Pella Farm Tour:

A Fall Weekend Trip to Rural Iowa for International Students

Join Us To:

• Get a close look at rural American life
• Tour dairy, hog, sheep, and crop farms
• Spend the night in the home of your host family
• Learn about the historic Dutch community of Pella, Iowa
• Make new friends in the UI international community

Who Is Invited:

Any international student, faculty, or staff at the University of Iowa, as well as their family members or friends.

What We Do:

The trip is held in September or October each fall. We leave Iowa City on a Saturday morning to travel to Pella, Iowa, 90 miles southwest of Iowa City. Pella was founded in 1847 by Dutch Reformed immigrants seeking religious freedom, and it still retains much of its Dutch heritage. After lunch we visit four family farms, meeting the owners and seeing how they operate their farms. Those who wish may even be able to ride the harvesting machines and hold a baby pig! After supper, tour members go home with their host families to spend the night. On Sunday morning they join their host families at a worship service in a local church, then enjoy a traditional “Sunday dinner” together. We arrive back in Iowa City about 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. All transportation and meals are provided for a cost of only $10.

How You Can Get Involved:

Contact Ed Laarman to confirm meeting plans, then come check us out! Ed will send weekly email notices to those who are interested.