College of the Ozarks’ students travel to Arkansas to tour diverse farms

POINT LOOKOUT, MO — College of the Ozarks Grain Crop Production class embarked on a trip to central Arkansas, April 10 ─ 12. The trip served as an opportunity for the students to tour and learn about a diverse array of farms. The 13 students who attended the trip were led by their professor, Tammy Holder, general farm manager.

On Wednesday, the students visited a pecan farm, fishery, University of Arkansas extension research station, and fruit and vegetable farm. Thursday, they toured a blackberry farm, two beef farms, another extension research station, and a strawberry, corn, soybean, and rice farm. They finished their trip on Friday at Birdsong Peanuts and a row crop farm owned and operated by one of the student’s grandparents. 

At each farm, the students were led on a tour of the estate to view the practices the farmers use to produce their crop and the equipment used on the operation. The students asked questions about the farms and had the opportunity to taste some of the farms’ products.

“This trip provided me with an outstanding opportunity to diversify my knowledge about the agriculture industry,” said Carissa Jefferson, junior agronomy and agribusiness major. “I saw types of farming that I had never seen before and gleaned information about how different types of farmers work to improve their methods and produce high quality products for the consumers. Furthermore, we got to speak with professionals in the industry who gave us advice about how to build a successful career in the field.”

“Having the opportunity to take students to the field to see what we have been talking about in the classroom is invaluable,” said Holder. “If a person can see it, feel it, smell it, taste it, and touch it, they are more likely to remember it. Having the students interact with producers and researchers in all aspects of grain crop production or agriculture production provides an insight that I cannot give the students in class.”

For additional information, contact Public Relations Director Valorie Coleman at (417) 690-2212.

About College of the Ozarks

College of the Ozarks is a private, Christian, liberal arts college, located in Point Lookout, Missouri, on a 1,000-acre campus. Christian values, hard work, and financial responsibility comprise the fundamental building blocks of the “Hard Work U.” experience. The College earns numerous accolades yearly, including No. 1 Most Innovative School in the Midwest and No. 1 Best Value Regional College in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for 2023-2024 and No. 3 Best Bang for the Buck by Washington Monthly, 2023. To achieve its vision, the College pursues academic, vocational, Christian, patriotic, and cultural goals. These goals are mirrored in School of the Ozarks, a laboratory school that completes the K-college model.

The Keeter Center — the College’s award-winning lodge, restaurant, and conference facility — earns awards consistently, including the TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Award 2023 and the Best of the Best and Readers’ Choice Awards 2023 from ConventionSouth magazine. The Keeter Center features historic lodging, fine dining, and meeting rooms. With more than 350 student workers, it is the largest workstation on campus. Follow College of the Ozarks on Facebook at www.facebook.com/collegeoftheozarks , on Instagram, @collegeoftheozarks, on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/school/college-of-the-ozarks/, or on X,  @CofOHardWorkU.