Something to celebrate, "The Politics of Sustainable Agriculture," and applications

Hey everyone,
This week has been busy in all my classes, so I didn't get the chance to study as much as I wanted to.  Oh well, it happens.  I did get a chance to have another video conference with Rayne though, and that was helpful as always.

But before I get too far into this post, it's time to tell you that I'm making progress!  Last week I totaled the hours in my study log, and I've officially studied...

100 Hours!

That may sound unimpressive, but it's a big deal for me.  I'm going to celebrate that, and another milestone (my successful campaign against my bad habit of biting my fingernails) by getting a manicure. :)

This week I had the opportunity to attend an interesting lecture by an extension agent with Iowa State University whose name I can't recall (I wish I could!  Ug!)  His lecture was entitled "The Politics of Sustainable Agriculture" and I found it very intriguing.  He spent a lot of time talking about organics, and I didn't necessarily agree with everything he said, but I really liked that he said that sustainable/alternative/diversitfied agriculture and conventional agriculture need to focus on what they have in common, and not the perceived fringe of discontentment.  He also mentioned USDA Secretary Tom Vilsak working with Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan to represent all forms of agriculture.  (For those of you who don't know, Vilsack is really into biotechnology, while Merrigan is all about organics).  It reminded me of this article I saw about the confusion the ag community has over their policies.  Check it out: http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=BA337E32-18FE-70B2-A8813032EC1C4DC6.

I think that Vilsack was smart in appointing Merrigan: the ag community needs to realize that whether they focus on small farms or large, it's all agriculture, and deserves equal representation.

I started looking through my American Degree application this week...that is one complex document.  It had large words that scared me.  I may back down on that until I'm home and can get help from my parents with the intense subjects of pre-exisitng inventory and tax forms.

Have an awesome week everyone!

Rachel
PS- If anybody's reading this...you are welcome to leave comments.  Comments boost my self esteem. :)