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Letter from a Student

Jordan Lyon & Rich Buser
Rich is a Farm Management graduate from Conesville and the person that helped Jordan realize the benefits of the MCC Ag Program.

I nearly missed out on all of the opportunities this program has to offer. I started my college career as an Iowa State Cyclone. After my freshman year of college I had to move back home due to some family issues. I had no idea where I was going to go or what I was going to do. It was late in the summer and the fall semester was fast approaching. I was working for a melon farmer that I had worked for since junior high school, he told me I needed to look into the Feed and Fertilizer Marketing program at MCC. He had graduated from the program in 1983 and had nothing but good things to say about it. He had me on the phone with Marshall and the next day I was in his office registering for classes. What a great decision.

This program has far exceeded my expectations and prepared me for the agricultural industry better than I ever could have imagined. You truly become part of the program; you are not just another face to your instructors. Your instructors understand your goals and guide you in the right direction to attain those goals. The student - teacher ratio is phenomenal and creates an environment that really helps you understand course material. The individual attention you receive as an agricultural student is second to none.

One of my favorite opportunities as an agricultural student at MCC is the opportunity to participate in Postsecondary Agricultural Students. PAS is a state and national organization that allows you to apply the things you learn in class to competitive events and leadership roles. It is very similar to FFA but for college students. PAS presents you with the opportunity to travel, network with industry professionals, compete in events, develop leadership skills, learn more about the agricultural industry, and make new friends. MCC is always a top competitor at both the state and national level in the competitive events. I personally have won at both the state and national level.

If world travel is something you have always desired, that is also an option; another student and I were selected to participate in a study abroad program. I studied sustainable agricultural and renewable energies in Denmark for one month during the summer following my freshman year. That is an experience I will never forget. I got to see how another country functions, its culture and what they think as a civilization and as a country. We toured the second largest and cleanest pig slaughtering facility in the world, a totally automated milking facility with robots, an ethanol plant, a biodiesel plant, we went inside a wind turbine and I met a ton of great people. It is indescribable how much you can learn from visiting another country.

Practice makes perfect and practice is what you get when you start your work experience. There is no better way to learn how to do something than to actually do it. Work experience is a real world application of things you learn in the classroom. My work experience took place at a retail agribusiness where I got to deal with customers, operate machinery, blend fertilizer, mix chemicals, sample soil, and so much more. It also puts you in a situation where you can begin to network and scout for potential employers for after graduation. Being on site doing the things you learned about in the classroom teaches you way more than a textbook ever will.

A textbook won't pay you either. All MCC ag students are paid during their work experience. You are actually being paid to learn. The average earnings for an MCC ag student on work experience is $18,000. That is more than enough to cover the cost of getting a two year degree.

When I'm finished at MCC I will transfer to a university where I will earn a degree in Agricultural Economics. Work experience, PAS, study abroad, and the instructors at MCC have helped me realized what I truly want to do in life and I nearly missed out on this opportunity. Don't miss out on this great opportunity contact the Agribusiness & Technology Department at Muscatine Community College.

Schedule a campus visit today.
You'll be glad you did.