Our last day in Spain was spent relaxing on the beach and packing things up to go. During this time we were able to reflect on some of the highlights of the trip. 

Some things we saw in Spain were quite comparable to US agriculture while some things were different from typical American agriculture. For example, our group toured a farm that milked around 200 Florida dairy goats and farrowed around 700 Iberian sows. The farm made cheese from the goats milk and sold pork from the pigs. This farm was quite different from American farms as it was very diversified. Our group also had the opportunity to tour a dairy farm. The dairy farm was very similar to dairy farms in the USA. This farm milked around 240 registered black and white Holsteins three times a day in a double 8 herringbone parlor. The farmer utilized sexed semen, genomic testing, and cross-breeding with beef breeds to breed better Holstein cattle as well as to produce better beef calves. 

We also got to tour some amazing places that showcased what the Equine industry is like in Spain. Our first excursion was to the Yeguada De Militar, where the military is working hard to improve the genetics of the Andalusian and Arabian horse. We even got the opportunity to witness a semen collection using a tease mare. That same day we visited a center where they use therapy horses to help kids with disabilities. That excursion was one of our favorites because we got to lead and ride the horses. The coolest part of all is that we got to take part in helping with a real child’s therapy session! Spain is well known for the Andalusian horse, because ever since the Andalusian population fell to drastically low numbers, around 500, the breed has been slowly repopulated. Since the return of the Spanish horse the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art was created. Watching the school preform was another experience that everyone absolutely loved. It just so happened that when we were in Spain the annual horse fair was going on in Jerez! This was a great way to experience true Spanish culture while also learning about the Equine industry. Another favorite was the trip to El Refugio Del Burrito, a donkey sanctuary. At the sanctuary we visited they had about 100 donkeys and 200 more at another site. Learning about their mission was very heartwarming and we all fell in love with the donkeys. If home wasn’t so far away I think many donkeys would have been adopted that day.

Overall these last two weeks have been wonderful and I feel like we will all walk away from this trip with memories to last!

Where do we go from here? Most of the group is taking a plane from Malaga to Madrid, Madrid to Chicago, and Chicago back to Fargo early Monday morning. It’s sad to leave Spain as many of us have fallen in love with this country, but everyone is excited to take home all the new knowledge gained from this study abroad experience!

Not everyone is headed straight home! One group of three is going to Barcelona Spain for a few days. Since the study abroad trip was focused on Andalusia, southern Spain, they wanted to experience northern Spain as well. After that they are headed over to London! They will be having a few more adventures in another country and finally will return back to the States June 8th.One more group of three is going to Munich Germany for 3 days, Salzburg Austria for 2 days, and Venice Italy for 3 days! They will be seeing much more of what Europe has to offer before heading home.