth grade, students tend to focus on a subject, like agriculture. The typical student spends a year in school, followed by a year in practice, which includes stints working in the ag industry. At the year’s conclusion, they return to school for another year, and then it’s on to another year of what is referred to as “practice.”
“They will have practical skills when they finish,” said Principal Jensen. “They’ll be ready to contribute to the agricultural economy.”
Lemoore FFA Advisor Matt Moreno acted as the group’s unofficial tour guide while the group was in Lemoore. “My role is what I like to call a window tour guide,” said Moreno, who added that the tour company called and wanted some local knowledge of agriculture, so he ended up as the local expert. “They’ve been to packing sheds for citrus, a cattle company; today we saw 3,000 acres of almonds and then toured an almond hauler. We also toured a dairy.”
And finally, from all indications, not only did the large Danish contingent like the tour, they thoroughly enjoyed the meatloaf too.
