Agronomy In Summer

Hi all, my name is Katie and I am from LaPorte, IN. I am a Soil and Water Sciences major in the agronomy department, but I am also an Agricultural Education major. I am a Junior and I know that Purdue was the right choice for me, as I have made new friends and connections for the future.

I did not choose to pursue agronomy until my senior year in high school when finally deciding where I wish to go to school. I decided to study soils because when I was introduced in sophomore year, I fell in love with all there is to learn and appreciate about soil. I grew up in the city and I did not know all of the possibilities that agriculture held for my future. Agronomy has become a love of mine and I hope to continue to learn and appreciate all that we have because of the fields under agronomy.

Over the past couple of summers, I have worked for the Indianan Crop Improvement Association (ICIA). I inspect what was Monsanto and is now Bayer seed corn to help certify their hybrid seed. I walk fields and keep an eye on pollination to make sure that the females are pollinated by the correct males. I have to make sure tassels are pulled so there is not any cross pollination as well as make sure there are no rouges, volunteers, or contamination from surrounding corn. My job in important because I am able to see the day to day changes and make sure that the hybrid is true to the predicted outcome.