About Me : Amanda Pendleton

Hello! My name is Amanda Pendleton! I am from Lafayette, Indiana. Growing up I spent a lot of time going to Purdue basketball and football games, so I am proud to now be a Boilermaker! My dad is a third-generation farmer on our family row crop operation. He is the reason I decided to pursue a degree in agronomy and farm management. During COVID I spent most of my time on the farm and that was when I knew it was what I wanted to do for my career. On campus, I am involved in Ann Tweedale Cooperative, Agronomy Club, College of Agriculture Dean’s Scholars, and Block & Bridle. I also enjoy going to sporting events with my boyfriend and family on campus!
This summer I interned with Beck’s Superior Hybrids in Atlanta, Indiana. I worked in crop research alongside some amazing corn and soybean breeders. The month of May was spent traveling throughout Indiana and surrounding states to plant test plots. This was a great experience because sitting on the back of the planter and actually dumping seed gives you a different perspective. The month of June was spent field scouting and working on crop management practices. There was some grunt work like hoeing the weeds, but it was nice to be out in the field seeing different insects, weeds, and crop diseases. Then in July, I spent most of my time pollinating corn in Beck’s field nursery. This was an experience I enjoyed since I have never pollinated corn before. It was neat to watch the corn progress over the summer since all the plantings were completed on different dates. Pollinating corn can be a very tedious task so I am thankful I had the opportunity to learn about it this summer. This summer I also had an opportunity at Beck’s to job shadow within the company. I observed both their seed production and practical farm research teams. Both seem to be excellent areas to be involved in at Beck’s. Overall my experience was a great stepping stone, and it taught me what I want to do in my future internships.