With the complexities of mid-terms, finals, internship and job hunts, trying to coordinate travel arrangements to get the CHS-supported team to Italy was a daunting task. Instead of trying to plan it all, I gave the participants a simple mission: find your way to Florence, Italy. And find their way they did, via plane, train, and automobile. From points across Italy, the team members converged on Florence.

 Guest Blogger: Brandon Smith, team leader for the CHS trip

We kicked off the first two days of the trip exploring the city of Florence and allowing the team to get adjusted to the seven hour time difference. When planning the trip I knew I wanted to allow the student’s time to adjust before we jumped into site visits. I felt Florence offered a perfect venue to allow the transition as well as place the team in the heart of the Italian Agricultural sector.

The days were spent visiting the highlights of arguably the greatest city in Italy. From Michelangelo’s David to the Medici Place, the Duomo to the Uffizi gallery, the city offered the team an amazing opportunity to immerse themselves in thousands of years of history.

To set the tone for the week ahead a dinner was planned bringing together the students supported by CHS Inc. with the students participating in the Artex Practicum project. The dinner allowed students to sample the best the region had to offer and began the conversation on the Italian agricultural industry.

The time spent in Florence was an amazing experience and one that was not possible without the support from CHS and the CHS Foundation. Many in the group had never traveled to Europe nor had extensive exposure to the agriculture and energy sector. As this blog will undoubtedly show the students came away with a once in a lifetime experience with a new take on the agricultural and energy industry.

The CHS Foundation is the major giving entity of CHS Inc., the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative and a global energy, grains and foods company. As a part of the CHS stewardship focus, the CHS Foundation is committed to investing in the future of rural America and agriculture and cooperative business through education and leadership development. The sponsorship support from CHS helped cover travel, and travel related, expenses for students to participate in a number of number of agricultural and energy related site visits and tours across central and northern Italy.