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May 2012 Articles

Spiritual Corner
Notes from Germany
Just Rambling, May 2012
Forage Management Strategies
Agriculture and the EPA Source
Recognizing Stress in Horses
Beef Cattle Management Calendar
Red Ink causes Feedlot Placements to Decline
New sports drink hits market with Covington, LSU AgCenter roots
Wheat harvest looks good, research skewed by unusual weather
Soybean acreage goes up as farmers look for better prices
April 24 Detection of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Changed Cow Slaughter Mix
Louisiana cotton acreage goes down, mirroring nationwide trend
Turkey gnats pose problems for birds
Agricultural land rents increase with commodity prices
Ground Beef Prices
Corn Acreage is Big News in USDA Planting Report
Withdrawal of the Overreaching Child Labor Labor Proposal
AFBF Analysis Sees Soybeans as New Market Driver
New Bill Would Preserve Clean Water Act
AFBF Backs Senate and House Bills Reforming Estate Tax
• Notes from Germany
Seeking Balance
Emergency Chocolate Pie

(25 articles found)

Archives by Months

Notes from Germany

It’s hard to believe that April has come and gone. For months, it seems, I waited for it, for the arrival of spring and for a glimpse of the German countryside in bloom. Now, however, the weather has turned warmer, and the sun has come out in full force. It won’t be long until summer is here, which means I’ll soon be coming home.
My April was extraordinarily busy, as I spent the first two weeks of the month traveling. First, my parents and my two little sisters came to visit me here in Germany. I met them in Munich, where we ate typical German food, toured the city, and visited the World War II-era concentration camp of Dachau. Next, we traveled to Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Mozart, and the location where the famous movie, The Sound of Music, was filmed. Together, we took the Sound of Music bus-tour, which allowed us to see the beautiful Austrian countryside, but we spent some time just walking around the historical city of Salzburg as well. The next stop on our trip was Zermatt, Switzerland, located in the middle of the Alps, and the site of one of the most famous mountains in the world—the Matterhorn. The town was basically a ski-resort for tourists, but the scenery was gorgeous. And, we even climbed the mountain; at 14,690 feet, it is just slightly taller than the highest of the Rockies. Then, after our time in Switzerland, we traveled to Milan, Italy, where we spent one day eating Italian food and exploring Italy’s most prosperous city, before taking a flight back to Germany to spend the rest of our time at my house in the Black Forest. All in all, I believe my family enjoyed their trip; certainly, I loved seeing them again, eating with them, laughing with them. I have probably never wanted to be back home as much as I did after spending a week with them, but I still had some more traveling to do.
During my second week of traveling, I actually went back to Italy, this time to visit an Italian friend of mine for Easter. I had met my friend, Rocco, in 2009 while studying German in Berlin; we had attended the same school together. After we had gotten to know each other, Rocco had invited me to come to Italy to visit him, but in 2009, I had never gotten the chance. This time, though, I was determined to go to Italy and see him again. And so, right after my family flew home, I caught a flight back to Milan, and then took a train to the small village of Moneglia. Moneglia lies directly on the coast of Liguria, one of Italy’s 20 regions. Liguria possesses perhaps the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen—on one side, the mountains, green and forested, with craggy cliffs and boulders sprinkled throughout the woods; and on the other, the Mediterranean Sea, the sun’s rays shining down and reflecting off the blue surface of the deep, the water reaching out for the horizon, water without end. The Easter dinner with Rocco’s family also did not disappoint. I was there with Rocco, his mother, and two pairs of aunts and uncles, and together, we had real Italian lasagna, cooked goat meat, potatoes and asparagus, and a couple of different cakes from the Ligurian region. Needless to say, the food was excellent, and Rocco’s family did the utmost to welcome me. Most of them could not speak much English, and neither could I speak Italian, and yet we made it work. The next day, Rocco and I traveled farther down the Ligurian coast to a place called Cinque Terre, which means “Five Lands.” Cinque Terre is a set of five villages nestled between the mountains and the coast that are world-famous for their beauty. The hiking trails that connect the villages are favorite tourist attractions, as they meander past cliffs and along the beach, through vineyards and even down the narrow streets of the villages themselves. Rocco and I took the train to the farthest village and then hiked from there back to the village closest to Moneglia, a trek that lasted from about 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Then, after Cinque Terre, I traveled with Rocco to Turin, one of northern Italy’s biggest cities. Here, I toured the famous Turin Cinema Museum, ate more wonderful Italian food and also enjoyed famous Italian gelato ice-cream from Fiorio, Italy’s most famous ice-cream shop, whose clientele once included Mark Twain and John Steinbeck. This was a fitting end to the first part of my trip.
In the second part of my Italian trip, I traveled south by train to Rome. Situated in the middle of the country, Rome is Italy’s capital, and one of the oldest cities in the world. The architecture spans generations and serves as a testament to the city’s nearly 3,000 year history. The first famous monument that I saw in Rome was the Trevi Fountain. At 85 feet tall and 65 feet wide, this massive fountain showcases the grandeur that is Rome. However, there was even more exciting monuments to come. The next that I saw was the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a massive temple with columns in the front and a large open-domed roof; the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. was modeled after it. The Pantheon was built in 126 AD as a temple for the Roman gods, but became a Catholic church sometime in the 7th century after Christianity had taken hold in Rome. Today, like most places in Rome, it is swamped with tourists, but it still maintains its extraordinary beauty. Likewise, the Coliseum and the many Roman ruins that remain standing on the city’s seven hills do not seem too blemished by time, but have instead assumed a quiet dignity that left me awestruck. For hours, I wandered through the Roman gardens, staring at the old marble ruins and thinking about this great civilization that had once ruled the world, only to eventually pass away. It was a life-changing experience, and one I know I will remember for years to come, just as I will remember my ten months in Germany and the traveling I have done in Europe. Cody Bennett

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