From Washington, DC; Monday, March 11, 2013
Written by Daniel Carmichael, Eric Smalley, & Ryan Murphy
Department of Energy
Our Monday morning started with a brief meeting in the hotel lobby for a DC Metro 1-0-1. After a few minor hiccups (including a couple of colleagues who didn’t quite make the first train), we all finally made it to the Department of Energy (DOE) with a few minutes to spare. At the DOE we took a deep dive into some of the ongoing energy projects that the US is currently involved with. A few of the topics included: DOE Overview, Natural Gas, Solar, Future Gen, Wind, and Bioenergy. The group really enjoyed all of the information that the speakers presented, especially the exciting energy work that is going on in the state of Illinois. A few of us may now even consider adding solar panels to our homes!
Farm Credit Administration
After grabbing a quick bite to eat in the DOE cafeteria, we hit the Metro again for our trip out to Farm Credit Administration (FCA) in McLean, VA. At FCA we heard from a wide variety of speakers. Some of the topics presented during this afternoon included a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security and an overview of the FBI’s support to the Food and Agriculture Sector. We definitely had our eyes opened a little wider during these presentations, and learned a lot of valuable information on what we can do to help grow and protect the agriculture industry. The afternoon was capped off with a presentation on the role of FCA from Board Member Lee Strom (IALP ’88) and Mike Stokke, the Director of Congressional and Public Affairs. It was very exciting to hear from Lee and Mike and to see what the benefits can possibly be from being a part of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program. Lee reinforced what we heard from Gary last night on how the IALP is a “life-changing” program and can result in numerous future opportunities.
Once finished at FCA, we made our way to the Metro again for a trip to Capitol Hill for an evening reception. What a way to end our first day in DC… it was the first time to the Hill for many of us, so we thoroughly enjoyed our evening there and look forward to getting back there on Thursday.
IALP Class of 2014 caps the first day of the National Travel Seminar with a reception at the House Committee on Agriculture.
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