A delegation of students and faculty from the College of Economics & Management at Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) recently participated in a summer school program at Michigan State University (MSU) from July 17 to 28. Focusing on the "US Agricultural Industry Chain and Market System", the program provided a deep dive into the American agricultural economy to broaden students' international perspectives and enhance their global competence.

During their visit, distinguished professors from MSU's Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics delivered a series of insightful lectures. Professor Holly Wang offered a comparative analysis of agricultural policies and crop distribution between China and the US, while Professor Scott Swinton explored the economic logic behind sustainable production. Professor Jeta Polloshka, leveraging her research, provided a dynamic overview of trends in food marketing and retail.

The program also included several field visits to provide real-world context. For example, students visited the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on July 25 to learn about the role of futures in risk hedging and price discovery.

Visits to Eric Voisinet's Farm and Bumbleberry Farm showcased highly mechanized operations, from autonomous harvesters to precision seeding and advanced blueberry processing. The students observed that both farms, despite their different products, demonstrated the key features of modern agriculture: mechanization, intelligence, and financialization.

The final visit was to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, where senior policy advisor David Oppedahl explained monetary policy transmission mechanisms through the lens of the agricultural credit system.

The trip concluded at the Chicago Fed's Money Museum, where nearly a thousand exhibits showcased the evolution of the US monetary system.