Leopold Beucher
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute- East Troy, WILaigne, France
2009 Crop & Soil Research Assistant
Service Civil International – International Voluntary Service USA
How I arrived at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute:
The Institute accepted me in the research program within the framework for an international volunteer service. I arrived 25th September 2008 to the MFAI for 12 months. I come from France and I’m still a student but I’m not here for a scholar reason. I have decided to spend 12 months in Wisconsin for several reasons. The first one is above all to practice English and improve it. I was also interested to discover a new country and the people who live here. But another main reason to spend one year out of the student life is to take the time to think about my future. Because in France some students get in the professional life without to have take the time to wonder if they simply have choose their right career.
I’m doing a volunteer service, this kind of service is open for each person who is under 28 years old and ready to spend several months for either a an environmental, social or cultural cause. This kind of exchange is possible thanks to a collaboration system between two associations, in the volunteer’s country and the host country.
I’m glad to be at MFAI because the mission proposed by the Institute corresponds exactly to my requirements that were to pass at least one year in a foreign country where I could speak English and in an environmental mission.
In France I’m student for my 4th year in Hygiene, Quality, Safety and Environment in the University of Lille. So there are many common points between what I’m doing here and my studies. But this experience at MFAI is an incredible occasion to meet incredible people.
What do I do here in a few words:
My mission takes place in the research service which is managed by Dr. Walter Goldstein. Here we work especially on the corn, the organic corn. During my service period I’m working on the high methionine corn project .This program is developed in order to give a solution for the organic poultry farm which will need in 2010 to find a natural source of methionine instead of giving synthetic methionine to their fowls. To reach this goal we use only traditional technique of inbreeding corn, no genetic modification like for GMO, and the corn is grown in organic condition using biodynamic techniques for treatments.
The work is inside (lab) and outside (field). We spend most of the winter inside to analyze the corn and to survive the Wisconsin winter! To spend a winter in Wisconsin is something unusual for a French like me!
Download Leopold’s presentation.