Basil Harvest on Class Fieldtrip

I have enjoyed taking a few horticulture classes alongside my agronomy coursework. In the HORT 318 Production of Horticulture class, I have learned aspects of grape, apple, and specialty crop production. Hort 318 takes a field trip each year to Van Drunen Farms in Momence, Illinois to learn how certain specialty crops go from being alive in the soil to freeze-dried on shelves at the grocery. Van Drunen Farms produces basil, green onions, chives, parsley, and many other herbs. During our field trip, we had the opportunity to stand on the back of a customized basil harvester. The aroma of the basil being harvested smelled amazing. I had never considered that there was basil production so close to Indiana before taking this class. This field trip opened my eyes to the role commodity crops can play in crop production in the midwest.