The Agricultural and Rural Policy Studies Club at Iowa State University aims to engage students in opportunities to broaden their understanding of agricultural policy and its impacts on everyone.
Club President Emily Meyer, a senior in agricultural and rural policy studies, shared the focus of the club.
“The main goal of the club is to spread the passion of ag policy by informing ISU students about the policy challenges related to agriculture, by promoting and providing events that get members interacting with state and federal elected officials and to provide opportunities that give them experience with ag policy,” Meyer said.
The club offers opportunities for pre-agricultural-law students, which has been beneficial for Meyer and others who plan to attend law school.
Meyer said that she has had internships in agricultural policy that gave her experience and insight into the major and what it entails.
“I’ve gotten some policy experience through connections in our major and through internships here,” Meyer said. “One was on rural legal deserts, which also kind of propelled this interest in law school and rural and agricultural law.”
Vice President of Agricultural and Rural Policy Studies Club Emily Bray is a senior double majoring in agricultural and rural policy studies and public relations. She studies the marketing and public relations aspects of agriculture.
Bray had a policy internship, which showed her the legal side of ag policy and helped her recognize her preference for other domains.
“In the back of my heart, I want to stay in the marketing and public relations of it,” Bray said.
The club takes an annual trip to Iowa’s capital, where they discuss issues with legislators and the governor’s staff. This trip helps members start networking early to build connections at a higher level, shows them how to advocate for agricultural policy and introduces the ins-and-outs.
An important part of the club is bringing in speakers to help students build their network and expand their education on current agricultural policy.
To implement this, the club has hosted a panel with alumni from the agricultural and rural policy studies major.
The alumni discussed their current roles, the various opportunities that the major has given them and the diverse career paths that can be pursued with the major. This gave students a real-life perspective on the potential day-to-day lives that workers in their field have.
Most members of the club are agricultural and rural policy studies majors, but not all. The club is open to all students who have a passion for agricultural policy and its impact on people’s lives.
“ISU is unique in that our major is one of a kind and so is the program,” Meyer said. “It is exciting since it is newer, and it is great to see students’ interests grow and spread the passion of ag policy.”
The club meets Thursdays in 3110 East Hall. For more information, visit their website.
