Paula Ortiz/Provided

From left, Mike Oak '07, Sarah Wells of Ohio State University and Lena Smith '07 repair a fence in Louisiana over winter break as part of the Alpha Zeta Gulf Coast Work Trip.

Four students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in the Cornell chapter of Alpha Zeta helped farmers and ranchers who are still recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Abbeville, La., as part of the Alpha Zeta Gulf Coast Work Trip, Dec. 17-22.

The students, Brittany Mosher '09, Lena Smith '07, Mike Oak '07 and Paula Ortiz '09, who are members of the national, professional honor society for men and women in agriculture, gave up precious time with family and friends just before the holidays to help mend fences, rebuild barns and clear brush and debris. The group also toured a rice mill and crawfish farm during their time off.

The Alpha Zeta Foundation provided transportation for the work trip, though the volunteers paid their own way to St. Louis, where the group gathered and departed. The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation helped offset other costs.