Clearwater Student Travels To Taiwan In Ag Youth Exchange

A Clearwater-Orchard senior packed his bags and headed halfway across the globe last week.

Sean Krebs, son of Shane and Regina Krebs, was one of three high school delegates selected by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) to represent the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute (NAYI) as part of a long-standing student exchange program.

“This agriculture exchange program is important for Nebraska students and the students from Taiwan,” said NDA Director Greg Ibach. “It creates a first-person opportunity to broaden their world view. They get to experience different types of agriculture, different ag techniques and different cultures, and gain an understanding of how it fits together in a global economy.” 

In July, Krebs was selected to attend the 44th NAYI on UNL's East Campus. NAYI, sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, is the longest-running agricultural youth institute of its kind in the nation.

During the five-day conference, high school juniors and seniors participated in agriculture policy discussions, agricultural career explorations, and group discussions. Motivational speakers, a farm management program, and a media experience helped delegates develop leadership potential, strengthen their pride in Nebraska’s agricultural industry and enable them to help tell the story of agriculture.  

For the past 12 years, as part of this exchange program, three students from an agricultural high school in Taiwan have visited Nebraska to attend the NAYI. In return, NDA chooses three NAYI delegates to travel to Taiwan in the fall. ​

Throughout the trip, Krebs learned about Taiwan’s agricultural industry and the leading role Nebraska has with product exports to the country. 

"We met up with the minister of foreign affairs.  He informed us of Taiwan and China's meeting for the first time in 66 years without ending in an argument. There was a lot of agricultural changes that we talked about while we were over there," Krebs said.

Krebs spent a week with other delegates in the country. While in Taiwan, he stayed at the Taichung school.

His visit included tours of the campus, interaction with Taiwanese students, participation in presentations, visits to local farms and observations of several agricultural research institutes as well as an opportunity to do some sightseeing.  

"We participated in their classes.  It's nothing like in America where we sit in desks and take notes.  Everything is hands-on.  If you are learning about landscaping, you spend three hours a day landscaping," Krebs said. "It's set up as a high school, but it allows you to pick a major and focus on that area throughout high school."

Krebs said he was surprised at the production differences between Nebraska and Taiwan. 

"They are on a lot smaller scale than what we are in Nebraska. Farms around here have about 1000 acres.  Farms in Taiwain are operating on 3.5 to 4 acres," Krebs said.

Taiwanese students were also interested in learning about the production differences.  
 
"The students were interested in the size difference of everything.  They haven't seen the equipment we use on our production scale, like combines and tractors," Krebs said.