Seminar 3 - UK Trip

 The international seminar to the United Kingdom was an excellent opportunity to be witness a different aspect of the food and agriculture spectrum than we are used to.  My key takeaway after the trip was the fact that despite the differences between our two nations, whether they are climate, regulatory  environment, or consumer preferences, there are more similarities between us than my preconceived notions considered. Similar to ourselves, producers in the UK face challenges stemming from the rural/urban divide, being forced to defend their production practices that maintains society, regulatory uncertainty is constantly altering decision making at the production level and acting as an unseen tax, and the average age of producers is crowding the upper range.

I also really enjoyed seeing the countryside while we were in Scotland, the opportunity to tour a distillery and most of all the people we met during our visit. Two distinct quotes that stand out to me are "Europeans think 100 miles is a long distance, Americans think 100 years is a long time" and "We have been able to produce food so cheaply that it has lost its value to the consumer"

 Despite these differences, agriculture persists and in so many ways remains the fabric and backbone of so many communities, not for the money though that is always a factor, but because it is ingrained in our bones and steeped in our blood, regardless if one is English, Scottish, or American.