Agronomy Ambassador Blog

Now that the spring semester of class draws to an end, so does my time here a Purdue University. Looking back across the last four year, the Agronomy Department at Purdue has made a huge impact on my life. From joining Agronomy club as a scared freshman, to becoming the president last year. This department has really helped me open up as a person and these impacts will help me tremendously in my future profession. Looking back at my time at Purdue, I only have one thing that I would change. Get involved with different clubs and organizations as soon as you can. As a scared freshman that didn’t like to be away from home, I didn’t feel as if getting involved would be beneficial to me. Being involved in the Agronomy Club, Agronomy Ambassadors, Crops Judging Team, and being a TA for AGRY 255, I have gained so many new experiences and new friendships that I can carry with as I continue on this journey of life. 

As we approach the end of this semester there are a lot of people that are beginning to set up for the next part of their life. Some are moving on to jobs and their adult lives, while some are still in school but working towards that next chapter. This is like field preparation. You don’t just get to the next chapter, or the next growth cycle of your life without doing some work. It can be hard and daunting to get through this part as well, but when it is done the rewards are set to be reaped. Good luck to all of the graduating seniors with the lives you have in front of you, and for the rest continue pushing for the end of one chapter is where the rewards can be recognized and help to build you for the next go.

This semester feels like it has come and gone in just a few weeks. As a senior, this will be my last ambassador blog before I leave Purdue so thank you for joining me through the blogs over the past year. This past weekend seniors were able to attend Senior Send off which was a great way to connect with professors, other students and get a great meal before the end of the semester- it was a lot of fun! We are about a week out from graduation and I think many seniors are anxiously awaiting walking across the stage for their degrees. If you are an incoming student or still new to Purdue my biggest advice would be to take the opportunities that Purdue gives you and make something of them. Now is the time to Study Abroad, get involved in campus, etc. because 4 years goes by fast. Goodluck!

Summer is a very important time for students in quite a few ways. It is a great time to get a mental reset from the prior school year and set goals for the coming year. Going into my senior year this coming fall, I have the pleasure to figure out what I want to do after graduation, which is obviously a totally stress free process. In all reality, internships are one of the best things I think a student can get in to. I have had multiple opportunities each summer for internships and was able to do things I really enjoyed. However, I would argue that finding what you dislike is just as important as finding what you do like in an internship. Trying something new each summer was a goal I set freshman year and I have stuck to that throughout school. This summer, I’ll be a “Production Agronomy Intern” with Corteva Agriscience and I’m very excited for it. I have not worked for any of the big, corporate companies before and it was something I wanted to do before graduating. After the interactions I had last fall at the career fair, I knew that Corteva was where I wanted to intern. Making connections and asking questions are my 2 main goals at this point in time for this summer, but I think it’s good to add more as time goes on. I will report back in August how my summer went, but good luck to you all this summer on whatever new things you face.

After I graduate in December I plan on going to graduate school. This is something that is definitely talked about a lot as undergrad students in the department of Agronomy. As a plant genetics major, I have gotten a lot of experience in labs and working with graduate students so that I could learn what graduate school would be like. I initially emailed many professors from different universities about a potential research assistantship and am currently talking with two about a master’s program with them. I am excited about the future with either of these labs and definitely recommend thinking about grad school to any other undergrad in the department!

I’ve worked for the Soybean Extension lab under Shaun Casteel for almost 3 years now, and it has been one of the best job experiences I have ever had. While working in the Casteel lab I managed field research plots, handled sample processing, collected data, and drove to different parts of Indiana. My favorite part of working in the lab was getting to meet our visiting scholars, interns, and graduate students from other countries. My first year in the lab there were two visiting scholars from Honduras and Brazil. Getting to learn more about their culture and languages was so interesting to me, especially learning about Portuguese. Since then I have gotten to meet even more people from other countries and broadened my understanding of Latin America’s culture. I definitely recommend Shaun’s lab and getting international experience to any new or current students in Agronomy.

As classes are coming to a close for another semester at Purdue University, I think it is important to reflect on how much we have learned over the course of the semester and see how much we’ve grown. For myself, my time as an undergraduate is coming to an end at Purdue, so I wanted to reflect on my past few years here. When I was in high school, I questioned if I even wanted to go to college, and I didn’t know if it was going to be the right thing for me. It seemed scary to be moving away from home to a place that I hardly knew anyone, and I just didn’t know if I would ever fit in. However, it turns out that I met an amazing amount of new friends that I would say I am closer with than even some of my friends back home. I found people with similar interest as me, and I felt like I connected with these people so well and could talk about almost anything with them. Besides the friends I’ve made the past few years, I have also learned so much valuable information that I will use for the rest of my life at my employment and on the farm. Before I came to college, I knew some basic ideas in agronomy, but there were so many things that I didn’t know why we did certain things. I think I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know until I came through some of the great agronomy classes here at Purdue, and I learned the science about certain things and the thought process behind different decisions. It has really expanded my critical thinking and making sure I look at all the information before jumping to any conclusions. Overall, I believe coming to Purdue University has really helped me grow as a person academically and socially, and I am so grateful I decided to come as I know my time here will greatly benefit myself in the future.

My time at Purdue has gone by so fast, but I wouldn’t trade a single semester for the world. There have been good times and bad times while I have been at Purdue. Looking back now, I think that every single one of those moments have made me stronger academically and personally. I remember being terrified to take organic chemistry, genetics, or senior capstone because everyone always talked about the difficulty of the classes. I can now say that I survived those classes and everything was more than okay. College is not meant to be easy, as it is meant to challenge your thinking to help prepare you for the future. My advice would be to embrace the hard classes and try your best then everything will work out just fine. Lastly, it is okay to come into college not knowing exactly where you want to be career wise. I came to Purdue pursuing a degree in agribusiness but then soon changed my major to Agronomy. I am so glad I decided to make this change because it led me to my internships, friendships, and classes that helped me to prepare for my future. Although I may not be pursuing a career as an agronomist, I am taking everything I learned in my four years back to the family farm. There were things outside of the classroom that I learned at Purdue as well. I learned how to cook, manage my finances, and embrace challenges. Purdue is more than just an academic degree so take every moment as a learning opportunity. If you are a prospective student reading this, choose Purdue. I promise you won’t regret a single moment of your time spent in West Lafayette.

In a few weeks I am starting my Master’s at Purdue working with cover crops and conservation agronomy projects. My main project will be measuring sulphur deficiency in soybeans after cereal rye. I will also be working on measuring soil carbon after various cover crop and oilseed mixes after corn and soybeans. I am excited for the change in pace and opportunity to do research during the summer. I am going to miss seeing my friends in class everyday and living so close to my best friends. However, I am excited to start taking more specialized classes for my career and have a more structured schedule. The last four years have went by fast, but I am excited for new experiences ahead. 

During Spring Break this year I accompanied a group of students to Costa Rica on a Agriculture Study Abroad program. This was my final study abroad trip, so I was super excited to travel to a warmer country and learn about their agricultural practices along the way. My favorite part of the trip was visiting the pineapple farm. I ate so much pineapple that day it was oozing out of my skin. I can confidently say that was the best pineapple I have ever tasted in my entire life. Other than eating fruit I got to also go swimming in a waterfall which was one of the most breath taking things I have ever done. Costa Rica is a beautiful country and I was extremely thankful that was I able to travel there safely, make new friends, and learn along the way. I strongly encourage students to partake in a study abroad program whether or not it is with the College of Agriculture. Each of my study abroad experiences have been amazing, unforgettable, and beneficial to my education and personal growth. 

I attempted learning to drive the semi last time I was home. Based on the title of this article, you can guess how that went. My dad drove a truck for almost 10 years professionally, so after watching him all my life, I thought it was going to be pretty easy to pick up. I was very wrong. Him and I went around the block a few times and I think I only got up to like 35 mph because I couldn’t get it into gear before I had to slow down. It was a very humbling experience and let me know I have a lot to learn. To add insult to injury, my dad reached over with his left foot and left hand from the passenger seat and still was shifting perfectly. I was pretty upset with myself for not being as good as I thought I was going to be and I felt that way for a few days. I know the only way I’ll get better is consistent time and effort. I think if I had ever driven anything at all with a manual transmission it would have been helpful. I plan on getting my CDL in the near future, so hopefully that will help me out a lot.

I’ve talked to a lot of people recently who have had hesitations with getting a job while being a full-time student. Although it can seem intimidating, it is so rewarding and teaches you valuable time management skills that you will need to build before you leave Purdue. I work at a local flower shop anywhere from 20-35 hours a week. Although it gets hard sometimes to manage my time, I have learned so much from my experience. It also helps to have more work experience on your resume before you get out of college. It can help show a future employer that you are responsible and hard working. For anyone considering getting a job, do it! You will thank yourself later!

This year I helped out with spring fest for the first time, and it was so fun! I worked the morning shift, so I helped everyone set up and get ready for the rest of the day. Throughout the morning, I helped make free popcorn for all of the families and students visiting campus for the festival. It was so cool to see kids so interested in agriculture! There were tons of clubs/ organizations set up on campus and it was fun to learn more about other majors and career paths. I would recommend anyone to go to spring fest next year if you have never been. I will definitely be helping again next year because it was such a fun time!

Graduation is right around the corner, and the weather has finally warmed up to match the excitement. These last four years at Purdue University have been a roller coaster of classes, clubs, and unforgettable events. As I get ready to cross the stage, I can’t help but feel grateful for all the experiences and people that made this journey so meaningful. There are definitely things I’ll miss—socializing with fellow students in the agronomy department, representing Purdue as an ambassador, and the atmosphere of basketball games at Mackey Arena. While it’s bittersweet to say goodbye, I’m excited for the next chapter with Keystone Cooperative. No matter where the road leads, I’ll always carry my time at Purdue with pride and appreciation. Boiler up!

It is bound to happen. It is unfortunate, but it is a part of life. You will be at your job someday and asked to do something that you do not want to do, and you will think back to that one class you took in college that you absolutely hated. It may not seem like it now, but believe it or not you will learn something from that class that makes you hate your life three days a week. You may not have learned anything about the course itself, but you will have learned hard work, determination, and perseverance. For me, that class came the final semester of your senior year.  I am here to tell you that you will survive. I can proudly say that I not only made it through the class, but passed. If I can do it, you can do it too! Despite all my complaining, I did learn a few things from the class. Purdue has so many awesome classes and great professors, do not let one class cause you to over think. Think of it as an opportunity to learn how to deal with difficult people or difficult situations, because those skills will be very important in the real world someday. Remember, it is only 16 weeks, and you are strong and capable of difficult things! 

While the crops and soils teams were exploring Texas, four of us went to South Dakota for the Spring SASES conference. There we met students from 12 different Universities, all studying agriculture. Throughout the conference, we toured local agricultural locations, listened to speakers, and did multiple activities. The local agricultural places included a local dairy farm, Poet, Bayer, and Babybel cheese plant. All of these places taught us more about how unique each state’s agriculture is. There were several incredible speakers, but a couple of the highlighted ones would be The Millennial Farmer and the Hefty Brothers. Although all the previous activities were exciting, my favorite part was the activities we did after all the learning was done. SDSU’s club put on various competitions for us, including a dodgeball tournament, Ag Olympics, and University against University tug-a-war. Now, the first two competitions they counted us off, so we did not stay with the people we knew, but that tug-a-war was a different story. Purdue only sent four smaller girls to this conference, where every other school sent closer to 6-15 people, with some big guys. Let’s say we held on longer than I thought we would, but still were eliminated pretty quickly. Spring SASES was incredible, and I cannot wait for Fall SASES.  

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending spring break in Brazil with the College of Agriculture study abroad programs. This trip was epic! The 15 of us spent the week experiencing agriculture with people from the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) and the community. We traveled to three different cities: Ouro Preto, Viçosa, and Rio. All three were full of rich history and people who love what they do. The students of UFV were amazing. They taught us traditional martial arts and dancing, and about their studies in agriculture. They showed us research on cannabis and Macaúba palm, which was interesting. We met coffee farmers who are working to change the game of coffee farming with the regeneration of the land. Coffee in Brazil is grown for the quality, not the quantity of the beans, and so giving back to the land is part of the quality of the bean. The people are what made the trip worth it. From the incredible dairy farmers who taught us how to make cheese to the owners of our hostel, to our tour guides and trip planners, all of these people made the trip incredible. Study abroad teaches you more about yourself than you would ever have guessed, and if you are going to do one thing in your four years here, then study abroad!

As the semester draws to a close and the weather warms up it is easy to want to be outside and not want to go to classes or study. However now is the time to buckle in and get things done. Prepare for all of your finals and finish those last assignments. These last weeks can make or break a great GPA. Finish strong and hang in there. You can do it!

By this point in the semester, most classes are finishing up material and preparing for finals. With this, there are lots of quizzes, assignment, lab reports, everything that can cause students stress. It is very easy to let yourself become stressed and anxious about everything that you have to do to finish the semester. Purdue offers a wide variety of resources to help students work through this time. There is an organization called CAPS, Counseling and Psychological Services. This is a great resource for students who need to talk to someone and help them finish the semester. Another resource would be to talk to your advisor. Talking to your advisor can be very helpful in your college journey. If they know what is going on with your life then they can help prepare you for classes and help you chose the correct classes. College can be stressful, but don’t let that discourage you. There are a lot of people who want to help you and can help you. So finish the semester strong! 

This semester I am taking AGRY 598 which is a class that prepares you to take the Part 107 drone licensing test, and teaches you how to fly a drone. Drones are becoming a huge aspect of agriculture, and the more versatile you are before entering the workforce the better. I chose to take this class because I wanted to get my part 107 license and I wanted to learn how to fly a drone. I felt there was no better opportunity to prepare for the exam other than taking the class. Now that we are close to the end of the semester, I can confidently say that this class has been extremely helpful. The instructors go over every section of the exam and help you to learn the material. We also were able to take a “mock” part 107 exam to see how prepared we are for the exam before actually taking the exam. In the next few weeks will have the opportunity to fly a couple different drones at the agronomy farm close to campus. This class has been such a great opportunity to grow and expand while making myself more versatile before graduating and working. There are so many classes at Purdue that you can take to grow and step out of your comfort zone. Being a senior, I can tell you that these classes present some great take-away that you will keep with you forever.

Thankfully college is very different in structure than high school. If you are having a rough day or don’t feel well, it’s okay to take days off! I know many friends, and even myself, who will choose to stay home and watch lectures and do work online to take a break from all the extra noise that goes in daily life. It’s not great to do this allll the time, but for some people, watching lectures and doing work in their bed allows them to get more work done since they feel like they are in a comfortable environment. I prefer to try and separate my work areas with my relax areas of my apartment so that I don’t bring the stress of school with me wherever I go. 

As we start to approach spring there are a lot of things that are starting to change, not just the weather. There is a fresh breath that is coming through the campus, and it is starting to wake up. There are lots of meetings that are now moving to other places other than just in the classrooms. Different IM sports are just starting to get started and people are just out across campus more often. Lots of people in the ag industry are starting to look forward to the spring planting season and the long hours that are approaching them. So, while we still have a chance to take a break and rest, or get to rest with the upcoming spring break, take those opportunities to rest so nothing in your life is taken for granted even in the busy times. Remember stay involved and take advantage of every opportunity whether in school or life.

Finding a hobby during college is very important to maintaining a good school-life balance. In my time at Purdue, I have discovered a passion that I did not realize I had before. I have found a passion for flowers and design. Purdue has given me opportunities to explore my passions and have found it very beneficial for my network. I highly recommend the floral design class and I even work at a flower shop on the other side of the river. I have been able to sharpen my floral design skills and learn new things. I am very thankful to have a creative outlet to explore outside of school, learning about things outside of a classroom or school setting has been incredibly beneficial to me. I would encourage underclassmen to find something that you enjoy doing and pursue it, even if it is slightly unconventional and takes up some of your study time. Working as a florist outside of school a few hours a week motivates me to get assignments done on time so that I have the ability to spend more time on my passions. Spending all your time on school can be harmful, it is important to take breaks and do something you enjoy so you do not burn out. Always be learning and observing and take time to smell the roses!

As my time at Purdue comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect on the many good memories I have had. I am beyond thankful for the relationships I have built with my fellow students, professors, and staff, and the many lessons that they have taught me. First, I am going to miss the many hours spent in the crops resource center between classes and before meetings. The funny conversations had and the countless hours are things that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I will miss Dr. Schweitzer coming in everyday offering coffee, muffins, and candy bars, and Jane offering a hug when you finally pass the class you have had to retake three times. I will miss being Sherry’s valentine every year and her continual guidance and support in every aspect of our lives. I will miss giving Corey and Jeff a hard time during crops judging meetings on Monday nights. I will miss agronomy club meetings, SASES trips, crazy quotes put into group chats, Harrys, the student section, and much more. All of the little things from day to day life here at Purdue have truly brought me so much joy. Even in the midst of difficult classes and stressful due dates, I am glad to have come to Purdue and be in the agronomy department. I truly believe that it is the best department in the whole world. Though I look forward to the future and having a college degree, I can’t help but feel sentimental about leaving Purdue. Purdue has shaped me in ways beyond what I could have ever imagined and I am thankful to be leaving as a completely different person than who I came here as. 

Being in college, is like swimming in a swimming pool. For example, when you go swimming one item you typically bring is goggles and when you are in freshman taking general chemistry you will need a pair of goggles. On a deeper level, throughout the semester you can experience the shallow end, and breeze through class material while other times you can potentially be drowning in content. College is also a perfect opportunity for you to “freestyle” through life and find your own way. Another similarity is needing floaties to relax when times get difficult, your community and friends are like your floaties in college. While swimming it is important to hold your breath, in college we typically get stressed and hold our breath but, as a student who has lived through it I recommend taking a relaxing breath when needed. It is important to take a deep breath and catch the breeze every once and a while. Enjoy your time, enjoy the classes, and most importantly enjoy the relationships that you make along the way.  Swim at your own risk.   

As the weather warms up, I think everyone becomes a little less concerned about school. At any level of school, it seems to be a universal feeling. Here in West Lafayette, I think there is an extra sense of happiness because people can feel that the cold, windy days are running out. For me, playing basketball is one of my biggest hobbies and with nice weather, it can be tempting to go play for hours with my friends. As a basketball fan, I’m also tempted to watch as much college basketball as I can this time of year. It is important, however, to stick to a schedule. A schedule doesn’t need to be followed exactly as planned, but having a designated time to get certain tasks or assignments done is very beneficial. In my experience, keeping a schedule can help to actually make assignments shorter due to having a concentrated time to get things done. I took a few semesters to begin keeping a schedule for myself, and I have definitely benefited from doing so. Going forward, I’ll continue keeping as much as I can scheduled or planned. Of course things come up, but when most things are planned, the things that come up randomly do not derail your progress near as much as if there was no existing schedule. 

As a second semester sophomore, I am beginning to really dive into my major-specific courses. I still have a few general credits to complete, but five of my six classes this semester pertain to soils and the environment. One thing I’ve noticed with this change is just how much course content overlaps. It isn’t to the point that I am overwhelmed by the same information five different times, but instead I feel like my knowledge is becoming much more cemented and rounded out. A good example is atmospheric lapse rate. The way we talk about this topic in my dynamic earth class is very different from the way we discuss it in hydrology. It is a much more conceptual approach in hydrology, which helps us understand precipitation processes, while it is more quantitative in dynamic earth where we use it for our atmospheric computer models. Both ways of looking at it add to my understanding. I really enjoy seeing the connections from different scientific approaches and look forward to this continuing through the next two years. 

One of my past work experiences included working with dynamic crop models in Dr. Buckmaster’s lab. These models are basically computer simulations that can predict certain situations in crop growth. Things like differential equations and coding are used to create the foundation of the model, with further calibration and analysis done to verify that it works. I’m currently taking an AGRY 598 course that teaches the students how to build a model and use existing ones to answer research questions in Agronomy. It’s been really interesting to see how these models can be used to run a study without even growing crops out in a field!

I started working for the Purdue Soybean Extension Lab in November of 2022. Since then, I’ve processed leaf and grain samples with grinding and NIR testing. I worked as a full-time employee the summer of 2023, managing field research trials in different parts of Indiana. My favorite thing about being apart of the lab though was getting to work with people from different parts of the world. My first month I met two visiting scholars from Brazil and Ecuador, then the following summer I got to meet to new workers from Brazil and Honduras, who became some of my best friends. Learning about Portuguese and Spanish was really interesting, and helped me begin my journey of learning a new language. I would definitely recommend this experience!

One of my favorite classes at Purdue this semester is crop physiology. Although this class is a tad bit difficult, I love that we get the chance to look at crops on a cellular level, learning how the crops actually function. So far, we’ve learned things like photosynthesis, photorespiration and dark/light reactions among other things. We look at many studies and graphs of different trials that have been done that relate the the class content. Furthermore, the content has also been a great way to challenge myself as we look at many different crops (sunflowers, alfalfa, sorghum, etc.) making the class relevant to much more than just corn and soybean crops. I feel that this class is a great class to take my last semester at Purdue. If given the opportunity, I highly recommend future students to take this class with Dr. Volenec!

With Spring and warmer weather right around the corner, it’s a good idea to get outside and enjoy some fresh air. I figured I would offer some of my favorite hikes or walks for you to enjoy as well. I love to walk around campus as well as off campus. My favorite thing to do is walk around later in the afternoon after the hustle and bustle of class has kind of dispersed and explore new buildings or classrooms that I have never been in before. Just this past semester I discovered the underground tunnels that lead from PMU to Krannert. I also love to get off campus and walk some of the parks or nature reserves. My favorite is the Celery Bog in the spring when trees and flowers are blooming. It is breathtaking at times and really allows you to fill your lungs and brains with fresh air.

A fun thing that you can get involved with during your time at Purdue is the Crops Judging Team. This team competes once a year at the NACTA competition, completing 4 different exams including a math practical, a lab practical, an agronomy exam and an ID portion. These competitions take place at various colleges across the United States, for example last year was in Idaho and this year is in Texas. This class can help to broaden your knowledge on a variety of topics within the agronomic profession, while also helping you in your future career with plant/weed ID.

I had the opportunity a little over a week ago to attend the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky. At the show, people are able to see some of the latest and newest technology in the agricultural world. The show is a great way to connect with new companies and people and see what they have to offer to benefit farmers and others in the agricultural industry. One thing I enjoy about the show is that you can ask professionals in industry any questions all in one place because sometimes it is hard to know what is best for your needs or operation. I think the show is a great opportunity for anyone to attend and learn about agriculture whether they are from a farm or not.

I’ve been in Indiana consistently for over 1.5 years now. This is my second winter here, and as someone from West Michigan I see a lot of differences. First of all it’s way more windy in Indiana which makes it feel colder. I don’t enjoy this especially when I have to walk to class. Secondly, there is way less snow. I live only 20 minutes from Lake Michigan so I am used to a lot of snow. A common misconception is that it is always snowy in Michigan during the winter but it’s not (unless you go up north). It’s only really snowy when we get snowstorms which on average is maybe 3-6 times a year. There has never been hardly any snow at Purdue which is fine because I don’t like how wet it makes the discovery lot when it melts. I didn’t think moving three hours south I would see a huge difference in snow driving but I was wrong. We get 1 inch of snow here and people drive like it’s an ice storm. One thing I miss about the snow though is that it’s so pretty when it’s all on the pine trees and there are big snowflakes falling. I also miss snowmobiling which you can’t do in Indiana hardly ever. Overall I would like Indiana weather more if it wasn’t so windy or if they would cancel class.

I had the opportunity to attend the Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA) conference in Palm Springs, CA at the beginning of January. I had many networking opportunities and made valuable connections. It was cool to experience the independent seed industry side of agriculture.  I went to several learning sessions and here are a few points I thought were interesting: The biofuel market has huge potential for US soybeans: there have been more pushes to move to biofuels (which are made out of oils) and regulation has forced the US to buy used canola and soybean oils from other countries when we are the second largest soybean producer. Although the speaker’s point was we need to use our own soybeans to make biofuels, I didn’t completely agree because even though we produce a lot of soybeans, it’s not like we aren’t using them, they are mostly going to soybean meal. Revcell technology: This is a liquid applicant you spray on your soybeans at a certain growth stage that temporarily damages them but the regrowth adds 30% yield to the soybeans. Still a new product but all the research shows it works In the next 1-2 years there will probably be a drought as bad as the dust bowl: The climatologist who made this talk spent an hour going over overwhelming evidence from lunar cycles to ocean temperatures to planet alignments that all point to this. He said it is more likely to occur in 2026 or 2027 than later. I am interested to see if his predictions are right or not.  Overall I am very grateful to have been able to attend the conference. A big shoutout to IPSA for paying for me to attend and stay at the resort in Palm Springs (basically a free vacation). I learned a lot and made good connections. I am interested to see if what they predicted for the future actually happens. 

I came to college from a college-preparatory high school and one of the most important things I learned was how to take good, well-rounded notes. I’ve met a lot of people during my time at college who struggle taking notes in class because it is so overwhelming trying to get down everything on the board before the professor changes the slide. When I take notes, I don’t worry so much about the information on the board, but what the professor talks about ‘off-script’. This is where you’ll get the most understanding and information. You can always look back at lectures and readings, but getting the rambles and tangents written down is where the wealth of knowledge is! I also find that handwriting my notes helps me to remember the information better than when I type. A highlighter is an important tool you will need to highlight key terms and big ideas. Happy notetaking!

When walking to class this morning, I began to think about how these bitterly cold days affect soil in agricultural fields. During my research I found that the freeze-thaw that the soil has been experiencing recently can actually help break up shallow compaction in soils. I also found that the dryer the soil when it freezes, the deeper the freeze will travel into the ground, potentially causing issues with soil health. Although a stretch of cold days can seem bad for the soil, it actually has some great benefits such as slowing both the process of denitrification and the breakdown of organic matter. It also helps to rid of any soil-borne pathogens by freezing them while they are in their over-wintering stages. If you are worried about your soil health in the winter, cover crops are a great option to limit both wind erosion and add nutrients into the soil after a growing season. 

The Horticulture 435 course has lectures online each week and one in-person lab. I enjoy this format because I can complete the lecture modules at my own pace throughout the week. The course is based on creating a business plan and navigating the framework, legal documents, and finances of starting your own business. My group is creating business plan for a cut-flower business that one of my group members plans to start after graduation. This course emphasizes the importance of supporting local and finding niche markets as an entrepreneur. 

One of the best parts of attending a large university is the wide range of classes that are offered. There are so many classes that students do not know about, and I always suggest to students to find other classes that are outside their realm of expertise. This semester, I am taking a class called EAPS 106, Geosciences in the Cinema. I do not know anything about natural disasters and this class will not help me in my track to be a plant geneticist. But, this class has been so interesting and the professor is one of the kindest that I have ever met. Another class that I absolutely loved was Weed Science. I was able to learn a lot about weed science at a high level, which was so exciting after learning some of the basics at my internship over the summer. Overall, taking a new class can help you learn more about what you want to do, or just meet fun people that you might not have ever met! 

As an agronomy student, there are loads of internship opportunities that you can apply for and choose from. During my sophomore year, I really was not sure what kind of internship I was going to have. I decided to apply for a bunch of different ones and see what happened. I heard back from a few different companies, but the one that I was not expecting was a field biology internship with BASF. I knew that this was going to be an internship that was focused on field trials and weed science. The only thing I knew about herbicides was that Round-up and Liberty worked so well and should always be used. So going into this interview was terrifying. I felt so unprepared and I had a day to learn all about BASF and weed science. But this turned out to be the best interview that I have ever had. The people were so personable, and I immediately connected with them. Later that day, I was offered the internship. Talk about a confidence boost! I took the weekend to think about it, and I knew I had to accept. This meant that I was going to have to move to Seymour, Illinois, where I did not known anyone, did not know much about weed science, and felt completely under qualified. But I chose to take it and it ended up being one of the greatest experiences that I have had in college this far. Moving away from home was scary, but it helped me figure out that I love weed science and helped me find out more about myself. I also made some great friends that will last a lifetime and I am forever grateful for that. So, if you receive an offer for an internship and you don’t know if you should do it, go for it! You never know what you might learn! 

For most students, the career fair can be a daunting experience. Especially when you’re a freshman. But most of us are required to go for a class or we have to have an internship for the summer or maybe you’re a senior and you need to find a job. The career fair is a great opportunity for students here in the college of ag because it can help you receive internships that will help you determine what you want to do in the future or find out what you don’t want to do! Purdue offers multiple resources to help students with their career fair experience. There are interview workshops, places you can go that will give you dress clothes, and even resume building workshops. The College of Ag has a fall and spring career fair so there are multiple opportunities to go and talk to people. When talking to freshman, most of them are nervous to go to the career fair. But with the help of these resources, you can have the confidence to go talk to some of these businesses that seem intimidating. Because of the career fair, I have been able to receive internships for all three summers of my undergrad. I started as a field scout at Co-Alliance, then was a field biology researcher at BASF focusing on weed science, and this next summer I will be a plant breeding intern at Corteva. All of these experiences have helped me gain experience to help me thrive in my future as well as given me friendships that will last forever. So, even if you’re nervous, just go and talk to someone at the career fair and see what happens! 

When choosing a college, think about what environment will help you thrive academically, socially, and personally. Consider factors beyond rankings, such as class sizes, professor accessibility, research or internship opportunities, and student organizations that align with your interests. If possible, visit campuses, sit in on classes, and talk to current students to get an authentic feel for daily life. Financial considerations are crucial as well—compare tuition, scholarships, and financial aid packages, and think about the long-term impact of student loans. Look into career services, alumni networks, and job placement rates to ensure the school will support your future goals. Most importantly, choose a college where you feel challenged yet supported, and remember that your experience is shaped by your involvement, mindset, and willingness to embrace new opportunities.

This semester has been one for the books so far. Between thrilling basketball games and new classes, everything has been one thing after another. Sometimes it is good to take a moment and reflect on our days. Some days can be so chaotic and challenging that we forget to enjoy the crazy things in life. So, this week take a moment to take a breather and think about everything in your life whether that be that you are so darn tired of the cold, the epic Camden Heide dunk, or a funny moment with your friend. Just take a moment today or tomorrow to appreciate a few things in this crazy life.

Throughout my many years at Purdue I have taken mainly only the required classes for my major, concentration, and minor. Even though I have enjoyed many of those classes that pertain directly to my major, one piece of advice that I received from past students was to try and take a “fun” class. Whether this class is in a different branch of your department or another department. This semester I am taking a fun intro level Agriculture Systems Management class. It is nice and refreshing to learn about different aspects of agriculture. For incoming students I strongly suggest trying to fit a fun or different class in your busy schedule. Purdue has a variety of fun classes that can keep you engaged and help you build friendships with students outside of your own department. Trying new and different things during your life is important and college is the perfect time to explore. While at Purdue take time to learn and have fun with your classes, and your educational journey is in your hands.   

The spring semester have always felt long for me. They are not bad, but they are not broken up as much as what the fall semester feels like. I have learned though that being involved in clubs and other activities can help pass the time. Also making sure to stay up to date on homework and note taking because it is harder to get out of a hole when there is not much motivation to be outside. So, in all I would just say keep on top of work, keep good friends around you, and stay involved makes for a good recipe to make it through and have a good, fun spring semester.

The start of my semester has been packed full of class assignments, fun activities, work, and plenty of other things to keep me busy. I have been energized by being back on campus, and thrilled to reconnect with my friends. But there is one sad thought that has been on my mind. For the first time in my life, I don’t know when I will go home next. I am an out of state student, and Purdue is about a ten hour drive from where I grew up. For the past year and a half I have gone home for almost every break, but things are beginning to change. This spring break I will be going on an outing club trip, this summer I will be working in another state without time to visit home, and we even already have family travel plans for next winter. I am thrilled by my new opportunities, but I am experiencing a large sense of loss as well. There’s something about not knowing the next time I’ll be in my old room, drive through our little town, or see my dog, that makes it really obvious that I have grown up. For any out of state students who are nervous to make the jump, it is still one of the best decisions I have ever made. Being away from home has pushed me to grow in ways I couldn’t have imagined, and is preparing me for the realities of life – when I will truly be out on my own. I cope with my sadness by trying to stay in close touch with my friends from home, calling my mom, dad, and sister frequently, and cultivating strong relationships at school. I am so grateful to say that I have found multiple groups of people who feel like a second family, and provide the support that I miss from home here at Purdue. 

Looking back on the past four years of my academic journey, one thing that was consistently emphasized was the importance of internships. Professors and faculty members would always ask, “Do you have an internship?” or “What are you doing this summer?” It was a question I was asked every semester during my time at Purdue. Freshman year feels like a lifetime ago, but I vividly remember my first internship at Beck’s Hybrids as a PFR intern. At the time, I wasn’t sure about research, but that experience helped me identify where my interests truly lay. After that, I interned at Advanced Agrilytics as a field scout, where I interacted with farmers daily. While I learned a lot, there was still something missing. It was through that internship that I realized what I didn’t want to pursue long-term. My final internships took me all the way to Oklahoma and Texas, where I worked as a sales intern for WinField United. That experience ultimately led me to where I am today, on the cusp of graduation and ready to launch my career in the agriculture industry. Reflecting on these experiences, I realize how crucial internships have been in shaping my path and helping me discover my true passions. I’m excited to take the next step in my career and apply everything I’ve learned.

As I sit here today I embark on the final pass on my undergraduate degree.  It feels weird to say it but  I am officially almost done and I do not know whether to be happy or sad.  What I can say is that I have enjoyed my time in Purdue Agronomy and am glad I made the choice to pursue the degree.  The friendships I have made, the lessons I have learned and the growth and development achieved has been monumental. To you all, I have a few pieces of advice.  One: Make the most of your time at Purdue.  Do not be afraid to get out of your comfort zone.  Take a chance and make good decisions.  Two: Take any opportunity as it comes.  Do not say no unless you have to.  Many of the best memories and experiences came from times that I may not have been sure about the opportunity but, I took it anyway.  Three and finally: Try your best at everything you do.  Whether it be a simple assignment or your final project in your capstone classes.  Always do your best.

As the last semester of my college career is finally in full swing, getting involved in different areas of campus life has really benefited me as a person throughout my four years. From joining Agronomy Club and serving a year as president, to agronomy ambassadors and being able to talk to perspective students and lastly working in the Soil Resource Center where I get to help students learn about the functions of the soil around us.  With all of this being said, the one regret that I have is not getting involved with these things sooner in college. It has helped me to gain connections that I will have for the rest of my life. 

As I finally get a chance to sit down and reflect on my last fall semester, I am left with feelings of happiness and maybe a bit of longing for Purdue. Though the road to being a senior was a long and windy one, I feel that every moment whether good or bad has made me who I am today and led me to great opportunities. At the beginning of the fall semester I was not sure of what I wanted to do in my time after I graduated and it seemed as if though I did not have many options. However, I persevered and continued to work at finding a job. I can say without a doubt that here at the start of the spring semester the situation had taken a complete turn and I had many more opportunities than I would have ever expected just months ago. Long story short, if things do not seem to be working out, rely on your support system and keep working hard and eventually things will turn out better than you could have ever have expected. Through my time here at Purdue I am thrilled to say that my work ethic has been tested and improved. I was always told by many people “you get out what you put in”. I took this quote to heart here at Purdue and made the most of it. I encourage all of you to do the same in your time at Purdue.

I had the opportunity last night to attend the College of Agriculture Scholarship Dinner held in the Purdue Memorial Union. At this event, I was able to meet with some of my scholarship donors, so I was able to personally thank them for their generous donation and kindness as it means a lot for me to have less of a financial burden and focus more on my coursework. In addition to telling them about myself and my future goals, I was also able to learn about who they were and what they have accomplished throughout their careers. In all, I really enjoyed this event as I was able to truly make some good connections with folks that have made a big contribution in my college career, so I can be more successful here at Purdue University and beyond as well.

As we are starting the Spring semester of 2025 I have come into a new role within the Agronomy Club. This year I have the opportunity to lead Agronomy Club as club president. I am so excited to take on this opportunity, but I am also a little scared. I have held the Soils Invitational Chair position for the past two years, but this is definitely a new road. This year I hope to accomplish a couple of things while in this position. I hope to bring the club closer together as a whole and plan new and fun things for us to partake in. Agronomy Club is the one organization that I feel at home and at true peace when I go to meetings. It is a great opportunity to meet other undergrads and grad students that are involved in Agronomy as well as other people from other majors and departments. We also have the opportunity to build our leadership skills and meet professionals from the agriculture industry. I have loved every part of it and it has become my family.

We have just begun our last semester as seniors here at Purdue University. With basketball season and classes in full swing as campus comes alive with spring weather approaching, but that thought of my last semester draping over my excitement like darkness the end becoming inevitable.  However, being that only week three has passed there will be much to look forward to in the coming weeks. Some of those events being March Madness Boiler Up!!, Spring Fest, Career Fair, and so many more events happening around campus! I will be enjoying my last semester while here at Purdue because every second leads to closer and closer till that day when I am no longer a student but a graduate of Purdue University.

Recently, I accepted an offer to work in Dr. Ma’s lab in the Agronomy Department. I am extremely excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to learn from the knowledgeable people I’ll be working with. This experience will allow me to further develop my research skills while gaining deeper insights into plant genetics and breeding. Working in Dr. Ma’s lab presents an incredible chance to contribute to ongoing agronomic research and apply my academic knowledge to real-world challenges.

We are now a few weeks into the new spring semester for 2025, and it is important to have proper planning and routines set in place to be successful for this semester. As some classes have already given out quizzes, many students like myself may wonder if we have a good study and work session in place or if changes may need to occur to be the most successful. Although that first quiz may not have gone so well, it gives us an idea on what we can change before something much more serious and impactful occurs like an exam. It is important to get a system that works in place sooner rather than later because it is much easier to keep a good grade than trying to dig out of a hole later on that could have been avoided. I believe with proper planning and implementing a helpful study routine we can all be successful in our classes this spring semester.

This past summer I was able to take on a corn breeding internship in Marshalltown, IA with Beck’s Hybrids. My major is PGBB and so I wanted experience working with a pollination crew during the summertime. While in Iowa I helped with seed inventory, leading a pollination crew, and running my own intern project. During pollination we cover the silk shoots with bags to protect the silk from stray pollen, and when the time is right, we would pollinate the covered silk with pollen collected in a bag from it’s respective tassel. I taught this procedure to around 25 high school students, leading them throughout July and part of August. The other part of my internship, the intern project, included me taking photos and notes of Beck’s inbred lineup, working with the data to create inbred report sheets for Beck’s employees to use for reference. This overall was an amazing opportunity to see breeding research being done on the corporate side while within a family-oriented business that puts it’s employees needs first. I would definitely recommend this internship to anyone interested.

I always look forward to spring semester for new classes and a change of pace. My favorite class this semester is HORT 435 Developing an Agriculture Startup with Dr. Ariana Torres. This class uses an entrepreneurial approach to business management that can be applied to horticultural businesses. I am excited to this courses because it teaches in depth how to create a business plan, obtain funding, marketing aspects, and the economics behind a startup. Projects in this class can include creating a cut flower business, custom hay operation, or even an app that benefits producers. 

2025 has officially began and with that comes the start of spring semester on campus. This semester I am taking the Crop Physiology class and Soils and Land Use. Both of these classes are offered through the Agronomy department. One of my favorite things about the department is how diverse the coursework can be. We have classes on soils, crops, hydrology, climate, and so much more to offer. I love the we have the opportunity to prepare ourselves for a career by diversifying our understanding of the industry and seeing Agronomy from many different viewpoints.

It’s okay to not know how a semester is going to go. It can be daunting seeing your official schedule for the semester, but it’s not permanent! If you think it’s too much for you (or too little) or just not the right fit, you can change your classes in the first few weeks of school. It’s important to know that changing classes can set you back, but a few days of work pales in comparison to having a whole rocky semester! 

It’s so awesome when you get the chance to make new friends who are interested in the same subject that you are! I can’t stress enough about how important it is to stay in contact with those friends after you leave school, whether it’s through snapchat or instagram, or even just email. Following your friend’s career progress can not only educate you to what’s out there, but could possibly open new opportunities for you too! 

As the semester comes to a close and I no longer need to worry about finals, I am reminded that I have a lot to be thankful for. Here is just a few things: Being able to attend Purdue: no explanation needed. I am so blessed to attend a school like Purdue. Having a job lined up for this summer: I am very fortunate to have an internship lined up that is exactly what I need – in the location I want to work out of in the future, only five minutes from my house, something that will help me get ready for a career in sales agronomy, and a place that wants me to return the following year for a full time position. Not only that, but I recently realized that my managers are just as excited for me to work there as I am. I am so incredibly thankful for that; because how many other people get an opportunity like this? It truly is a special opportunity. My friends: both at school and at home, my friends have made life so much more enjoyable. I am so blessed to have people that make going to school each day something I can look forward to. My family: They support me through everything, and I can be my truest self when I am around them. It is hard for me to not be able to see them very often, so I am looking forward to spending four weeks with them over Christmas break. Health and safety throughout the semester: If you know me, I’m not one to think about safety very often. However, I think we take for granted safety, because you never know what day could be your last. And on a more smaller scale, I am thankful for no major injuries or sickness this semester.  Opportunities Purdue has provided me: I chose Purdue because of the opportunities, but I never knew what that would look like. This semester, I got to go to Texas for the national SASES meeting and meet other agronomy students from around the country. I am now the vice president of agronomy club, and I can’t wait to see what that position has in store for me. I became a manager for the Purdue swim team, and that has taught me a lot about leadership and stepping out of my comfort zone, while getting to be part of a D1 team of the sport I love. I got paid to drive grain cart all fall, something I would do for free. I have made new friends, and became closer to the ones I already had. And now I’m halfway through my undergraduate career.  Thankfulness isn’t just for Thanksgiving. I try to not take for granted how blessed I am with all these opportunities that God has given me. I encourage you to take a minute and think of all the things you are thankful for!  

Throughout my time at Purdue, I have had both heavy and light course loads. As someone who moderately enjoys school, I can stay organized and perform well in each class. The agronomy major is filled with a variety of classes that range from genetics and commodity trading. I enjoyed taking a wide spectrum of classes because it has helped me understand more about each avenue in agriculture. However, my first two years I was enrolled in many credits and through that experience I was able to find my limit and stay below it throughout my remaining semesters. Managing your classes and being an advocate for your work load is a piece of advice at I strongly recommend for anyone coming to college. I am looking forward to my last semester’s schedule becasue I am able to take some fun classes and hopefully, I will have a lighter work load. I am grateful for the opportunity to have taken many classes and I have learned a lot along the way.  

As the fall 2024 semester is coming to a close, so is my time as president of the Agronomy Club. Becoming the president was probably one of the scariest and most beneficial things that I have done during my time in college. Not only did it help me become more organized as a person, but it helped to grow my leadership ability that I can build on later in life. It also helped me to get over being shy, as I had to stand up once a week in front of my peers and run a meeting. After serving as president, if you are thinking of joining Agronomy Club in the future, I highly recommend it. This club has helped build many friendships that I will have for years to come.

Normally the end of fall finals week has a good feeling. Finish the semester, enjoy the break, and then back to school in January. However, this week is looking a bit different. After the exams are done, my time at school will be done. Although I do not have a job lined up yet, I look forward to what the future holds for me. After my 3.5 years though, I do have some important advice to help life in college. First off, I  would highly recommend getting involved early. That is the best way to meet new people and get introduced to the college environment. Next, don’t expect things to be the same as high school. I did this and it did not work in my favor. College requires a different thinking and more studying. Learning this early helps for the rest of the time. My final advice is to make the most of your time in college. It goes by quicker than you would ever imagine. Make the most of your time while you have and you will love college. And with that being said, thank you Purdue and the Agronomy Department for an amazing 3.5 years. 

It is the 11th of December as I’m writing this and at about 9:06 am this morning, I finished my last final. Finals can be a very stressful time in the semester, especially in the fall semester because everyone is sick, it’s cold, and all your friends are heading home 1 by 1. If my memory serves me right, January 13th will be our first day back to campus which means I, along with many others, get 4 full weeks of break. This large break is very tempting to use as a time to do very little and just spend time at home. While I do think it’s a great idea to spend time at home with your family, it is important to stay busy.  There is a lot of opportunity to accomplish things over break. We farrow show pigs on our farm and winter break is prime time to be around to help and learn the process of raising healthy litters of pigs. Dad and I hunt coyotes with thermals and recently we’ve encouraged my brother to join us, so hopefully we can beat last years number of 65 coyotes before season is over. Winter break is very helpful at bettering our odds of accomplishing that goal. I enjoy building things so I usually give myself a project to make over break. I think this year I’d like to build a cart of some sort to make vaccinating piglets easier. Instead of grabbing pigs one by one, I’m thinking a whole litter could go in the cart and then after they get their shot, they can just be placed back in the pen. These are just a few things I will be doing that aren’t school related. There are 2 big things that are important for Purdue students to do over winter break. The first one is filling out scholarship applications. Sure, you won’t win them all, but you won’t win anything if you don’t apply. The second thing I’ll be doing over winter break, is probably just as important as the scholarships. It’s watching the 8-2 Boilers play basketball of course! If you’re interested, which I’m sure you are, I’ll list below the games over winter break. The times will be in Eastern Standard. December 14th vs Texas A&M 12:00 PM  December 21st @ Auburn 4:30 PM December 29th vs Toledo 6:00 PM January 2nd @ Minnesota 9:00 PM January 5th vs Northwestern 2:00 PM January 9th @ Rutgers 6:00 PM January 12th vs Nebraska 12:00 PM I hope you all have a great winter break. Enjoy the holidays and time with your families. Be sure to watch some basketball.   

For many people looking in the winter months might not seem like a big deal for farmers, but there is still a lot of work to be done. For people just raising grain you have equipment to be maintained, seed to be ordered, chemical programs to be designed, grain to be hauled, and even potentially tillage to be done. If you have livestock the winter can be even worse and more demanding from you. You have to ensure the safety of your hard work, and this can be worse than normal. In the Midwest we are not a stranger to cold temperatures so lots of precautions have to be taken such as keeping waterers working and fresh bedding in the pens. Feed rations have to be changed, and the hope is that your work the rest of the year carries you through the winter. Also, most livestock have their young in the winter months. So, when you are going into this cozy season of sitting by the fire eating soup, don’t forget to think of our farmers as there is still a lot of work to be done.

Hello again. This summer I had the opportunity to work with Advanced Agrilytics as a Field Specialist Intern in Southeast Indiana. For this internship I scouted lots of acres, but instead of just scouting and looking at every little part of the field you focus more on the environments in the field. One large lesson this summer was what it was like to look at a field to the sub-acre and focus on the different environments within the field such as dry acres to water saturated acres. We made observations on how the crop was coming up, populations, and disease and damage in the fields all summer. Our goal was to ensure that the programs that we were employing were working for the farmer in the way that we intended them. I really enjoyed getting to work with the crew of Advanced Agrilytics and the farmers. They taught me a lot on things to recognize, how plants respond to different things in the field and how we can better maximize the farm ground we have to raise more crop each year. 

This semester has been an incredible journey of learning and trying new experiences. Through courses like AGRY 105 and AGRY 255, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of agronomy, which has only fueled my passion for learning even more. This summer, I’m thrilled to take the next step in my journey by joining Beck’s Hybrids in Nebraska as a Corn Breeding Intern. I can’t wait to apply everything I’ve learned over the past two years and collaborate with industry professionals to grow my knowledge and skills further.

This semester seems to have flown by! Although it has been a quick semester, campus has still been full of life. I spent a weekend painting pottery with friends, attended several basketball games in Mackey, spent countless hours preparing for class presentations, and most recently watched the Memorial Union Christmas tree arrive on at Purdue! Especially with Christmas so close, decorations have been put up around campus allowing us to have a little Christmas Cheer before we head home for the holiday. With the close proximity of Chicago to campus, next weekend my roommates and I will be traveling to spend one last weekend together to enjoy all of the Christmas lights that Chicago has to offer. We are extremely close to Christmas break with only 1 week before I head home. It’s bittersweet as this will officially be my last “month long” Christmas vacation. After 3 presentations in the last few weeks I think we are definitely deserving of a Christmas break, but I am still extremely excited to head back to campus for one last semester in the Spring.

I have worked in research labs under faculty for five semesters at Purdue. This semester, I work in Shalamar Armstrong’s Soil Ecosystem Nutrient Dynamic (SEND) lab located on the third floor of Lilly. I grind plant samples and measure samples to be analyzed for nutrient content each week. My favorite tasks is diluting solutions to run through a SEAL machine for phosphorous and nitrate content analysis. Joining a lab is a great opportunity to connect with graduate students and gain experience in field and lab settings. 

We are approaching the end of the fall semester with Thanksgiving around the corner. This semester has flown by as class work left an lasting impact on my academic career. Now having only one semester left leading closer to graduation day,  where I will walk across that stage thinking about all of the memories being left behind.  There are some memories which I would like to reminisce about. Some of those memories being my first day freshman year feeling so small compared to the overwhelming campus around me. Another memory being the first ever football and basketball game. These memories are now apart of the past, but many more memories will be made through other seasons of my life. 

The growing season of 2024 was very different, going from too much rain in early summer to almost nothing though our months of August and September. Not only did this wild weather pose challenges in our soybean fields, but also in our sweet corn acreage. Starting with our sweet corn acreage, we had struggles of the crop reaching the harvest stage in a good timeline. This led to the struggle of not always having sweet corn on our different stands throughout the months of July and August. Even with the struggles I faced this year, I was still able to produce a great crop in which we gained many complements on. Turning to our soybean crops, the drastic change from flooded fields to super dry ground posed a thought of what’s our yield even going to look like. With the lack of rain through early October, we were able to get in and out of fields very quickly. After this very dry harvest, and many precautions taken to ensure there would be no combine fires, harvest 2024 has officially done for us. 

ENTM 410 is an elective course offered to Agronomy students. I am currently taking this course to fulfill an agronomy selective this semester. This course provides a great introduction to integrated pest management which involves pest/damage identification, threshold development, control tactics and economic evaluation. It provides a background into the historical origins of pest management, the scientific principles, and applied insect ecology that underlie the theory. This class also focuses on examples across a variety of currently relevant systems. Overall, this class provides a great introduction into many of the relevant topics that agronomy students will encounter in the real world.  

This semester I had the opportunity to attend my first SASES conference meeting in San Antonio Texas. If you don’t know what SASES is, it stands for Students in Agronomy, Soils, and Environmental Sciences. At this conference I was able to attend business meetings, compete in contests, and explore the state of Texas. We were given the opportunity to tour some of the wonders Texas had to offer including a lavender farm, a pecan farm, a cave, and the botanical gardens. I learned a lot from all of them and it was an amazing experience through them all. I then had the opportunity to compete in the Pedology contest, which is basically just a soils contest, that tested me over soil names, textures, structures, and other processes that occur from Texas soils. After that contest, I presented a poster in the Internship Poster contest. I wrote about my experiences that occurred through the 2024 summer at Precision Planting where I was a soil science intern. I then presented the poster to groups of people walking through the expo center. Overall, the 2024 fall SASES meeting was a blast. I got to meet new people, hangout with familiar friends and got to explore Texas. Great experience for the Fall 2024 semester!

Second semester of senior year is near, and I cannot believe how quick my time at Purdue has gone. It seems like not too long ago I was navigating chemistry and calculus with all my friends in the dorms, and now I am presenting my senior capstone projects. Throughout my time at Purdue there have been both good times and bad, but truly every experience I am grateful for. There were so many uncertainties my freshman year with the end of the pandemic, what major was right for me, and where I was going to be able to get an internship. Let me be the first to tell you that all the things you worry about freshman year have a way of working out and being more than okay. Senior year me would tell my freshman self to not sweat the little things and enjoy every moment as it presents itself. I am now looking forward to starting my full-time position selling crop insurance and returning to the family farm with all the agronomic knowledge I have gained from Purdue. Each and every class I have taken has taught me something whether I thought it did or did not at the time. To anyone who may be reading this before their time at Purdue, or even while they are at Purdue, enjoy each and every moment while your short time at school last. College can be challenging and stressful but I believe all my experience at Purdue has helped guide me along the path of life whether it was friendships or career choices. Purdue is such a special place to be and your degree from the College of Agriculture will open so many doors for you in the near future. Your freshman year self will be so proud of your senior self for all you accomplish in your time at Purdue.

Choosing a major at Purdue can be a difficult task. When I came into my freshman year I was majoring in Agribusiness, but then changed to Agronomy in the spring. Purdue offers so many majors and career paths that the decision is overwhelming. Why choose Agronomy? This is a major that I feel provides you with a diverse education. In my time at Purdue, I have taken communication courses, entomology courses, and even personal finance courses along with the core agronomy courses. Agronomy incorporates the science and math courses along with some of the key agriculture economics courses. The department of Agronomy is small, but a great group of staff and professors seeking your best interest as a student. Being able to take classes in weed management, genetics, and even statistics may feel like intimidating courses but in reality they will truly help you in your career. You may be wondering how choosing agronomy as my major has helped me. I have become a more diversified and knowledgeable on the leading topics of production agriculture and agronomic management of farms. The agronomy department has truly helped me to grow through my education and my future career. When making the tough decision of choosing a major, choose agronomy! You are guaranteed a well-rounded education with the support of great professors at a leading land grant university.

Hello everyone! Over this past summer, I had the opportunity to intern with Laughery Valley Ag in southeast Indiana. During this internship, I was able to do a wide variety of different tasks including working with farmers to help make better management decisions. This may involve scouting some of their fields and determining if the field may need replanted or if a certain pest may need to be controlled in the field. In addition, the farmer may have a situation where they need advice on a certain fertilizer blend to use on a field or what herbicides can and cannot be sprayed on that particular field. Besides helping farmers with management decisions, I would also help load out customers with different chemicals, liquid and dry fertilizers, and seed for their needs. During the latter part of my internship, I assisted one of our applicators that sprayed fungicide on corn and soybeans with a spray drone. Holding around 10.5 gallons, this spray drone could cover roughly 5 acres, so I would refill the tank and change the battery every time the drone came back in for another load. Overall, I had a great experience with Laughery Valley Ag this summer whether it be giving advice to farmers, helping supply them with products they need, or assisting in the application of certain pesticides as well.

Time at school always seems to fly by. I think the weather has thrown me off this fall, blinding me to the fact that it’s the middle of November with weather in the 60s and 70s recently. Now that we enter the last few weeks of the fall semester, it is important to stay disciplined to your school work. As a very big basketball fan, I want to go to every game I can. Being at games in Mackey Arena is something I hope everyone experiences at least once in their time here at Purdue, preferably once per week. Last year, I didn’t miss any home games and was lucky enough to go to Detroit for the Elite 8 and then to Phoenix for the Final Four. I intend to also attend all the home games this year, but in order to be able to go, I of course need to stay on top of my school work.  When the weather gets cold, things can be inconvenient. Personally, I am a fan of cold weather, but there are things that I don’t like. Walking to class on icy mornings, getting sick, and having to scrape off my windshield are not things I would consider enjoyable. I know walking to class in the dark when you could be sleeping is no fun and when you see your classes are half empty, it can be tempting to skip, but it is worth going. The day you skip could be the day that your professor gives out extra credit. Consistent discipline is hard, especially when you see others choosing the easy option to skip class or an assignment, but you’ll feel a great sense of achievement if you stick to it. Now is the time in the semester to really lock in and finish strong, but don’t overwhelm yourself with school, reward yourself when you can with a break. I’d recommend going to a basketball game. A night off of school is great, but you need to earn it by working hard during the day. Something that I have begun to do in my time here at Purdue is trying to get my work done before sunset. Studying, homework, group projects with teammates that don’t contribute, it’s not all fun, but you owe it to yourself to do your best. The last round of midterms are here and of course finals will be coming up soon, so don’t let off the gas quite yet. Keep up the good work and good luck on your exams! And get to Mackey soon.   

Recently a group of us from the Agronomy Club traveled to San Antonio Texas for the National SASES meeting. This meeting takes place at the same time as the Tri-societies conference takes place. The Tri-societies is a professional organization that includes soils, crops, and environmental science. SASES is just the undergrad version of this. There is also a graduate student version of this conference that also takes place at the same time, and we get to interact with. At this conference we attended business meetings, went on tours on the agricultural places in San Antonio, and competed in contests. This conference gives us the chance to interact with students and professionals from around the country. I just finished my term as the National Recording Officer and am starting my term as the National Vice President. As an officer I assist in the process of planning and running the national meeting. I plan a tour for the undergrads to take so they can experience some sort of agriculture in the area we are in. This year my tour went to a Lavander farm, pecan farm, the Natural Caverns, and the San Antonio botanical gardens. While in San Antonio we also got to eat at couple of local places and tour the Alamo. All in all, we had a great experience at this year’s SASES conference, and I highly encourage anyone thinking about attending to do so!

Being a part of the Purdue Soils Judging Team has been one of my favorite activities that I have done during my time at Purdue. I have been on the team for the past 3.5 years and have competed in different contests in multiple areas across the state. This semester our team traveled to Carbondale, IL for the Region 3 contest. This contest allows for the regional schools to compete against each other for a spot in the national contest in the spring against all of the top schools in the national for collegiate soil judging. The Purdue Team placed second at regionals so we will be competing in Steven’s Point, Wisconsin in the spring at nationals. Each of the students put an immense amount of time and effort into practicing for these contests and it is nice to see it pay off in the form of a slot to attend nationals. I strongly encourage others to be a part of a judging team because it teaches students how to apply what they are learning in the classroom to realistic scenarios and with a sense of competition.

Over fall break I traveled with the soils judging team to Carbondale, Illinois for the regional contest! Soils judging has become one of my favorite activities in college, but I had no idea what it was before meeting with my agronomy advisor for the first time. She recommended it to me, and I signed up thinking I’d just give it a try. I have learned more than I thought possible over the last year and grown to completely love it.  During contests, the team travels as a group and stays in a hotel near the university that’s hosting. We have a couple of days where we judge practice pits, and then one day for the individual competition, and another for the group competition. In between all of the judging we have a team dinner, a geology talk with a professor from the university, and time to hang out and explore the area.  The coolest thing about traveling with the team is seeing soils that have characteristics different from the ones that we see in Indiana. The most unique aspect of Illinoian soils were properties of fragipans, a feature that most members of the team hadn’t seen before. My favorite part about going to a contest or even just practice is the discussion about a profile – there are so many different ways that people interpret the same pit. I love that there isn’t always a right answer and that there’s always something more to learn or discuss on the topic. 

During my time, I have taken a few challenging classes. This is actually something I would recommend to students. Often, difficult classes can end up being some of the best classes information-wise. They can be the ones you learn the most from. Although it does take more time and dedication to these classes, to keep up and succeed, you need to work a bit harder, make sure you understand the material and ask for help if you need it. However, the reward and feeling of passing and succeeding in these difficult classes cannot be beaten at the end of the class.

This past summer was spent out in the field with Advanced Agrilytics. I really enjoyed scouting this summer. If you ask many colleagues in agronomy, everyone of them would say that every aspiring agronomist has put their “time in” being a field scout. Thinking back to this summer being a field scout for Advanced Agrilytics, scouting took on a whole different meaning. Instead of walking the entire field, the goal was to be able to make inferences about other areas based on similar environments. Doing this, allowed me to learn more. By making these inferences it pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to grow. As this semester goes on and you are searching for your first, next or last internship, are you thinking about which opportunity will help you to grow and learn?

Job searching can be quite daunting, especially when you begin the search. Here are some tips that I have found to be helpful during my search for a job.  I would recommend starting the job search early on in the semester or perhaps even the semester before. Finding the right job can take some time.  Using a job platform such as Glassdoor or Indeed can help you narrow down your job search and keep track of the jobs you have applied to through the website. These platforms allow you to specify location, salary, and remote/on-site location. Don’t get discouraged if it takes a while to hear back from a company! Most companies have many applicants to sift through and it may take them a while before they’re able to look over your application. 

Hello everyone! My name is Logan Grieger and I am a junior here at Purdue University, studying Agronomy with a concentration in Crop and Soil Management. Along with my major, I am pursuing a minor in both Farm Management and Agricultural Systems Management. I come from a long line of farmers near Valparaiso, Indiana, but I am the first in my family to attend college to further my education on agriculture. My family’s farm grows corn and soybeans and we also raise show pigs. As much as I love running different equipment and raising healthy pigs, I have always been more drawn to the agronomic aspect of our farm. My overall admiration for agriculture was going to lead me here to Purdue regardless, but agronomy was just where I felt comfortable. The Agronomy Department was also on the smaller side, which I liked a lot since I came from a smaller school and the idea of being on a campus with more than 40,000 students scared me to death. As mentioned, I’m a junior and I’ve had plenty of time to settle in on campus. I no longer go home every single weekend like I did in my earlier semesters. I enjoy being on campus with people I’ve met here at school. Plus, I don’t spend nearly as much money on gas so that’s a bonus. I still enjoy basketball and farming more than mostly anything else. Some other hobbies of mine would be hunting, cooking, and just overall getting outside. After having already spent half of my time here as a student at Purdue University, I wanted to become an ambassador for the department that I have been fortunate enough to experience every day. I am super excited for the future of the Agronomy Department, and if you are someone interested in agronomy, I hope to see you soon.     

Hello all! My name is Jonathan Starke and I am a junior in Agronomy with a concentration in Crop and Soil Management. I grew up on a family farm in Rush County Indiana and still call this home. Growing up around the farm did not always mean that I wanted to be a part of it. Around middle school is when I decided that agriculture was a part of who I am and decided to become more involved in these endeavors. I started here at Purdue in FYE, First Year Engineering, and was trying to figure out how I would keep the farm a part of me. I decided that the School of Engineering was not the place for me and quickly fell into the family known as the Agronomy Department. Along with being an Agronomy Ambassador I am involved here at Purdue with the Agronomy Club. At home I am involved in the local volunteer fire department, along with helping with 4-H, Fair board, and still try to occasionally help with FFA when I can. I enjoy photography and videography. I enjoy playing game from cards to sports to video games. I also enjoy reading from time to time and overall getting to know people. I hope to get to know some of you who are interested in Agronomy, and hope to just outreach for this wonderful department that has taken me in and given me a home here at Purdue.

Hey everyone! My name is Shelby Gillis and I am a junior majoring in Plant Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology. I grew up on a corn and soybean farm in a small town north of Muncie, IN called Eaton. Growing up on a farm, I have always had a passion for agriculture. I knew I wanted to be involved in it in some way and so Purdue was a simple decision! I started at Purdue as a pre-vet major and quickly discovered that that was not my passion. My older brother told me about the major Plant Genetics, Breeding, and Biotechnology in the agronomy department and I was sold!  Apart from Agronomy Ambassadors, I am also an ambassador for the college of agriculture, and I am in Delight Ministries. I also work in Dr Cankui Zhang’s research lab working with quinoa doing transformations and working with tissue culture. When I am not working with or studying plants, I love to work with pigs, read, and bake. I cannot wait to connect with new students and promote the department of agronomy! 

This past summer I chose to take a more unconventional route and intern for my dad on my family farm. Since I was old enough to work, I have had summer jobs, meaning I’ve never been around on the farm in the spring/ summer. I figured I needed to get that real world experience to help me better understand how my farm works. I did everything from planting, side dressing, and laying down pipe for irrigation. It was very rewarding to see the progress of the crops that I planted. It was tough at first with the very wet and rainy spring we had, I got pretty frustrated at times, but it taught me patience like no other. I loved my experience and would recommend this to anyone who lives on a farm and hasn’t gotten to experience much outside of harvest. 

As we recently had the career fair and many people are busy applying for internships, I thought it would be a good idea to share about my internship this past summer. This past summer I interned with Beck’s Hybrids as a PFR intern. PFR is Practical Farm Research. PFR is just what it sounds like, a program that researches practical farming practices. This can range from tillage, to different spray techniques, to new technologies in agriculture. At the end of the year, Beck’s publishes a book with all the research data and gives it out to their customers to help make them better farmers. Some of my duties as a PFR intern included putting up field signs, aiding in research tasks by preforming things such as root digs and nodule counts, scouting the research plots, and overall plot maintenance. The interns also got to do some of their own research projects. I researched tissue test time of day to see the difference in nutrient levels, and another project on different urea coatings and how they broke down over time in no till and conventional tilled fields. One of the best things about the internship was that Beck’s provided housing for free to the interns who needed it. Since I am from Michigan, there was no Beck’s location near me so I interned at their main location in Atlanta, IN. I lived in a house with two other interns. The house was fully furnished with everything we needed, and only two miles from work! Us interns did a lot of things together; we had lots of campfires and cookouts together over the summer. Overall, I’m so glad I decided to do this internship. I learned a ton about research and seed corn production, all of which I think will be beneficial for my future. However, working in research made me realize I don’t want to do that full time. I like going out and meeting with farmers better. I think this shows that you don’t always have to love every aspect of your internship, learning what you don’t want to do is just as beneficial as learning about something you do want to do.

I always look forward to stopping by the Purdue Farmers Market on Thursdays. The Farmers Market is from 11-3pm on Thursdays from May 2 through October 31 on Memorial Mall. Stopping by to check out vendors is a great study break I look forward to each week. The Farmers Market has fresh baked items, clothing, and produce. My favorite thing from the farmers market is sourdough bread. The farmers market is a great way to be social while supporting local businesses. 

There is no doubt that here at Purdue, the opportunities to be involved are nearly endless, being in the student section for football and basketball, clubs, ambassador programs, ministries, jobs, and volunteering are just a few. I am so thankful for Purdue because of all of the things being a student has allowed me to be a part of. Though our football team sucks right now, there is nothing quite like being in the student section at a Big Ten game, I think we are all excited for basketball season. The memories I have made at games have been some of my favorite memories from all of college. If you get the opportunity to go to games, go, it will build stronger friendships, the homework can be done before or after. Next, I have spent a large amount of my extracurricular time being involved in the college of agriculture with agronomy club, the crops judging team, working in the crops resource center, and agronomy ambassadors. I have loved being involved in the college of ag, it has provided me with so many opportunities, it has strengthened my resume, and I have met some of my best friends along the way. If you are on the fence about getting involved and spending your free time (that we seem to get so little of), it is absolutely worth it. Lastly, one thing that has been unique to me throughout college is that I have worked off campus at several places throughout my time at Purdue. I have worked jobs that I may not have ever done if I wasn’t in college or even post-grad. Getting involved outside of college is a great way to learn more and build your network in a unique way. I have worked in a boutique shop and I currently work at a flower shop. It has been great to learn about business from entrepreneurs and learn more about an area that I am passionate about but am not studying. Overall, there are so many combinations of ways to get plugged into the Purdue community as well as the communities around us, I hope everyone takes the opportunity to do something fun and challenging in their time here!

Here we are, already halfway through the semester, it is crazy how fast it has gone by. As a senior, I cannot help but be sentimental about getting ready for my last semester of college. It feels like yesterday that I was a freshman walking around campus thinking about how much time I have left. Now, I stand almost at the finish line, looking back on my college career. This semester I am taking weed science, entomology, senior capstone, senior seminar, and entrepreneurship 480. I have learned a lot in my classes. We have been learning weed identification in weed science and we have our plant collections due in a few weeks, it has been a fun class so far and I am looking forward to the rest of the semester. I spent the last two weeks in entomology dissecting grasshopper digestive and reproductive tracts, I enjoy the hands-on approach of that class. In senior capstone, seminar, and my entrepreneurship classes, we are amid project due dates. There are lots of group projects happening, it has been great to hear other students’ perspectives and collaborate with them. Working with other people is a great way to practice working with others in our future jobs that are not too far away. Overall, it has been an exciting semester so far, and there is lots to look forward before Christmas!

Hello everyone! My name is Jason Emsweller, and I am a new Agronomy Ambassador for the 2024-2025 school year. I am a senior in Agronomy with a concentration in Crop and Soil Management, and I also have a minor in Farm Management. I am from Batesville, Indiana which is in the southeastern part of the state. My family has a row crop operation where we raise corn, soybeans, winter wheat, and hay. I’ve always enjoyed agriculture ever since I was little kid. I would play with my farm toys in my room, and I would ride along with dad and uncle in the tractor during different field operations during the year. As I grew older, I was apart of 4-H and eventually FFA which sparked my interest even more and ultimately led my decision to come here to Purdue. I am fairly active here at Purdue with things such as Agronomy Club as I am treasurer of the club, and I am also a teaching assistant for AGRY 105 crop production. Besides these activities, I am also a part of the crops judging team where I actually competed in Twins Falls, Idaho earlier this year at the NACTA (North American College and Teachers of Agriculture) contest which involved identifying different plant and seed species, taking an agronomy exam, solving different mathematical problems, and a lab portion with a wide variety of agronomy related questions. If you can’t find me around the halls on Lilly, you may find me back home in the fields baling some hay or hauling grain from the field on the family farm. 

My name is Corban Warren and I am a 3rd year undergraduate in Plant Genetics, Breeding, and Biotechnology with a minor in Data Driven Agriculture. My career focus is the applications of computer science and bioinformatics in the field of plant genetics. While at Purdue I have worked for Dr. Buckmaster in the Open Ag Technology Center and for Dr. Casteel in soybean agronomy research.  Originally I am from the northwest region of Missouri, growing up on a small row crop farm. I started having an interest in plants in high school, which helped make my decision to come here to Purdue. One of my favorite things while being here is the opportunities I have had to work with international scholars in my department. I hope to continue to meet new people and learn as much as possible about other cultures and languages! Boiler Up!

Hello everyone! My name is Ahren and I’m a sophomore in Plant Genetics, Breeding, and Biotechnology. I am from Annapolis, Maryland and during my free time I enjoy weightlifting, origami, juggling, and listening to music. I am passionate about learning and trying new things. This year I am an RA in the glorious Owen Hall and help mentor 50 freshmen on their journey through their first years. During my first year and a half at Purdue I have enjoyed taking unique classes, meeting new people, and learning about agriculture.   

Hello! My name is Kaia Wright and I am so excited to be a new agronomy ambassador. I’m a sophomore majoring in soil and water sciences and I’m from Fairfax, Virginia. I grew up in the suburbs of DC, but had a peek at the world of agriculture as I grew up visiting my grandparents’ cattle ranch in Utah. I ventured out to the midwest to attend Purdue because of the fantastic soils program, and am so happy with my decision.  My on-campus involvement includes being a member of the soils judging team and agronomy club, and working in the soils resource center. I am also a member of Shoemaker Cooperative and the Outing club. I love to keep busy, running, reading, and hiking in my free time. I can’t wait to meet and welcome prospective agronomy students! 

Throughout my prior internships, I have done many different jobs and had many different roles. But there is one thing I have found that helps exceed at all of them. This would be to get involved and challenge yourself. This has been the most beneficial teaching and learning experience. While it does take a boss and coworkers who are willing to let you try, I highly recommend finding a way to be able to do it. In the past, I can remember internships where I was just told what to do every day, and I never got anything out of it. However, my most recent one with Bayer Crop Science allowed me to excel. It allowed me to lead and experiment with my ideas be the first to try. And if I did not succeed, then I had support to fall back on. Getting involved and making the plans rather than just following them significantly helped me learn.

Hello All! If you’re interested in agronomy, crop, or plant research, I highly encourage joining a lab. If the word “lab” seems scary or sounds like a painful 3 hour class to you, don’t worry! Joining a lab means that you are associated with a Professor and the graduate and undergraduates that work for them. This means that you get to work on the project’s that that Professor has going on. Often times, you won’t have much one-on-one time with them as an undergrad, but the graduate students work as a good go between. Labs give you experience in all aspects of research, including breeding, harvesting, taking notes on traits, working in a lab setting, and working with potential future collogues. Saying that you are apart of a lab has weight to it, in both your career and future education. 

One of the classes that I would recommend taking at Purdue is AGEC 321, Principles of Commodity Marketing. Before taking this class, I had limited knowledge of commodity marketing. This class has taught me how to understand why futures contracts and commodity futures exchanges exist as well as how to market grain and livestock effectively. One of the parts of the class that I have enjoyed the most has been participating in the challenge simulator on the CME group website. 

Hello! My name is Kyra Kiel. I am a new ambassador this year for the Agronomy department. Since this is new for me, I thought I would put together a little get to know me blog. First things first, I am a Junior here in the Agronomy department with a minor in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. I am from a small town in Northeastern Indiana called Warren. Its only bout 45 minutes south of Fort Wayne. I grew up in a rural community, not necessarily on a farm though. I did show pigs and goats in 4-H for ten years and did FFA in high school for four years. In FFA I was involved in LDE speeches, and CDEs such as parliamentary procedure, livestock judging, and soil judging, which ultimately made me want to go into Agronomy. I love soil, so much so that many of my friends in the agronomy department call me “The Dirt Nerd”. I loved soil judging in high school and I continue the passion here at Purdue as I am on the collegiate soil judging team. I ultimately want to become a soil scientist after I graduate. For right now though I am working through all of my classes, working in the soil resource center as an undergraduate tutor, working as a security guard for some of the on-campus housing, being in Sigma Alpha and holding the Social Events Director position, being in Agronomy Club and holding the Soils chair invitational position, and on top of everything, being an Agronomy Ambassador! 

Hi everyone! My name is Allaina Beaupre, and I am a new Agronomy Ambassador for the 2024-2025 school year! I am a junior in agronomy crop and soil sciences with a minor in agribusiness. I am from a very small town called Papineau in Illinois. I got my love for agriculture growing up on my family’s row crop farm. I first started working on the farm in fall of 2019 running the combine. This past summer I had the opportunity to ‘intern’ for my dad and be a part of planting, side dressing and spraying. This really helped me get deeper insight into what goes on during the spring/summer since I have always had a different summer job. This spring was especially challenging due to all the rain we were getting. At one point I had just finished planting a 250-acre field and that same night we got 3 inches of rain. It really taught me a lot about patience and made me realize that agriculture is truly so dependent on outside factors that you cannot control.  I hope everyone has a great semester!

My last internship ever of my time as a Boilermaker was spent in the Sooner State or Oklahoma. I was a sales intern with WinField United and my territory included the Texas panhandle, all of Oklahoma, and even some of Southern Kansas. Agriculture out West becomes very diverse in terms of crops which are produced. Those crops include peanuts, cotton, peppers, and even some potatoes. Throughout my summer,  I was able to learn all about these various crops ultimately expanding my horizon among the crops in which I am familiar with. With this being said I would highly recommend having an internship somewhere other than the Midwest. Boiler Up!!

With the start of the school year, everyone has to step back into the roles of students. This can be a challenge especially when we are coming off such an amazing summer. We all must find our groove again to ensure that all the exams, assignments, projects, and personal life are well balanced. This can be overwhelming at times. Ensuring that all assignments, exams, and personal life are all written down in a place that is frequently checked or sends you notifications will help get all of the work completed. Not leaving assignments till the last minute also assists in keeping the stress level low. These are just a couple of suggestions to ensure that the semester starts strong and that you will begin to make good habits. 

Hands-on work experience is important, that is why I chose to work for Keystone Cooperative for the past five summers. Throughout this experience I have been able to independently spray fields for growers, scout fields in North Central Indiana, and even read and edit scouting reports. During my time working at a cooperative, I have enjoyed completing tasks for the benefit of the grower and so I can learn how to grow as a professional in the agriculture industry. One of the components that I enjoy is being able to take the concepts and the facts learned in the classroom and apply it to a job that I will continue in the future. Since I have worked there for a long period of time, I have built a lasting relationship with the company, specifically in the area that I plan to move to after graduating in May. I am looking forward to working full time for Keystone in May as a Custom Applicator and expand on my agronomic knowledge within an industry setting. 

Hi everyone! My name is Maddie Brink and I am one of your new agronomy ambassadors! Here is a little about me: I am from a small town just south of Holland, MI. Although I didn’t actually grow up on a farm, I grew up around agriculture my whole life. My family owns a trucking business that specializes in agricultural commodities. My mom is an agronomist who has a private practice where she primarily helps farmers put together manure and fertilizer plans for their fields. I learned to love agriculture, and from a young age I knew I would someday work in it myself. When I chose Purdue for agronomy, I surprised a lot of people by not going to Michigan State. My family has a long line of Michigan State graduates, but after I have spent a year here, I know Purdue was the right university for me. Here on campus I am very involved. Along with being an ambassador, I am the crops manager for Agronomy club. I also am part of the crops judging team which is one of my favorite things I do. This semester I became a manager for the men’s swim team here at Purdue. Although it’s a big time commitment, I am really enjoying it. On top of all of that, I also have a job at a local farm where I help with harvest in the fall. Outside of school, I like to spend my time with my family and friends. My family loves to go camping and boating. I love to see new places and I’ve been to almost every state. I live an incredibly blessed life and every day at Purdue I am reminded of that. I am looking forward to the rest of this semester and being an agronomy ambassador! Boiler up!

Being a new agronomy ambassador, I thought it would be fitting to introduce myself. My name is Camden Calloway and I am a senior this year. My major is Agronomy with a focus in crop and soil management. I have been in the agronomy department for three years now and enjoyed every moment. I grew up in Tipton, Indiana which is about an hour southeast of campus. I did not grow up on a traditional row-crop farm and instead found a passion for forage production. Not being from a traditional row-crop farm did not hinder my agronomy knowledge but instead gave me different insights. I am excited to be an agronomy ambassador and hope to share my experiences and insights throughout this year. As one chapter in my life ends and another begins I hope to share those things with all of you so that you also my learn from my experiences. I hope everyone is having a great semester!

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.   

This past summer was the last summer I will ever have as a student. I took full advantage of my last summer as a student, but I also prioritized my future. This summer I decided to return to the family farm instead of taking an internship, like I have done the past two summers before. Back at the family farm allowed me to be hands-on and work on my own family’s acres. I took what I had learned in my previous internships and implemented it on the farm. This summer, my roles were to scout the fields weekly, help with shop projects, and work in the garden. In the summer we have a garden that is 2.5 acres, so it keeps us very busy but is very rewarding. I enjoyed my summer learning in the field while scouting our acres, but I also took time to enjoy hobbies that make me happy. Another opportunity I took this summer was to get my crop insurance license. I took a week-long class to prepare for the state exam and then passed the state exam. Taking that opportunity this summer will help set me up for success once I graduate in May as I plan to go back to the family farm and work for my dad’s crop insurance business. I would tell a student who is planning for their last summer to enjoy their last summer. Taking time for yourself but also embracing opportunities, like an interesting internship or working on the family farm will truly set me up for success during my senior year. Enjoy every moment, and don’t forget to take time for the things you enjoy, like gardening.

As I near my final semester here at Purdue I am reminded of just how important it is to stay connected with faculty and professors. These individuals can offer great advice about classes, jobs and internships and just general life advice. Purdue Agronomy does a great job of getting students connected with faculty right off the bat. Students are paired with a faculty mentor within the department at the beginning of their freshman year. Faculty mentors are there for you to ask questions about classes, get advice about internships, and even to connect you to someone in the job market. The connections that you make at Purdue will be so valuable down the road as you start your career!

It is hard to believe that another school year has come and gone. In just a few short months I will be a senior facing the reality of many “lasts” in college. Freshman year seems like it was not too long ago, and I will say that my Freshman self would be proud of my soon-to-be senior self. I have made it through all the “scary” classes (i.e. Organic chemistry), completed two internships, failed a few assignments, met some great friends, and discovered my future career path. It is easy to get lost in the overwhelming sea of opportunities freshman year but trust me, with some trial and error you will find your path. College is such a unique experience and I am so thankful that I chose to go to Purdue to get my agronomy degree. The thought of senior year is scary but it excites me. I am excited to learn from my capstone agronomy courses, take some “fun” classes (i.e. Tennis and Flower Arranging), go to as many basketball games as I can, and enjoy every moment of senior year. Time is such a thief but I promise you that all the “scary” parts of college will work out just fine, so don’t spend too much time stressing. Enjoy every moment as it comes because these four years will go by quickly and I promise you do not want to miss them.

In AGRY 505 Forages, I have learned about grazing practices, pasture management, and the benefits of forages in a pasture. One of the main objectives of the class is to learn how different grasses, legumes, and forbs benefit the soil differently. This class has been extremely beneficial to me because I am working with cover crops and oilseeds for my upcoming summer internship. AGRY 505 gives a well-rounded perspective of both agronomic and animal nutrition practices. AGRY 505 is a great class to take to learn the intricacies of pasture management in Indiana and across the US. 

I will be spending my summer in Oklahoma, the Sooner State. This summer internship with Winfield United will grow me both professionally and personally. I will be able to experience what agriculture is like out in Oklahoma. I look forward to seeing what the Sooner State has to offer in terms of adventures and comparing it to back home in Indiana. This opportunity will allow me to discover what Winfield United is like as a company and if it would be a good fit for a job after graduation. I am beyond excited to begin this summer’s adventure.

As Junior year comes to an end, several things have happened that younger me never thought I would be doing. After becoming Agronomy Club President, I have been way more involved in several different events, and it has been a great experience that has helped me become a more outgoing person. One thing that I would say to anyone who is shy and nervous about coming to college would be getting involved in with clubs and find a great group of people to do it with. The people you become involved in with will make your college experience more enjoyable and help you through the hard times as well.

This past week in April, me and seven other agronomy students got the opportunity to travel to Idaho to compete in the yearly NACTA contest. The reason for this trip to Idaho was from being involved and being part of the Purdue Collegiate Crops Judging Team. This team has been one of my favorite classes that I have taken at Purdue and has given me so much more information in the agricultural realm. One thing that you gain from these trips is not only the opportunity to compete in the crops judging contest, but you also get to see that agricultural process that go on in these different states. On this trip to Idaho, we were able to make it to a few different farmers and see sugar beets emerging, potatoes being planted, and how the use irrigation and cover crops to grow a higher yielding crop. Overall, this trip was filled with a ton of information and memories that I will remember for years to come! I would encourage anyone who has any interest to join the team as it is an amazing experience that you won’t regret.

With 17 days until graduation, it is time to make big life decisions. During your last semester at Purdue, you spend a lot of time in job searching and interviews. After 8 interviews and many hours of prep, I have 3 job offers to pick from. It is now time to decide what I want to do and where I want to go. When looking for jobs it is important to fit well with the company as well as like the job you are interviewing for. While in interviews it is important to interview the company and learn about what the company stands for as well as the job. 

Coming from a small family farm and learning what I have as an agronomy major has brought me to try my hand at growing a field of sweet corn. The struggles that come along with this mainly has to do with the Indiana weather. Sweet corn is big on having very warm soil temperatures to be able to sprout and take off. After talking over with soybean specialist, even though this is corn and not soybeans, we came to the conclusion that if I want to get an early jump on growth then the best idea is to lay down plastic to help heat the ground after you have planted the seed. Another step that I have learned is in one of my internships, I worked with a talc/graphite product that contains micronutrients to help push better growth and gain bigger roots on my sweet corn. My hope for this is to gain better root growth and help grow better ears later in the season because everyone loves big sweet corn ears.

This past week I had the opportunity to travel to Twin Falls, Idaho to compete in the 2024 NACTA crops contest. We traveled as a group of nine total out there. We began our week by touring local area farms and experience local Idaho Agriculture. This consisted of potato, sugar beet, and a different style of corn farm than we are used to. After this we began studying for our contest. Thursday we competed in the contest. Four hours straight of exams and identification was rough on everyone, but we were treated to a nice meal afterward. Then we had the opportunity to spend Friday touring Yellowstone National Park, and ended the week with our Ceremony dinner. Ultimately, it was a great opportunity and a great reason to be a part of a Purdue Judging Team. 

The past year I’ve had the great honor of serving as The Paint Crew president. During my year of office I’ve created some amazing memories that will last a lifetime, but nothing will compare to finishing off the year by making it to Phoenix for the Final Four. The buzz around campus after beating Tennessee in the Elite Eight was something I’ve never experienced and will always look back on fondly. You couldn’t go anywhere on campus without someone asking if you were going to Phoenix and how excited we were for the game.  Once in Phoenix it was a sea of black and gold everywhere you went. All the pop up shops were sold out of Purdue themed items and we were the only full student section out of the four schools. Even though we may not have won the whole thing, I’ll always be proud of the pride that Purdue fans had that weekend for their school. 

College can be overwhelming with classes, assignments, deadlines but, in the middle of the complete chaos there’s a “hidden gem” in Lily Hall that has become so much more than just a study spot. For me this gem has been the CRC. Initially, I looked at the CRC as just a convenient place to work on projects and get extra help but, it wasn’t until my senior year that I realized its true magically what can happen in between those 4 walls. The opportunity to connect with incredible students and professors who become lifelong connections. Some of the friendships that mean the most to me began right here in the CRC. As we worked side by side on assignments and study sessions, bonds were formed that were aside of academia. it was this room that I discovered a sense of belonging- a home away from home. Looking back at my years at Purdue, some of my favorite memories have been in this room. Whether it was celebrating successes or figuring out how to navigate these wild 4 years on campus, this space became the backdrop for meaningful connections and shared experiences with the people who get it. To anyone beginning their college adventure no matter what university or what major, I urge you to explore the lesser-known corners of campus. You never know where you’ll find your CRC- a place where friendships are forged and memories are made. As we prepare for graduation, I’m so extremely grateful for the CRC and the wonderful friends it has brought into my life. Sometimes, the most valuable lessons learned in college come not from textbooks, but from the people who become lifelong companions.

College is considered one of the most influential times of your life. It is important to push yourself outside your comfort zone and put yourself in places where you can make connections with people you might not otherwise have met. A few weeks ago, I attended a women in agriculture conference put on by my local county Farm Bureaus back home. It was a great way to network with other people in agriculture and also learn about issues within the agricultural sector. This conference taught me that personal development events are a great way to push you outside your comfort zone and also allow you to make new connections.

When you first come to college everyone tells you about the dorms, the classes, and the student organizations. No one talks about how challenging it can be to move away from everything you’ve ever known. Moving away and into a new spot with a roommate you may or may not know comes with its own set of challenges. Once you make it through the first semester things seem to get more normal, you find friends who become like family. Your friend groups do truly become like a family, spending all the good and bad moments together. But the part no one prepares you for is the end of the 8th semester when you all move away and start lives of your own. The little family you created suddenly is dispersed between times zones and state line. You are no longer 5 steps or 5 minutes away from your best friends. I’m sure coming to this post you expected me to spill some tea on the bad parts of college so sorry to disappoint. During your time at college make sure to soak up every single moment and don’t take anything for granted. Time is to fleeting to spend all of your time in front of a computer all of your college career, make sure to spend time with the people who fill your bucket! 

This past Spring break. I had the opportunity to study abroad which meant Costa Rica! During this trip I saw some very interesting places and learned a lot about the country as a whole! One of the coolest things that I learned had to be how pineapples are produced, and they do not even compare to our pineapple here in the states. One of the most interesting places would have to be the first hotel we stayed at. This hotel was known as an eco-hotel basically meaning a hotel that is ran sustainably in the middle of the rain forest. During this trip I made lifelong friends and an gained an experience of a lifetime!    

This year’s spring meeting was held in Columbus, Ohio at The Ohio State University campus by their Crop and Soils Club. Over the past few meetings that I have attended I have become friends with many of the club’s officers which made this trip so much more enjoyable because I was able to spend time with the friends that I have made in another state. During Spring SASES meetings students are able to go on industrial tours of different businesses within the area. The group that I was with went to Poet, Wellington Implements, and Pearl Valley Cheese. I was able to learn about bio refineries, implement dealerships, and cheese production throughout each of these tours. Overall, it was a wonderful trip that I was able to learn from and build memories with my friends from Purdue and other participating universities.

Now that spring weather is getting warmer and basketball season has ended, I am excited to be able to go to more Purdue baseball games. The baseball field is a few minutes off campus next to the Grand Prix Track and Purdue Student Farm. Baseball games are free to all students and they have promotions for each game! My favorite games are the $3 nacho, popcorn, drink night, and Dog in the Park. Dog in the Park games are usually on Sundays and fans can bring their dog inside of the game. I went to the Purdue vs. Indiana State game this week and it is a great opportunity to get together with friends, enjoy the weather, and cheer on our Boilermakers. 

One of the best decisions I have made during my time at Purdue has been getting involved in various clubs, teams, etc. Purdue has a wide variety of clubs, nearly a club for everything out there. For me, I chose to join the Agronomy Club. It helped me meet many of my friends I have today while getting more comfortable with the college environment. However, there are many options of ag clubs, and it is always a good thing to broaden your horizons. There are also various teams to join across the Ag school. I have been a member of the Crops Judging team and have always enjoyed my time there. There is also Soils Judging, Dairy Judging, Livestock, and many more teams. In the End, the best way to adapt to the new environment is to get involved.

Over the past school year I’ve served as the President of the Men’s Basketball Student Section, The Paint Crew. It’s been an absolute blast having the opportunity to be a part of what makes Mackey Arena the best environment in all of basketball. When I first got to college I knew of The Paint Crew but had no intention of being apart of the leadership team, and it’s been one of the best decisions while at Purdue. This has shown that branching outside of your department can be important and give you opportunities  that you wouldn’t think of. 

Deciding where you live is one of the important decisions that you will make during your lifetime. Where you call home is also where your community is, where you commute to and from, and where you can feel comfortable after a long day. While you are at college you will have to make this decision. There are many different options to choose from such as Greek life housing, co-ops, a dormitory, or an apartment. During my freshman year at Purdue, I made the decision to live in a dorm with one roommate. From my experience I would strongly encourage a first-year student to live in a dorm at least one year, because it helps establish a foundation for the responsibility of living on your own while also having a community to lean on. One year in the dorm was enough for me so then I decided to move into an off-campus town house with three other roommates. This option for me has granted me more freedom with some added responsibilities. Overall, I have enjoyed living off-campus because it allows me to separate my work/school life and my home life. When students get overwhelmed, it can be nice to have a place to relax and take a break. This decision is yours make the right decision for you and what you want your living situation to look like.

I have been a Purdue fan since I was a little girl. With home not far from campus, I always felt Purdue was so special. Growing up I went to Purdue basketball games, football games, and even a few Bug Bowls. When it came time for me to choose which college I would go to, it should have been a no-brainer. News flash, it was not a no-brainer. I thought going to Purdue would be too close to home and I would not have the chance to grow away from home. I applied to numerous out-of-state colleges where I thought I would want to go, but when it came down to it I decided on Purdue. I came to this decision because I realized that although Purdue was close to home, I could still grow and be a college student. I am now a junior and I have lived on campus all three years, and I can tell you that campus felt like a different home. If you are also not too far from Purdue and facing this same issue yourself, don’t worry. Purdue felt like a different home when I moved into the dorm but in a good way. I have been surrounded by friends, supportive faculty, and others who are going through college too. I have been able to grow in ways I didn’t think were possible, and I am sure glad I chose Purdue. After all a home-cooked meal is never too far away. As always, Boiler up!

With this being my last semester here at Purdue I started the semester with one goal, to enjoy the little things. I have realized that throughout my last 4 years here I have been focused on the big things such as big events, big assignments, or big projects. I didn’t take the time to really enjoy the small things in between the big things. I have enjoyed walking to classes, seeing friends, and just simply talking with people this semester. My other goal was to not push myself as hard and take it slower this semester to really be able to enjoy the little things. 4 years have gone extremely fast and as much as I want to be done with college I will miss the little things and even some of the big things. So here’s your reminder to enjoy the little things while you’re here because it goes so fast. 

It’s time again to head over to the Co-Rec for the College of Ag Career Fair! Everyone knows that the fall career fair is the BIG one everyone attends, but if you don’t have an internship or job yet, the Spring Career Fair could be where you find your next job. As I end my college career, I am searching for a full-time position. I plan on going to the career fair this Wednesday to speak to a few of the 91 different employers there to see if anything interests me. There is no need to panic if you don’t have a job yet because employers are seeking out Purdue Students at the career fair. 

I am a lover of a good game of basketball! I love the excitement leading up to tip off, screaming at the players as if they are going to hear me, and seeing the different plays run. Basketball season is by far one of the most exciting there is and being in the Paint Crew only adds to the excitement. I have had the opportunity to meet so many students as well as get to enjoy basketball with my friends. This past weekend we took on our rival school from the other part of this great state of Indiana. Even though I was sitting up a bit higher than I normally do, I still had the most fun cheering on Purdue. It was an exciting game with earning free chicken from missed free throws (thanks Trey Galloway) to Zach making a 3-pointer. In the end we came out on top, and I hope we continue to as we take on Minnesota! Boiler up!

Just five weeks ago we were going through syllabus week and now we only have eleven weeks till summer! The semester has brought me so many different opportunities to which have furthered prepared me for my upcoming adventures. Some of those adventures include traveling to Costa Rica, Texas, and spring SASES in April. I am beyond exited to see in which ways I will grow personally and professionally. Also, I have been able to attend some Purdue basketball games and through those games have learned the chants which are required as true student and boilermaker fan.  I am sure many opportunities will be presented by the semester and will make sure to face those chances head on. 

Throughout your college career everyone is always telling you to get involved. What they don’t tell you about is how that all changes your last semester. For the past three years of my life I have been involved in multiple clubs, where I held officer positions and did as much as I could. I have now passed the torch to younger students, but it is a big adjustment for me. I no longer have to show up early and stay late for meetings, help run some of our events, and fulfill the duties of a treasurer. It is a bit bittersweet. I am still a part of the club but I no longer feel as connected as I did while I was an officer. I don’t regret being involved while at Purdue, but it has definitely been an adjustment in my last semester on campus. It is important to get involved. I recommend to take the advice of all of the people that tell you to get involved, but just remember all good things must come to an end.

Over the summer, I interned at Drago Indiana as a sales and marketing intern. I really enjoyed my time working there and learned about equipment sales! The other intern, Emma, and I wanted to create more content for social media for Drago Indiana. After a long day working the phones in the office, Emma and I began making a silly little TikTok that involved asking random questions to Drago Indiana employees. We had a blast and learned that follower loved the content! We continue to make DragoToks, including humor with customers and employees. From making DragoToks, I have learned the importance of having a good time in your workplace and advocating for your company. I look forward to continuing DragoToks!

As a graduating senior, I have reflected on my best and not so great decisions throughout my time in Purdue Agronomy. One of the best decisions that I made was to diversify my education and experience. The skills and connections that I have made through working as an undergraduate TA in AGRY 255 (Soil Science) has helped me better understand the agriculture production systems I will be breeding crops for, as well as make some friends along the way. This experience is just one great example of how a plant genetics student (me) is able to grow in so many different ways within our department. If you are a new or current student, always try new things! They are always more fruitful than you can imagine 🙂 

Do you remember the first time you ever went skiing or snowboarding? Do you happen to remember thinking this looks easy, I should have no problem. Well, I will be the first to say I thought I had the cat in the bag and would effortlessly glide down the slopes.  I could not have been more wrong. If there could be a maximum amount of times a person could fall I would have surpassed it. Reflecting on my recent skiing trip I realized that over time I have slowly gotten better and have fallen less, never thought that day would come. This made me think about my time at Purdue. The first semester had quite a bumpy start with having all online classes and no networking events allowed. I never thought I would get past the semester or even continue with college, very similar to my first time skiing. But over time as the semesters have passed they have been slightly easier and I have felt more confident in my skills. I say all this to get the point across that the beginning of a journey might be bumpy or ensue a lot of falls, but with time and practice you will eventually excel! 

International travel is an important part of my family’s history, this prompted me to study abroad twice with Purdue, once with my church, and now just with my brother. Back in the late 1990’s my grandparents gained citizenship in Bolivia to farm in South America. They lived and farmed there for about 12 years, and while they were down there, they made connections that led to lifelong friendships. Many members of my family have traveled to Bolivia to visit friends and see my grandparent’s farming operation. This winter break I decided to make the long and surprisingly complicated trip to Bolivia with my younger brother. With my traveling experience and the fact that my brother had already been to Bolivia twice we figured we would survive the trip. The trip to and from Bolivia was an eventful one, because of flight delays and 21-hour long layer overs. Once we arrived in country we stayed on a friend’s farm, there we were able to see and help on their operation. This family in particular purchases equipment from America and we help ship the equipment down to Bolivia. I found the differences and similarities to be fascinating on how they worked the ground, applied pesticides, and fertilizers. Overall, this was an impactful and educational experience that I am grateful to have taken. I hope to visit Bolivia again in the near future to explore more of the culture, visit with friends, and embrace a small amount of my family’s past.   Emily Harker    

Through my involvement with Purdue Agronomy, I have had the wonderful opportunity to travel across the country to events centered around agriculture. On every trip I have gone on, I have met people from around the world and made friends with students from other schools that share my passions. I don’t know about you, but I never had anyone growing up that shared my passion, I was the only one in my whole school that grew up in the agriculture industry. Being at Purdue with students that want to learn the same things as me has been so cool. What is even more exciting is the out of state connections I have made.                My freshman year I was able to travel to North Platte Nebraska with the crops judging team. While we were out there I really got to know some of the people that have turned out to be my best college friends, I hardly knew their names at the beginning of the trip. We competed in multiple contests, and I got to step out of my comfort zone and compete in the Ag computers contest. We ended up winning first place, which was unexpected but so cool!                My sophomore year I got involved in SASES and was able to travel to the fall meeting in Baltimore Maryland, and Manhattan Kansas for Spring SASES. Both of these trips were times that I grew close with the other students from Purdue, but made friends with students from Iowa, South Dakota, Ohio, North  Carolina, and more, I still talk to all of them today. We have even made talked about meeting up outside of these organized events! On these trips we got to sharpen out skills by competing in competitions, networking, and going on awesome tours around the different states we were visiting.                This fall I went to St. Lous Missouri for SASES and got to reconnect with the past friends I had made. Looking forward to this semester, I am eager to go Ohio State University for the SASES spring meeting, and Twin Falls Idaho for the crops competition. I would not have been able to have these opportunities if I didn’t get involved in the college of Agriculture. I am so thankful for these experiences, and I look forward to my final year!

You did it, congratulations! You got into your dream school. Take a moment to think about that. I remember being in your shoes, getting ready to move away from home and be out on your own for the first time. You have so many questions. Who will my friends be? Where will I live? Will I like my major? Am I going to be able to do this for four years? Trust me, I know what you are thinking. I am here to tell you that it will all be ok. If you are here at Purdue in agronomy, you will do just fine. Let me start m=by telling you what I learned when I was in your shoes.                First I will say buy a nice pair of mittens. Not gloves, but mittens. Trust me, you will thank me later. Secondly, you will want a nice pair of rain boots. On a more serious note, get involved. I know you will hear that everywhere, but you will want those relationships you build during your time here. Getting involved allows you to meet people that you can sit with in class and study for exams. You will have friends that can explain the part of lecture you didn’t quite understand. You will want someone to go to the games with and cry and laugh with. By being involved you also get to expand your resume and go on cool trips. Some of my best memories have been from the trips I have gone on with agronomy club and the crops judging team. Lastly, if you don’t find your best friends here, that is ok to! I remember being sad because my friends weren’t my best friends yet. It is ok, you are not alone, just keep showing up for people and remove yourself from groups as you need. It is totally ok to have your best friends back in your hometown still. College wont be the best years of life, and that is normal, but they will be the years when you learn the most. So take those lessons day by day, and devote yourself to soaking it all up.

Growing my small business would be a dream come true for me. I am so glad I took a risk on something I was passionate about, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to be Over the last two summers I have discovered my passion for all things flowers and gardening. My involvement in the college of agriculture helped me realize what I would not have realized on my own. The summer after my freshman year I decided to take a big risk, I decided to start my own small flower farm and sell bouquets. I got to work as soon as school ended. I picked my flowers, planned my garden, sprayed the grass, tilled the ground, and planted my flowers in my parents front yard. I did it completely by myself. Through this experience I learned so much. It wasn’t perfect. It still isn’t, however the lessons I have learned were almost more valuable than the flowers themselves. During the summer, the busiest time for a flower garden, I was also working an internship full time. Talk about a full schedule. I would wake up before it was light out to start watering, I would be out in the fields all day for work, then I would come home to weeding and watering until dark. I was the most exhausted I had ever been in my life, but so fulfilled from the pleasure I was finding in my work. Being your own boss sounds like a great idea, until nothing gets done without you and every decision falls on you. I learned to take initiative and try new things. I did not have all of the material I needed, but I decided to make the best out of what I had. I spent the whole summer so nervous about what people would think and questioned if my product was even worth it. Finally, on August first I was ready to sell my first bouquet. I went out to the garden with my bucket and garden scissors and cut enough flowers for 5 bouquets. I arranged them and set them up in the trailer at the end of my driveway that I converted to a little shop. Do you know what happened? The important people in my life showed up for me and bought all five of my bouquets. Could they have probably bought better flowers from the grocery store? Probably, but their support meant the world to me. It was enough to make me do it again the following summer. Growing my small business would be a dream come true for me. I am so glad I took a risk on something I was passionate about, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to be my own boss. It made me realize so many things about the real world that I would not have been able to see if I had played it safe and not taken the risk.

When I came to Purdue in the Fall of 2021, I was set on having a career in agribusiness, like seed sales or grain marketing. This has all changed, as I am now in my spring semester of junior year. I changed my major to agronomy in the spring of 2022 and was set on an agronomic career. In the summer of 2022, I had an internship with Beck’s Superior Hybrids as a crop research intern. Although it was a great experience, I learned that was not the path I wanted for my future career. I decided to take an internship as a field specialist this past summer with Advanced Agrilytics. It was yet another great experience, as I learned a lot being in the fields every day. At the end of the summer, I realized that it still wasn’t my “niche”. College is about finding your way and finding the things that bring you enjoyment. I decided that my junior year was going to be all about me finding what makes me happy, and finding my future career path. This coming summer I will be an intern for Rain & Hail working the claims side of crop insurance. This is a whole different role than my previous internships, but I am looking forward to it. My dad has been in the crop insurance business for 30 years, and this fall I began working with him part-time. I enjoy working with his customers and getting a healthy balance between the field and office time. Finding your “niche” is something that does not happen overnight, and it is not an easy thing. Take advantage of college and all the opportunities you are presented with. Learning from your mistakes is one of the best things you can do. Just because your major is in a certain area of ag doesn’t mean that post-graduation you have to stick to your major. Agronomy is a helpful major that will set you up for success in any “niche” in the agriculture field.

Many of the agriculture labs at Purdue offer undergrads the chance to work as assistants. This is a great way to become exposed to research while being a student. I have had the opportunity to work in Dr. Tuinstra’s lab since my first semester here and it has enabled me to develop research and professional skills that I will use in my future career. Most of my time working is spent at the Purdue farm helping collect data in the field, harvesting ears, or packaging seeds to be planted in the greenhouse. I will also assist with experiments and data collection in the Lilly lab and greenhouses. If you find yourself with some extra free time outside of classes or want to gain experience in research, undergrad positions are a great way to fill up time while also enabling you to develop research skills.

Yeah college is fun and what not, but let’s take a trip down memory lane. Remember growing up and watching the bottom of the TV screen to see your school name pop up for a 2 hour delay, yeah, that was the bee’s knee’s. I thought that feeling of euphoria was never to return to my life, but I was mistaken. On Tuesday Purdue realized they didn’t need to polish the ice because mother nature already did too good of a job and they cancelled all classes before 10:00am. Waking up to my alarm and reading the text and going back to sleep was a feeling that I thought had long been gone. Cancelled classes are awesome.

We all know classes can come with quite the work load. High credit hours mixed with high-level classes can result in a mountain of work and a little time to do it. But there are ways to combat this. Throughout my time, I have found that writing out all the dates and times for assignments helps tremendously. Being able to quickly look helps make it seem less overwhelming compared to just the list of assignments. Some more advice is to be diligent in your work, pay attention, take notes, and ask questions in class. By not doing this, going to start assignments is much rougher. But most importantly in these stressful situations, know it is okay to take a break. When completing long or hard assignments, take some time to relax. Come back to the assignment with an open mind. Another good thing is to start assignments early, allow amble time to complete them, don’t wait until the last minute.

As a college student, you may not think that the days of going on field trips have ended. This is not true! I am a junior in agronomy and I have been on a field trip each semester. Numerous agriculture classes take you to the field, farm, and business operations to further develop your understanding of materials taught in class in the real world. One thing I love most about Purdue College of Agriculture is that professors do their best to incorporate ways of learning that are truly engaging. In AGRY 255 Soil Science, the class takes trips to the celery bog, Horticultural Park, and ACRE agronomy farm to interact with soil types and soil formation factors firsthand. ANSC 102 Introduction to Animal Science travels to Purdue’s swine, poultry, dairy, and equine facilities throughout the semester. SFS 312 Urban Agriculture takes a field trip to explore farming operations in the urban setting of Indianapolis. There are so many opportunities to take classes that take you out of the classroom for learning. Field trips are something I not only enjoy but look forward to each semester in my classes! 

Since this is my last semester here at Purdue I wanted to give some advice on working during school. When I was a freshman I didn’t think I wanted to have a job while I was here, but after my freshman year, I got the opportunity to work 2! Ever since I have worked in the Soils Resource Center and the Crops Resource Center. I have enjoyed working in both places and making extra money is nice too! This semester I am only working in the SRC which has been nice to have a little bit more free time for my last semester here! Having a job might seem a little scary, but they are normally flexible around your schedule and understand that school comes first. If you are looking for a job and have taken AGRY 105 and 255 talk to Dr. Gerber in the CRC or Sherry in the SRC! 

I am certain we are all too familiar with the questions; how is school, how are your grades, what are you plans after graduation, do you have anything lined up. We get on tiktok, instagram, facebook, etc. and see people living out our dreams and their life seems seamless. As young adults trying to navigate this world we often get caught up in planning the future because that is what we have been taught all of these years!  Growing up I have always been known as the planner, organizer, and ultimately just having it all together. From being a collegiate athlete, to being a 500 Festival Princess, to being a prospective law student I always felt like I had no other option but to ALWAYS be prepared for what was next.  Now, I’m a 22 year old  with just one semester left at the greatest University and no concrete plans of what my future looks like. I can assure you there are not days that I am not petrified of the future but, through the law school application process I have come to realize that it is okay not to have a concrete plan. Sitting in senior seminar hearing about everyone’s future plans to hear that many of us do not have jobs lined up or do not know what our future looks like I realized that I am not alone!  With the love and support from family, friends, and Purdue Staff I have made the decision to accept this journey of uncertainty and embrace it! With that being said, my goal is to not only encourage you to chase your dreams no matter how big or small but to understand that during this season of life that feels like eternity you will be alright and accept this path of uncertainty! Your journey has just begun!                 

The start to the new year is always exciting to experience. Some might have a quiet night on their couch while others go to big parties. For me, I had the opportunity to spend New Years with my family on a cruise ship. On this ship they had four parities going on at the same time. One on the pool deck, one a little more relaxed, one for the teens, and the big extravaganza on the inside of the ship. There was music, dancing, and a big show for the special occasion. At midnight they had a big balloon drop with lots of happy cheers. While it is not how I normally spend my new year’s it was definitely one to remember!

With our 2023 fall semester coming to a close, we recently had officer election within the agronomy club. This brings me to say that I will be the Agronomy Club President for the Spring 2024 and Fall 2024 semesters. With this being said, I wanted to talk a little bit about why Agronomy Club here at Purdue is one of the best clubs on campus. For starters, I came out of high school a very shy person and was kind of nervous about coming to such a big place like Purdue. One of the first places where I met a lot of my friends that I have today was through agronomy club. There is such a great group of students involved within this club which makes it a great atmosphere and very inviting to anyone who would want to join. A few of the main events that happen every semester include community service like working at food finders, work sessions to get soil color cards or plant and seed sets ready to sell to high school FFA chapters, or just having people of industry come in and talk about all the opportunities within the field of Ag. I sure hope to see a lot of new faces when we meet starting in January, with a meeting happening every Wednesday at 6:00 pm.

Looking back into harvest this year, it was one for the books that we will always look back on. From high yields to farm injuries the stories from this year will continue to come up for years to come. It always seems like for our farm, harvest never wants to run smoothly for multiple years in a row. Which brings me to this year being one that was quite a pain to get through. To start off with, the combine monitor didn’t want to cooperate with us causing it to change its setting whenever it wanted. This led to many plug up and bad grain samples. Shortly after fixing this issue, we ran into many more when the drive belt for the rotors burnt up and plugged the combine again. After getting all the equipment back into working condition, injuries became our next topic. With mishaps injuring a few of our farm hands, harvest ended up lasting a lot longer then what we expected it to. With all of this said and done, we were able to complete harvest with fairly good yields and were very happy with how everything ended.

It is the time of the year when classes are finally wrapping up for the semester. After 16 long weeks, we have all finally started to take our finals. Finals may seem intimidating, remembering all sorts of information from the entire course and implementing it all in one short two-hour period. More often than not, they end up not as intimidating as they seem. My advice is to be diligent in your work throughout your semester. Allow yourself adequate time to study and prepare, and by doing this you should be able to excel on your finals. Unfortunately, they are not always this simple. But in the end, putting in the effort will usually allow you to succeed. 

It is hard to believe that yet another semester has come and gone. This semester entailed lots of memories, challenging classes, and Purdue sports. The classes I decided to take this semester were unlike any of the classes I had previously taken. I took entomology 206 and 207, a lecture course (206) and a lab (207). This class challenged me, as I did not know anything about insects. At the beginning of the course, I thought there was no way I was going to be able to understand all the material, but I truly learned numerous things. The lab focused a lot on large grasshoppers, so we got to dissect them and learn about all the systems of the insect’s body. This class provided me with a new perspective on insects going into my career. I also was in a weed science course this fall (BTNY 304). I enjoyed this class, as there was a lot of practical and situational-based learning for weed management practices. In the lab section of this course, we were quizzed weekly on different weed species and identifying them. I enjoyed this part of the class since it helped me to learn how to identify weeds and then I can later apply that in my career. I also took an upper-level communications course this fall, which was COM 256, an introduction to advertising course. The professor for this course made the class entertaining and interesting since she was a past news anchor with lots of experience. This semester I went to a lot of Purdue volleyball games, which was so much fun! I definitely recommend going to the volleyball games and being a part of the block party as a student. There were so many great memories this semester especially those that involved the agronomy club and agronomy ambassadors. I love being a part of the ambassador program, and agronomy club since I have made so many of my friends within the agronomy department. It has been a great semester, and I am looking forward to the spring semester of my junior year!

Farming can be a dangerous game and those risky situations come with breaking equipment, a shortage of labor, and pure accidents. Every single farming operation has a story about an accident that you would not believe unless you were there watching it happen. I would like to take the time to share a few of those stories from my family’s farm. We have had our fair share of flat tires at midnight, animal deaths, and shop fires. This week I have been getting updates from my brother about our wheat drill that had its tongue snapped while being transported home from our last field which was 45 minutes away from the farm. When accidents like this happen, it teaches farmers how to be flexible and adaptable during tough situations. We have all heard the saying “times are tough” and when they are it effects the entire family and even the community that surrounds them. Growing up in agriculture I as well as many of my other peers have learned to work through the tough times to get tasks completed. There are many life lessons and unique skills taught within the vast community of agriculture and I strongly encourage everyone to immerse themselves into it. 

After 3 and 1/2 years of being here at Purdue I will finally be graduating. Now that I am nearing the end of my college career I feel like I have had time to look back and reflect on my time here at Purdue. Advice that I would give to incoming students would be to get involved. Don’t be afraid to join those clubs or talk to those professors or pick up that part time job through Purdue. You will make life long lasting friends here at Purdue as long as you put yourself out there. Being involved is the most important thing you can do to set yourself up for the future while at college. Thank you to all of those who made my time here at Purdue University one to remember. I will cherish the memories I made with the Agronomy Club whether it was just staying late at a work session to make sure all our seed kits got made or traveling half way across the country to explore new places with my best friends. Thank you to all the faculty and staff that guided me and helped me get involved while I was here. I will forever appreciate the feeling of being a part of a family in the Purdue College of Ag. I cannot express enough how grateful I am to be a Purdue Boilermaker and for the last time…. Boiler Up, Hammer Down, and Hail Purdue!  -Trey

Purdue just came off their first lost of the young 2023-2024 basketball season and it seems a lot of people just don’t think Painter’s squad have what it takes to win in late March and early April. Just earlier in November this team was able to beat a gauntlet of teams in the Maui Invitational. Playing, and beating, Gonzaga, Tennessee, and Marquette in 3 consecutive days shows just how deep this ball club really is. To me it seems all the tools are there to make a deep run in March and not just compete with the best, but to be the best. They took a tough loss to Northwestern just a few days ago but with our poor shooting and ridiculous amount of turnovers was just us asking to take a close loss on the road. I think the title of this blog post doesn’t actually have anything to do with if I think they will or not, solely because it’s too early in the season.

One of the great joys of being a senior is definitely the class schedule. So far this semester I’ve been able to take golf and 4 classes geared toward senior students. These classes are a nice change of pace compared towards what i’ve taken the past three years. It’s big group projects that are presented towards the end of the semester meaning I don’t have to take finals. There’s two weeks left of the semester and I’m already done with all class work. A simple joy for my senior year.

Finals week can be overwhelming for any college student. Fortunately, there are ways to manage the stress that finals bring and feel confident that you’ve done the best you can at preparing yourself. Here are some of my favorite tips for surviving finals week. Identify your priorities: Many times, finals week consists of not only exams, but also final projects and papers. It’s important to indicate which ones that you feel will be the most difficult or take you the longest and prioritize those assignments. Remind yourself that its almost break: Whenever I feel overwhelmed while studying for an exam, I just remind myself that it will all be over by next week. It’s important to remember that hard work now will pay off once grades come out. Take breaks: This one is difficult, especially when you know that you have a lot to get done. I find myself to be more productive when I take 15-to-20-minute breaks every so often. It helps to reset my brain and allows me to focus better. Finals week can be survived and just remember that hard work does pay off in the end!

This semester has been a little different in terms of what it has had to offer. During the semester I have had the opportunity to be involved in Ag Olympics, where we compete against the different agriculture clubs in a wide range of games. Some of those games being corn hole, egg race, sack races, and even tug of war.  Throughout the semester I also had the opportunity to apply to a study abroad trip in Costa Rica which will be over spring break next semester. That trip will allow for a wide range of lifelong relationships and memories.  The trip will also very educational and will be able to help me in my future career later in life. The semester has presented an opportunity to accept a sales internship with Land O’ Lakes in Amarillo, Texas.  There I will be working with farmers in a different world of agriculture. That alone will very interesting and will allow for an amazing learning experience. I am already looking forward to next semester and everything it will have to offer. 

The opportunities to maintain an active lifestyle with sports are endless at Purdue. From dodgeball to euchre to flag football, there are dozens of sports to choose from. I have played sand volleyball for three semesters. My intramural seasons in the fall and spring are something I truly look forward to each semester. The process to register is super simple. You sign up for an intramural pass for a semester or for year-round. Then, register a team or join a team depending on the sports offered that semester. I had the opportunity to join the team with my sorority, but forming teams of strangers or friends is completely normal too. Regular seasons typically last 4-5 weeks with playoffs starting after. More outside sports are offered in the fall and more indoor are offered in the Spring.  I truly recommend joining an intramural sport no matter what level of experience you have. IMs have divisions for males, females, and co-ed teams. Within the divisions, there are options to play in competitive or less competitive leagues. IMs at Purdue are a great way to meet new people, stay active, and develop relationships outside of academics along the way!

Being part of a family is something that I highly recommend students doing once they come to college. A group of people that care for each other and have each other’s best interests at heart. They are people that you can rely on and enjoy activities with, to me this has become the members of the Purdue Collegiate Soils Judging Team. We spend countless hours working together in and outside of the classroom. During the course of the year, we are in the classroom setting for a few hours a week and then we have in the field practices on Saturdays then during the actual contest week we are together nonstop going through practice soil pits and judging cards. The students that are on this team are extremely dedicated to this art so much that they discuss soil horizons at the dinner table and parent materials at Purdue football games. This year at the Region 3 Collegiate Soils Judging Contest the Purdue Team took home first place in the team and group judging portions. I am so proud of my teammates and myself for all of the time and effort that we put in to be named top in the region and then will be advancing to nationals in the spring. This family has made my college experience one to remember and cherish. The Purdue Agronomy Department is a place to find your forever family while learning about agriculture at the same time.  

Purdue Agronomy Club is a great opportunity for all Purdue students. I joined the club my freshman year, and I have loved it ever since. Not only is being involved in a club a good resume builder, but it gives you the chance to get to know numerous people. Some of the clubs have guest speakers from different companies within the agriculture industry. I have loved making connections with my peers but also potential future employers. We have also had the opportunity to serve the Greater Lafayette community by working at the Food Finders Food Bank and making cards for Veterans. Clubs in the College of Agriculture also always compete in the AG Olympics every fall. This is such a fun event where you get to compete as a club against other College of Agriculture clubs. Each month we always have a work session where we make seed sets, plant mounts, and some other materials for FFA Chapters. Overall Agronomy Club is such a great on-campus activity to be a part of. I have met so many of my friends through Agronomy Club. Plus, you do not have to be an agronomy major to join the club, so take the opportunity to learn more about Purdue Agronomy!

As we all know change is very scary, hard, and confusing but a little bit of discomfort can change your life in ways you could have never imagined. My transition to Purdue was one of the most uncomfortable and hardest transition I’ve ever had to go through. I didn’t come from a huge row crop operation, I didn’t grow up in the combine, I was a girl that came from a small school in Richmond, IN playing basketball and majoring in neuroscience with a minor in spanish of course I felt like an outcast my first couple of weeks at Purdue. I remember calling my mom crying and begging for her to let me come home because I never felt so incredibly alone and out of place. I will never forget what she told me, “you have to learn to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Time is your best friend right now and that is perfectly normal, your people are coming just quit looking and they will come when you are least expecting it.”  And as much as I hate to say it but, she was right! (sorry, your mom is always right). I went through the process of primary recruitment and felt even more out of place especially with being a sophomore, a transfer, and in the College of Agriculture I was so close to just throwing the towel in; the sorority life was just not for me so, I dropped from primary recruitment and it was a blessing in disguise because it gave me the opportunity to go through secondary recruitment ultimately leading me to Sigma Alpha. A professional agriculture sorority with their pillars including scholarship, leadership, service, fellowship; all things I LOVE.  This will sound very cliché but it is very true, the moment I walked into my first recruitment event I never felt more at peace, at home, and loved. Fast forward 2 years, my sisters have done nothing but encourage, support, and push me to pursue my dream of becoming a lawyer along with many other things like being a 500 Festival Princess! (which are stories for another time).  Yes, change is extremely scary but learn to be comfortable  in the most uncomfortable situation. Talk to that quiet person in class, attend that club meeting you know nothing about, answer that question in lecture filled with 400 people because you never know where it could lead you; sometimes you will get discouraged and want to quit but you have to keep pushing because EVERYDAY IS A GREAT DAY TO BE A BOILERMAKER so make use of the short time we get to spend at the most beautiful campus!   

Last week, the Purdue soils judging team won the Region 3 Soils Judging competition. We places 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8 individually, and we won the team competition. It was the first time we have won since 2017.

Before I came to Purdue, one thing I always heard to help the transition was to get involved. Whether it be through clubs, offices, or frats/sororities/ and cooperatives, being involved helps. Being involved allows you to make friends and adjust quickly to life at Purdue. Purdue boasts many, many opportunities to get involved. I am an Agronomy Club Member, as well as an Ambassador. These groups have introduced me to many of the friends I have made along my journey. They have also allowed me to grow involved in helping the community while enhancing my learning. I can still remember attending my first Agronomy Club meeting, not knowing anyone, and being scared, and now I am best friends with many of the members. Therefore, my advice to you is to be involved with campus activities. It allows you to make new friends, become more comfortable, and better enjoy your time at Purdue.

This year, I have the opportunity to attend the Annual Tri-Societies (Agronomy, Crops, and Soil Societies of America) meeting as a Golden Opportunity Scholar. I am so excited for this opportunity because of the networking with potential graduate programs that I will be able to do, the posters I can learn from, and fellow undergraduates I can meet. As I am heavily interested in genetics and soil science, the annual meeting is great opportunity for me to learn more about each of my interests!  Golden Opportunity Scholars are accomplished undergraduates who have plans to attend graduate school to further their education. In this program, you get to attend the Annual Tri-Societies, have a mentor from academia or industry, and have a free year of membership to the Tri-Societies. I am so thankful for this opportunity and cannot wait to take full advantage of the Annual Meeting!  

Fall is a time of year that can mean different things to different people. For some, it’s their favorite time of year with the leaves changing into vibrant colors and getting into the chillier weather. For others, it means winter is coming with cold days, snow, and the Holiday season. For most of us in the Agronomy Department Fall means that it is time for Harvest. Harvest is the time to see all the hard work from the year finally paying off. Every farmer aspires to surpass the yield goals for the season and make it the best season yet. This Harvest season will be especially interesting to see how the dry weather during the summer and the rain we are getting now affect the yields. Anyway, you think of it fall is a time of year we all must go through whether we enjoy it or not. 

Purdue truly offers an opportunity to bridge the gap between students and professionals both through events like the Career Fair and even in the classroom. Being able to participate in classes that connect students with industry professionals is a perfect way to understand different career paths and the day-to-day of someone in a specific field. Combining these types of classes with the connection opportunity at the Career Fair gives students one of the most impactful experiences at Purdue. Through opportunities like this, students can job shadow professionals or intern with companies to make lifelong connections and valuable experiences. Purdue truly offers many ways for students to graduate with a well-rounded resume.

Every fall semester the College of Agriculture hosts a career fair here at Purdue. These career fairs offer a great opportunity for students of the College of Ag to explore careers with companies, find full time employment, and find summer internships for underclassmen. Each fall semester around 200 companies come to Purdue that specialize in a variety of different fields to talk to students about what they have to offer. The career fair is set up in the CoRec each year and allows for plenty of space for students and companies to intermingle and provides maps so students can easily find companies they are interested in talking to. Purdue also allows students to see all the companies coming in a online app which can give students time beforehand to prepare for interviews with companies they are looking into. For me personally I have attended the fall semester career fair every year in my time here at Purdue. All three of my internships that I have had in the summers between classes have come from companies that I talked to at the career fair. Without this career fair it can be an intimidating task to search out jobs and internships. I believe Purdue is setting up each of their College of Ag students for success by holding these career fairs. A few tips of advice that I would give underclassmen when attending these career fairs is to 1. Make sure you bring your resume because they will always ask for it. 2. Dress accordingly for interviews and the career fair itself, I usually wore khakis and a nice dress shirt. And finally 3. Just make sure you actually go and attend the career fair, you will never regret making connections and seeing what companies have to offer but you will regret not going and missing out on the chance to secure work experience.

The Purdue College of Agriculture career fair always comes up fast after school starts. Purdue advisors and professors do a great job in making sure you have your resume polished especially in introduction or major-specific classes. The career fair always has hundreds of companies and professionals that are very welcoming and easy to talk to. At my first career fair during my freshmen year, I was very nervous about pitching myself to companies. However, after a few years under my belt, I am completely confident in my ability to sell myself to these companies. I attribute this to the numerous ways Purdue prepares us for these situations. Purdue has interview prep seminars, resume critiques, and in-person interview practices on campus. I have had great experience at all the career fairs I have gone to at Purdue and I highly recommend new or current students to attend these professional development events!

It was just like it was yesterday I was in my BGR group seeing campus for the first time and meeting the agronomy department staff as a freshman.  Never thinking that almost three years could go that fast, along the way I have been able to experience some things in these 3 short years. Some of those things would be basketball games at Mackey arena, football games at Ross-Ade, or even being able to travel across the country for collegiate soil and crops contests.  Basketball and football games allow you to be a part of something bigger than yourself, being a boilermaker is a community of past, present, and future students. There are many traditions wrapped up in sports here at Purdue which will make that experience last a lifetime. Being involved has allowed me to build many different relationships, network with people, and learn more about myself that way I can apply it to my future professional career. I am looking forward to rest of my time here at Purdue seeing all it has to offer. Boiler up!

For my summer internship, I had a great experience working at Drago Indiana. My internship was in sales and marketing. I had the whole state of Indiana and part of Illinois to travel to farmers and ag retail locations. I loved communicating with agriculturalists and farmers each day! In August, Drago Indiana hosted two field days for their customers and potential customers. August 15th was Drago Indiana Discovery Day and August 16th was Horsch Leeb Sprayer day. I learned a lot about the Horsch Leeb Sprayer, which is a newer sprayer to the market in the US. The Horsch Leeb Sprayer was unlike any other in the market because it hydraulically lifts to 6.5 feet, has 120 ft booms, has a self-cleaning boom system, and the nozzles are 10 inches apart and can come within 10 inches of the plant being sprayed. I was able to ride in the Horsch Leeb a few times with a salesman and I was truly amazed by the performance of the sprayer! I had the opportunity to meet the Horsch family from Germany at the field day. I worked with amazing people and make connections across Indiana!

Why join the Agronomy Club? This was a question I got a lot as we stood at our booth for the Ag Council Ice Cream Social. As the night went on my answer varied in different ways but the most consistent was the way you gain so many friendships. I also talked about how many events we do such as community service, guest speakers, scavenger hunts, Jeopardy, how to prepare for the career fair, and work sessions. Since we meet every week we have so much time to be able to plan great meetings. I have gained so many friendships and great knowledge from this club and I hope that this helped you in your decision to join the Agronomy Club. 

SASES National Officers meet once a month for most of the year, but starting in August, before the October meeting, we meet once a week. We get our tours finalized, line up all our speakers, confirm schools who are coming, and plan all the other events students participate in. It is a wonderful opportunity to practice organizational, time management, and life skills.

This summer I had the opportunity to work at a greenhouse in Westfield Indiana called Perennials Plus. I stumbled upon this position through a simple conversation with one of my friends dads who said he could help me find a summer job. As I did research I found that working at a greenhouse would be a great idea to broaden my horizons and get experience on the horticultural side of things. I learned more about landscaping, perennials, and shrubs than I thought I would never know. My time in the greenhouses were spent moving pots, taking inventory, helping customers, pulling orders, repotting plants, and watering. I also had the opportunity to take on a more official position helping on the office side of things. I learned how to check customers out, I answered calls and emails, became familiar with using a point of sales system and even aided in decision making. The most exciting thing for me was getting to be in charge of some projects like updating the website, conducting surveys, filing documents, and placing orders.  The interesting thing about Perennials Plus is that they are eighty percent wholesale and twenty percent retail, so I had the opportunity to interact with both kinds of customers and notice the difference in trends and the ways they operate as businesses. Perennials Plus buys all plants and shrubs from plugs, repots them, and grows them out until they are mature, which is very interesting to me since most greenhouses or nurseries do not grow their plants from starts.  I learned so much in my internship this summer, not only did I broaden my knowledge of plants, but I got to experiment with new plants that I never knew much about before. I also learned about running a small business and a lot about customer relations. Overall it was a wonderful experience and I hope that5 my time there nis not over forever, I would love to continue to learn over the next few summers if the opportunity presents itself. 

This summer I had the opportunity to be an intern for Pivot Bio for the state of Indiana. Pivot Bio ProveN40 is a sustainable and durable microbial product that can attach to corn and wheat roots to provide a constant source of nitrogen throughout the growing season. A constant source of nitrogen is essential in years of drought and limited rain. ProveN40 can replace forty pounds of synthetic fertilizer which is very important to the future of limiting synthetic fertilizers. I am very excited for the future of microbial products in row crop production! My summer with Pivot Bio was agronomic sampling and grower visit based. 

We are encouraged to try new things throughout our lives, and internships are a perfect way for us to branch out and learn from others. My internship this summer was something completely out of my comfort zone and taught me about a different section of agriculture that I was extremely interested in. I took this as a learning opportunity to see if I wanted to switch my academic path, while still having two years left at Purdue. My job this summer was consumer outreach with Indiana Corn Growers Association and Soybean Alliance. I was able to learn the techniques and work that went behind creating effective  communication with consumers. Also, while working this summer I was able to job shadow the other branches of that organization. One in particular dealt with sustainability and new products made from corn and soybeans. I am so grateful that I was able to fully dive into the communication side of agriculture and was able to develop new skills and learn the importance of quality communication. I only have one more summer to take an internship and I hope to learn from my past ones to find one that focuses on something different. I have taken each opportunity as a learning and developing opportunity and I hope to continue that. Going with a few goals in mind is extremely important but, welcoming a new setting with an open mind is something I also encourage. At this stage in life, it is a chance to learn from others and our own experiences. So, take every opportunity presented to you and learn from it.

This summer working with Drago Indiana I drove over 10,000 miles picking up or delivering corn heads. While being on the road I was able to see the changing densities of smoke from the Canadian wildfires. The poor air quality mixed with the gloomy looks outside made for some very bland road trips, but while on the road I was able to see crops with drought stress and thought about how the the smoke kind of worked as a ‘cloud cover’ and could be somewhat beneficial to the crops.

Somehow in the blink of an eye I am wrapping up my final internship. Internships have by far been the most impactful experience while at Purdue. I have been able to take skills learned in the classroom and apply them to real life situations. The classroom has an abundance of knowledge but the “field” is the place where you apply those skills. This summer I spent my time with WinField United as a sales intern covering western IN. It was an amazing experience and a great learning environment. Internships are seriously so valuable and i encourage every student to have at least one.

Just like so many college students, I spent the summer doing an internship. I interned with Mercer Landmark in Ohio. This entailed spending the summer walking fields with an agronomist while learning as much as possible. I had the opportunity to scout for heat stress, weeds, insects, and so much more. At the beginning of the summer, we had a rough storm come through leading to fields destroyed from hail damage but eventually, they snapped out of it and grew back. Mercer Landmark also trained all of the interns on how to grade wheat, so we were at the grain facilities helping there during the wheat harvest. One of the last weeks of summer I spent the days at the main grain facility where I assisted with loading out a train! They even let me drive for a bit (I had to get a certification first)! All in all, this summer taught me more than I could ever imagine. Take the opportunity to do internships because you will learn more in the field than you ever will in the classroom. 

Well, the time has finally come. I am officially down to the home stretch of my college career here at Purdue as I start my final semester. Taking college credit classes in high school has allowed me to graduate from Purdue early with my 4 year degree and honestly I am excited. I have enjoyed the time I spent here learning, making friends, and memories that will last a lifetime. But all things must come to an end eventually. Even though I still have an entire semester left at Purdue I am looking toward the future and am anticipating starting the next chapter of my life.  Some things I am excited for are possibly moving to different states and being able to see different parts of the US. I have learned throughout my college travels that just going a few hours in a direction can change scenery and people drastically. I also am excited to find a job this semester so I can implement all the learning and hard work I have done the past 3 years here at Purdue. So here’s to finishing my college career strong and preparing for the future. 

Since I have come back to Purdue to start my senior year, it has been full of lasts. The last first day of the academic year, the last recruitment with my sorority, and moving in for the last time at Purdue. When thinking on these experiences, I am feeling incredibly grateful, while also slightly sad. I want to know pass on a small piece of advice, stop and smell the roses. Life can get fast paced, and that is not a bad thing. However, try and stop in those special moments and appreciate the people you are with, experiences you have shared, and all that there is to be grateful for. When you do this, you are able to memorialize the past while being excited for the future. It might be difficult, but it is all worth it, I promise.

With his summer being my fourth internship, I chose to work for Co-Alliance as a Specialized Agronomy Intern. I did many different jobs this summer from spreading fertilizer and learning how to spray beans to hauling ammonia tanks to farmers. The main projects I did had to deal with 2 test trials with a few of our big farmers. The first test trials were using a Co-Alliance exclusive product known as First Stepp. First Stepp is an 80/20 talc graphite mix that’s has a biological package and micronutrient package added in with it. With the product on corn and beans we saw more root mass with a lot more fine hairs early on. On beans we also saw them come out of the ground more evenly and between 12-24 hours before the beans which did not have First Stepp applied on them. My second test trial had to do with Instinct which is a nitrogen stabilizer that we used with liquid fertilizer. Especially on the sand ground, there was a lot less firing seen on mid to lower plant leaves. Overall, I learned a lot this summer and had an amazing experience with Co-Alliance.

Although I am a junior, this past summer was my first internship. Going into the summer I was scared to start this new adventure in life. This was the first time I had ever worked a semi long-term job away from home. Nervously, I went the first day and fell in love. I spent the summer splitting time between two employers in a joint deal working in crop research. These opportunities taught me a lot of new information and opened me to the research field. Although everything is such a small scale, I enjoyed being a part of all the testing and work it goes to check and make products work. I even plan to continue to work in this field for the coming years. The lesson I learned from this was just because you may be scared to start a new adventure, wether it be a job, internship, or coming to Purdue, don’t let that stop you from going and trying it, you might just fall in love with it.

This summer I had the opportunity to do an internship with PowerPollen in Ames, Iowa. PowerPollens’s main focus is collecting, preserving and applying pollen on demand in seed corn production fields. They have engineered technologies that improve seed production which enables more effective cross-pollination. A few of my tasks as a biology intern were assisting with field experiments, doing laboratory tests to determine pollen viability, and participating in large scale collection and application of corn pollen. It was definitely a rewarding experience as I got to meet many new people, establish friendships, experience agriculture in a different state and participate in research and development of a new technology in agriculture.  

This summer I had the pleasure of working with Advanced Agrilytics as a Field Specialist Intern. My roles as an intern were to scout certain growers’ acres every 7-10 days, looking for any issues and assessing the crop. I also had the responsibility of making field reports weekly to send to farmers about how their crops were doing. With the summer having some variation in weather, I got to see a few different things in the field and how weather affects crop growth. We scouted in three different environments in every field we looked at, which caused me to pick up on characteristics crops have in certain environments. I learned a lot this summer and was able to grow in my agronomic skills. I got to see a lot of crop deficiencies, hail damage, and numerous insects. There was a lot of independent work this summer, which caused me to rely on my scouting resources. Overall my experience with Advanced Agrilytics was great! We would have monthly regional field day meetings where we got to meet full-time employees and scout fields together. I really enjoyed this since we got to learn from others who have years of experience in the agriculture industry. I know the idea of finding an internship may be overwhelming, but there are numerous opportunities out there. Internships are about learning and finding what it truly is that you want to do once you graduate!

Wow, how did this go so fast? That was the question I asked myself as I moved back to Purdue for my senior year. I had a great last summer internship with Syngenta. I was the Indiana Crop Protection Sales intern. During my internship, I was able to ride along with all the reps in Indiana, go on multiple sales calls, meet with customers, and attend business meetings. I also had a summer-long internship project that consisted of collecting data on Syngenta’s top-tier pre-emergence soybean herbicide Tendovo. I learned so much and gained so many great relationships throughout the summer. I would recommend this internship to anyone looking for a sales internship with some agronomy involved too!

This summer I had the opportunity to Intern with Advanced Agrilytics. During the summer I had the opportunity to meet and interact with farmers, and also was able to learn what an agronomist does on a daily basis. I was able to attend multiple training sessions which consisted of all central Indiana agronomists.  Being able to hear their thoughts on things I have learned either in the field or classroom was very beneficial to allow me to build more of an understanding on those topics. A day would either consist of meeting with farmers, scouting fields trying to find a problem, or even interacting with fellow interns. It was interesting to put my knowledge to the test while trying to problem solve while in the field. Internships are a great way to meet and build relationships which could potentially lead to future opportunities.  

As I look back over my career here at Purdue, it amazes me what I have been through and how I have changed for the better as a person. From a normal freshmen semester to being sent home for covid as a beginning, things could not have been any weirder. I remember from my first few weeks at Purdue walking to my classes from my dorm room that I had never seen this many people in such a small area before. The sidewalks and bike paths just chalked full of students going to classes, clubs, or other campus activities it was an amazing site to see. When we returned from covid it was as if campus was a ghost town. Multitudes of classes had been moved online or a hybrid of in person or online and everyone had to be secluded to their rooms. Life had been flipped upside down and seemed to be that way for the foreseeable future. Through the hard work of students, staff, and Purdue we were able to return to a fairly normal pace of life without masks shortly after my sophomore year. I am very grateful for the opportunities given to me by Purdue and even by the assistance of many staff members. From the career fair that the college of ag works very diligently upon every fall to many different campus opportunities with jobs, clubs, and places to travel and learn. My 4 years of soils judging and having the opportunity to travel to many places across the country like Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Illinois, and many places across Indiana helped me gain valuables experiences and meet many people I call dear friends. I am grateful for the opportunities of Agronomy club and being able to travel for fall and spring meetings to Utah, Iowa, Maryland, and Kansas and create connections that will hopefully last me a lifetime. The skills and experience I earned from Crops judging and classes will provide a strong foundation as I start my career and continue to aid me throughout any jobs I may hold. The experience I gained from teaching others as  a lab assistant through the Agronomy department and the communication efficiency I was taught to work with is invaluable. Without Purdue I would not have the knowledge, friendships, connections, and opportunities as I have already received and will continue to receive in the future. Some may tell you that the next 4 years of college are a struggle and will require many dedicated hours of studying and learning, which at times can be true, but they can also be some of the best years of your life. Meeting new friends that become lifelong acquaintances, creating memories with others that will last a lifetime, and even learning where you may belong and what you love to do. These are just a few of things that happened to me while at Purdue the past 4 years. Everyone has different experiences and interests but through Purdue you are given so much more, and the future is limitless if you put in the effort and time. I have enjoyed the opportunity to tell others what I have learned, experienced, and discovered while being an undergraduate student at Purdue. I hope my words provide some wisdom to those who are looking for it and I wish the best to all those who chose to continue their education at Purdue University. For my last time as an agronomy ambassador, Boiler Up and Hammer Down!

I may be a junior in college, but TV shows from my childhood still hold a spot in my daily routine. Every morning when I wake up, my roommate turns on M.A.S.H, which I switch over to Looney Tunes once he leaves, shows we both watched as a kid in the morning. In the afternoon, I tend to turn on SpongeBob for fun, as the title refers to in one episode. The shows may not be as funny anymore, but the nostalgia holds true.

Easter was just a few short weeks ago and as studying for finals is in full swing, I have to give all thanks to my family members that still continue to give me an Easter basket at age 21. I’ve now gotten to the point where I must try and ration all peeps to make it to my Friday final. This is almost as stressful as the finals themselves.

As my junior year comes to a close I can’t help but be relieved and sad at the same time. I’ve had some memorable experiences with great people I’ve met this year and years prior. Most years in school you’re excited for summer and a break, but looking forward, I know this is my last summer when I’ll return to school in August. It makes me think about how next year I’ll have to take every opportunity I can, because my time here at Purdue is quickly coming to an end.

During my time at Purdue I have been involved in many student organizations and clubs. One of the most impactful has been the Purdue Grand Prix Foundation. Beginning freshman year during covid I was looking for ways to get involved on campus, since there were no “real” activities happening. I knew some students who were involved with Grand Prix and decided to give it a try. I first joined junior board and served under 2 directors. And that year at the race I got to escort our Grand Marshall, President Daniels, around the track. After the first year I was hooked and wanted to get more involved. I then applied for senior board and got the position of sales director. Through this position I have been able to work with amazing sponsors and create some awesome merchandise. I have also had the opportunity to interact with students outside of the college of agriculture. Some of these students I would have never interacted with if it wasn’t for Grand Prix. Putting on the “Greatest Spectacle in College Racing” alongside some of my best friends has been an exhilarating experience. Going into my senior year I decided to take a step back and let a new person fill the role. And although I’m sad to step away I know my time in the foundation has been instrumental in my college career. Closing a chapter in your book can be bittersweet and hard. But let this be a reminder that it is okay to move onto the next chapter!

Recently I was having a conversation with my cousin about the qualities and culture of different ag schools and how that impacts the atmosphere of the campus. He had recently attended some college career fairs, including Purdue’s, as a recruiter and had made some important observations from his visits. One of his comments caught my attention and really made me think about the culture of Purdue Ag. He mentioned that Boilermaker’s are just different, and they stand out. He wasn’t just talking about standing out professionally but personally as well.    Boilermakers bring commitment and hardworking values; they bring respect and integrity. The values and morals that are housed inside the Purdue Agricultural Department are rare to find and they run so deep that you can almost find them engrained into the walls of Lilly. You can see them in a passing conversation with Dr. Lee Schweitzer or a friendly hello from a fellow student in the hallway or a word of encouragement from Jane during finals week. The qualities that both the faculty and the students exhibit stand out in today’s world.    Purdue Agriculture puts the time and resources towards helping students succeed in all areas of life and that stems into their personal lives as well. The effectiveness of Purdue Ag in helping students succeed and stand out in all areas of life can be seen through the fact that Purdue Agriculture has been recognized as the number three college of agriculture in North America for 2023. Boiler Up!  

Even though spring break is well in the past and we all are moving on to the warmer months of summer, Costa Rica is still not far from my mind. Over spring break, I studied abroad in Costa Rica with the College of Agriculture. Our program focused on sustainability and ecotourism, two things that I was not sure that I would have a whole lot of interest in. I was mistaken and found both topics intriguing. Costa Rica is a country that makes most of its revenue from tourism. But the problem is these big resorts come in from other countries and build right on the beach. These all-inclusive resorts ensure that the tourists never have to leave the resort, therefore not allowing any of their money into Costa Rica’s economy. To solve this problem the government put some laws in place that did not allow the resorts to have private beaches and an incentive for any local who has an eco-friendly lodge/hotel. These lodges are based on leaves and are in the middle of the jungle giving the whole experience. Those are just some of the amazing new facts and opportunities I got to experience on this trip. I highly recommend traveling to Costa Rica if you ever get the chance and be sure to experience the culture not just the resort. Pura Vida!

During the past few summers, I have started my own sweet corn business which in the past few years has grown from 1/4 acre to just over an acre. Starting this year, we decided to plant our first batch of sweet corn at the very beginning of April. This is in comparison to last year where we planted the first batch in the middle of May. After talking with a few of my teachers here at Purdue, we have decided to bring in plastic tarping across the patch both before planting and after. By doing this we hope to hold in the heat and provide a better growing environment for the growth of the sweet corn. We also hope that it helps to suppress the growth of weeds for a few weeks. The overall goal of planting this patch of sweet corn early is to try and have it ready to pick before the Fourth of July, which is one of the best times to enjoy some fresh sweet corn!

Every year it seems that the end of March and the beginning of April is beautiful weather. More often than not, you see farmers itching to start running the first week of April if not sooner anymore. The weather and conditions are usually fit at this point in time for fieldwork to begin. However, it always seems towards the end of April, it turns off extremely cold and wet. This makes it a difficult decision to decide whether to being fieldwork. Do you risk the weather and try to get the benefits of the early start, or play it safe and risk running behind? Ultimately from experiences I have seen, I would say it’s worth the risk to try and get the benefits of the early spring. It seems the crops today can withstand these conditions and provide excellent benefits making it much worth the risk of beginning early.

The time has come to graduate and move on to the next thing. Some go to the industry, while others will go back to the farm. I am going to work for the NRCS with the USDA as a soil conservationist. Last summer I interned with them, and luckily will be going back to that same office. I am excited to move on and learn even more than I did last year. My hope is to stay with the NRCS and one day become a District Conservationist either in Indiana or Illinois. I am excited for the adventure, and to start my career. Until we meet again Purdue.

I have always said I would never graduate early. I didn’t want to miss anything, and I won’t come back to school, so I was going to enjoy all four years. I even added a minor to extend my time to fill all four years. Then, things changed. Opportunities arose that I can not pass. I worked with my advisor, and I am going to graduate a semester early. My advice would be to always keep an open mind. You never know what God will put in your life. 

On the weekend of April 20th-22nd, a group of us in the Agronomy Club traveled to Spring SASES at Kansas State. We saw friends from other schools, heard from speakers about topics in agriculture, and had contests and socials. Our crops team finished second as a team, and we all enjoyed our time while learning a lot. I encourage any ag student to go to SASES events.

I cannot believe it is the end of senior year already. I am very grateful for my time at Purdue and excited for the next chapter. One of my friends recently said to me, “what are you going to remember from your college experience: doing your schoolwork or the time you spent with your friends?” The answer is without a doubt, the time I spent with my friends (although it is likely that I will  also remember the toughest classes and exams I took). My parting wisdom to those beginning their time at Purdue is to do the things that you’ll remember, and to not worry too much about your coursework. When you look back, what do you think you will remember the most when you are a graduating senior?

The past few weeks campus has started to become its most beautiful of the year. After some heavy rains for about two weeks, the grass has turned green, the Wabash is full, the flowers are blooming and the leaves are back on the trees. Just today as I was walking to the union, the Purdue grounds crew was out cutting the grass in Memorial Mall and I got a whiff that everyone should love, fresh cut grass. I had on a sweatshirt and enjoyed the 65 degree weather. As finals are coming around just as the weather turns nice, I can’t help but think the two couldn’t have aligned better. Students get great weather to cheer their spirits during a possibly stressful time.

April always flies by at Purdue with fun events such as Ag Week, Grand Prix, and End-of-the-Year Banquets. Purdue Grand Prix Race 66 was definitely a highlight of my semester! I enjoyed getting to see the new track and seeing how competitive everyone is on race day. One thing I love about Purdue is even though there are so many students participating in large events you always know someone there. My friend Sami Delay was the President of Grand Prix this year and seeing the amount of hours and hard work they put into the race all year is extremely impressive. One of my friends was in the Race 66 Queens Programs and it was so fun to support her on race day. The Queens Program is made up of a group of women who host their own service projects and volunteer their time at all Grand Prix Events. I absolutely recommend everyone to go watch next years race!

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to California for a national’s crops judging contest with Purdue through the crops judging team here in the agronomy department. I was able to see orchards on top of orchards, and vineyards, which was very cool to be able to see how different agriculture out West was. Besides agricultural stuff we saw Yosemite, which was an amazing experience, and just being able to see tall sequoias trees out there was breathtaking. I have all of the pictures to prove it, and I will definitely make a trip back out West in the near future! Besides being able to see all of those different things the experience will last a lifetime, because I was able to build long lasting relationships with people all over the country. Participating in events like that bigger than yourself is really important thing to do while in college, because it allows you to grow as a person and helps prepare you for a career within agriculture. Also, an important thing is that it looks good in an interview, which could set you apart from other candidates in that field. 

I am officially down to one more presentation and more more final and I will be done with all my college classes. It’s hard to comprehend as I feel like just a few days ago I started my college career here at Purdue. Now that I am graduating, I am definitely ready to get out in the real world and start working but it’s hard to believe I am just 2 short weeks away from that. As this being one of the last weeks at Purdue I am trying my best to enjoy time with friends and enjoy all of the “Last class, last assignment, last meeting, last night to hang out with all my friends.” I’m gonna miss Purdue and Purdue Agronomy but excited to keep all the great memories and friends I made throughout the last 3 years here. It is defiantly a bittersweet moment. 

College is tough. No doubt about it. However, I think there are missed opportunities within our college experience. A prime example comes from the impact our grades have on our view of education. For so many years, I used to only care about seeing the A in the gradebook. I now understand that there is such privilege that comes with being able to attend higher education. With this in mind, I challenge college students to “stop and smell the roses” on their way to class, after an exam, or on your way home from that long study session. We are only in college once, and there is so much to be thankful for. 

We have 2 more weeks left in the semester. I only have one more semester left. I am ready to be done so I can be back home on the farm more so I am excited to be done. Hopefully it quits raining so we can plant some crops.

This year has been a bad year to get the sprayer rolling. Two weeks ago I went to test it and it started having problems. So last week I started pulling the front cover off the motor to replace a valves. The parts are gonna be here this week so what a good way to spend dead week by working on a sprayer.

To end Ag week, Purdue hosts spring fest. It is a one-day event inviting the public to come to campus and learn about various topics. They have booths from about every department in the College of Agriculture, with a few others. The agronomy department specifically has two educational booths and sells drinks and elephant ears. The day tends to be targeted at little kids so they can all learn more about agriculture.  It is a great way to teach kids as well as the public about agriculture and what we do here at Purdue. We had a great turnout and met many new people throughout the day. Can’t wait until next year!    

During spring break I traveled to Greece with around 20 other students in the College of Agriculture at Purdue. We stayed in two major cities to experience the culture and learn about Greek agriculture. The first city was Thessaloniki, one of Greece’s industrial cities, it is also the home to the American Farm School, which we visited often to explore different agricultural practices. Along with the American Farm School, we toured a variety of farms such as a Water Buffalo, Olive Oil, and Honeybee Farm. My experience was not only limited to farm tours we also took a traditional Greek Dance class, to fully immerse ourselves in a component of Greek culture that they have incorporated in times of celebration and sadness. Studying Abroad has become an influential part of my college experience and I encourage each of my peers to seek out a similar experience that suits them and their path of study. The College of Agriculture has a wide selection of study abroad programs that have different time frames, studies, and locations. It is a positive experience that can help you explore agriculture’s impact across the globe and with personal development.

Beginning the second week of April it gets hectic around campus. Not only is the weather starting to warm up but it’s Ag week. Ag Week is put on by Ag Week Task Force, throughout the week different clubs, companies, and organizations help teach our fellow peers that might not know a lot about agriculture what we all know about agriculture! It is a super fun week, Ag Week Task Force does a great job promoting agriculture in such a positive way! They have daily promo items such as cups, shirts, and stickers. One of my favorite promo items this year was the farmers feed the World tote bag. For the agronomy club, we had a booth on Wednesday where we taught about erosion and had free popcorn! We also had a cornhole tournament and cookout on Thursday night with 20 teams participating!  The second thing that makes April really busy is the spring fest! The agronomy department and agronomy club help put this on by selling pop and elephant ears. This year we are helping teach the public about erosion. This is a great way to help educate the general public about agriculture!  Even though this month can be super busy it is one of the most rewarding seeing students and the public learn more about agriculture and how we would not be where we are today without it! 

It’s finally April, so that means Ag Week and Spring Fest are here! Ag Week features events and giveaways all week long and allows students from all backgrounds to learn and be involved in agriculture. It is a great way for the college of ag to demonstrate what agriculture is all about, and how it is evolving every day! Spring Fest is a great event for students, friends, family, and others in the community to come together and have fun while learning about what goes on in the college of ag as well as other colleges in the university! Whether you are a student, faculty, staff, or just visiting, stop by and out these events this week!

IM sports also known as intramural sports are my personal favorite activity to participate in here on campus. Purdue has a wide variety of competitive and non competitive sports that you can participate in with your friends here on campus. Some examples of sports you can play are basketball, flag football, ultimate frisbee, soccer, volleyball, softball, and many more. IM sports allow for students to compete in sport events without the commitment required to be a D1 athlete or competing on a club team.  I personally play three sports throughout the IM season such as basketball, soccer, and sand volleyball. My favorite part of each season is the playoff tournament because no matter what your record was during the regular season you still get a chance to win the championship in your league. Granted it will be harder since you might have a worse seed but it is still possible. Last night my sand volleyball team who was 0-4 in the regular season went on to win our first game in the first round of the playoffs which keeps us alive in the tournament allowing us to keep playing. Overall IM sports are one of my favorite hobbies and i highly recommend new students give them a try! 

As a senior in high school, who was applying to Purdue, I was overwhelmed by what the College of Agriculture had to offer. I couldn’t decide where I wanted my path in agriculture to be. I decided to play it safe and start in ag business. Getting a degree in business would open up many doors for me, and lead me to what I want in my career. Or so I thought. After my first semester here at Purdue I switched my major to Agronomy. It wasn’t that I made a “mistake” choosing ag business, it just was not the major that suited my true interest. You think you have to know every detail of life planned by the time you graduate high school, but you don’t have to know every single detail. If you are reading this saying “This is totally me”, don’t stress out. The College of Agriculture has many majors to offer, but also it is an easy college to transfer to. I say this meaning if you start in Agronomy and decide to switch to Forestry then it won’t be a hassle at all. Every opportunity at Purdue is a great opportunity. Take risks, explore your interest, talk to your professors, get involved on campus, and learn as much as you can. College is a short few years full of life lessons and learning, not “mistakes.”

If you have been in Indiana/the Midwest for the past week, you know the weather has felt like whiplash. You step out in the morning with the warm sun, but after class its pouring so hard that your shoes fill with water. As annoying as these shifts in weather are, they are quite symbolic of our lives. Your mood can shift just as fast as the temperature can drop in Indiana. Just remember, push through the rainy days of your life, just as you do when you forget your raincoat on campus. If you are lucky enough, you have friends who might even pick you up (in their car) on your bad days.  

It’s finally here. The last month of the year. For some, like me, this is the last month of school ever. As I look back at my college career I think of the things that I wish I had done and the things I wish I had done differently. The thing I regret the most was not getting involved more. I did my fair share of volunteer work, but at the end of the day I was always more worried about getting assignments and other things done. That homework would have gotten done regardless if I was at a club meeting or doing something else. Now, I am in the last month of class; and about to pin down my first job. Don’t ask yourself if you should do something, just go do it. 

During this semester, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the fish fry the college of agriculture puts on every year for alumni. I had a great time serving my community and being able to connect with those people who attended. I was able to meet some new people and enjoy some time with my fellow classmates.  I was able to hear from Purdue’s president and his plans for the future of the agriculture department. He talked about his vision for Purdue and how he wanted to continue to grow the college of agriculture and being able to hear that was really interesting. Awards were given out to faculty for their work during the event, which was cool to see them be recognized for their research. Being involved in agronomy club and agronomy ambassadors has allowed me to get involved in more ways than I ever thought possible. We always have a good time at meetings or different events we attend like the fish fry.  

One of the most impactful organizations I have been involved in while at Purdue has been Agriculture Future of America. AFA is an organization open to any college student that is pursuing a career in food, natural resources, or agriculture. Every November their annual leaders’ conference takes place in Kansas City, MO. Students have the opportunity to attend four years of this. Each year students move onto a different track, there are 4 tracks in total. The organization also has institutes that students can attend. I recently attended the technology institute in Orlando, FL. The technology institute takes place during the commodity classic and allows students to engage in the event. I had the opportunity to interact with many leading companies in agriculture. I got to see emerging technology and see the practical application that it can provide. There are also general sessions, the Secretary of Agriculture spoke this year! The commodity classic is an incredible event and I encourage you to attend.

During my time here at Purdue I have had the chance to volunteer at many different events. Most of my time volunteering has been with Agronomy Club. I have been able to volunteer at the ag alumni fish fry and also food finders. Food Finders of Greater Lafayette is a food bank near Purdue. This week for the agronomy club we have around 15 people going to their storefront to help sort and organize so it’s easy for the public to come and get the food they need. Last year we got to go to the warehouse where we sorted all the different types of meats. The meat we sorted then went to the storefront for the public to get, it will be really great to be on the other side and see the storefront this time! It is so fun to volunteer with your friends and give back to the community! 

This spring semester has been flying by. It is hard to believe that we are already half way through this semester. One of the drawbacks of being halfway done with the semester is that it means we are in week 9 of school which is probably the second hardest week in the semester only behind finals. The reason this week is so tough is because it is midterm week. Having four midterms on top of normal school work while also trying to prepare for spring break plans and work can be overwhelming.  Once you do somehow survive the week 9 struggle and get through all your midterms and homework you can finally relax for a week usually on a beach somewhere with your friends! After this long awaited spring break trip is over however I’ll be busy once again preparing for our upcoming Agronomy Club trips and events we will have going on this spring. I am overall looking forward to getting these exams done and enjoying my break so I feel ready to finish the semester strong when we come back! -Trey

The second half of the spring semester is a busy time in Purdue Agronomy. In Late March and April, there are many trips and campus wide events that Purdue Agronomy students are involved in. This spring a group of students on the Soils team will travel for National Soil contest. Another group of soil and crops judging students will travel to California for NACTA where they will compete against other Universities in the soil and crop judging contest. Then at the end of April, a group of students including myself will travel to Kansas State University for the Spring SASES meeting.  In between all of these great trips students will be taking, we are also involved in Purdue Ag Week and Spring fest. This is a week in April where the College of Ag promotes and teaches Agriculture to other students and kids who do not know a lot about Agriculture. Purdue Agronomy Club puts up a booth every year during Ag Week to inform other students about things like Corn types, GMO’s, erosion, etc. We also. put on a Corn hole Tournament open to all students to raise money for Food Finders during this week. Spring Fest occurs at the end of this week and is open to families in nearby communities to teach kids about Agriculture.  With all that being said, we are all excited for the upcoming trips and events coming up this spring! Many of us are also ready for the warmer weather as well as the start of planting season and other end of semester activities that will be here before we know it!

Coming into my freshman year I was a double major in Ag Business and Crop Science, thinking I wanted to focus on the business side of agriculture. The first semester I was in Crop Production (AGRY 105), which changed my perspective on my major. Learning from Dr. Gerber, working in the Crop Resource Center, and learning about more agronomy classes led me to switch majors. I love sharing with others all the aspects of Purdue Agronomy and what it has to offer while attaining your degree. Obviously, the professors who work in the department are great and always willing to help you succeed on your journey. With their years of experience and passion for agriculture, I am always excited to learn from their classes. These professors usually have research labs in which you could work. This is an excellent opportunity to learn numerous things and make connections for grad school. I am also a member of the Agronomy club, you can be any major and be involved in this club, but it has been a great outlet to make friends. Many of my peers who I am in classes with are also in agronomy club. We have club every week and it is always something different. We hear from industry, have work sessions, and participate in fun activities like Ag Olympics. The Soil Resource Center and the Crop Resource Center are both excellent classrooms where you can go for help, work on homework, or talk to other students. Although this is a college of Agriculture event, the Career Fair is so extremely helpful. There are numerous companies there wanting to talk to you and offer you a summer internship with their company. This was an experience I will forever be thankful for because it led me to make great connections and get the internship I have always wanted. If my high school self would have known of all the things Purdue Agronomy has to offer to help me succeed I would have definitely chosen that pathway first. Truly, Purdue Agronomy is an excellent program that set you up for a successful agronomic career.

At this point, I’ve spent almost 8 semesters at the great Purdue University. I’ve studied through COVID, post-pandemic culture, and the somewhat “back to normal” life on campus now. As I reflect on what I’ve done, what I didn’t do, and what I should’ve done, I have some advice that may be helpful.  Lean on the academic resources that are available to you. Academic Advisors (Jane is the best), Faculty Mentors, Professors, TAs, and even your fellow classmates are all wonderful people to help you along the way. Whether you’re trying to pass a difficult class, find an internship, or even seek out full-time opportunities, most of these people would be more than willing to assist.  Live off campus. Some might disagree with me, but I have found a few benefits to this. First of all it’s almost always cheaper, especially if you’ve got roommates. Second, it’s nice to escape from campus when needed. Sometimes campus activities and classes can be overwhelming, so getting away from that can be refreshing. My last benefit is there is usually plenty of parking. Parking on campus is awful, even for those living there with an assigned spot. I appreciate being able to park right outside of my door without it being cramped and busy.  Make sure get a College Education. Classes come first. After all, that’s why you’re here in the first place. Turn in all your assignments, show up for every quiz, and try to do well on exams. It’s a lot less stressful when you do these things. However, take the time to have fun. You’re going to find the best of friends here at Purdue, and you’re going to learn many life lessons with them. Don’t take for granted the time you have with them, because once you graduate, you won’t have time to waste time at the chocolate shop on a random Tuesday night.  Don’t work a full-time job in school. This one is a little more personal because most people don’t do this. Backstory, I had the opportunity to work part-time for the company I accepted a full-time position with. I would be doing half of my full-time job as I was finishing up my degree. It’s been a wonderful experience, however I shouldn’t have done that. It has taken a lot of my free time, and I haven’t been able to enjoy my last semester as much as I should’ve. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t accept a full-time opportunity while you’re still in school. Just don’t start working for them until you’ve graduated.  Well, there you have it. My very last blog post ever. BOILER UP! Ever grateful, ever true, -Makala Hammons, Agronomy – Business & Marketing

The College of Ag Career fairs are some of the greatest opportunities to land an internship, or even a full-time position. As a Senior graduating this May, I’ve had the chance to be on both sides of the table. I think I’d prefer being a recruiter, however being a student seeking opportunity first was necessary for a start! Here are a few tips from a recruiter perspective that could help you succeed at your next career fair! Make sure you bring several copies of your resumes! Recruiters use these so we remember who you are and what you’re looking for. When you approach the table, have your elevator speech prepared. Sometimes we will start the conversation, but sometimes it’s up to you! Keeping it conversational is important! Don’t be nervous. We love meeting new people and having good conversations!  If the table has promo gear, TAKE SOME! Especially if we’ve just finished a great conversation. Most of all, remember that companies come to campus to meet you. We are ready to talk about our opportunities and how they could work for you!    

Establishing a foundational relationship with your peers and mentors is an important part of the college experience. Freshman year comes with challenges but, when upper classmen reach out to help guide and teach it can minimize those difficulties. Even in my sophomore year I have been able to take my experiences and learn from them to help advise those in their first year. The agronomy department has two mentoring programs that students can participate in to build relationships and gain advise from. The first program is the Agronomy Friend which is where freshmen can choose to be paired with an upper-class man to have someone to reach out to and become friends with. I have thoroughly enjoyed being on both ends of this program because I have gained two meaningful friendships from it. The other opportunity is through the Faculty Mentor program, where each student is assigned a mentor and will meet with them once a semester. During each of these meetings the faculty member shares words of wisdom regarding academics and next steps in life. After participating in each of these programs I encourage incoming students to take advantage of them and I am grateful for the resources that the agronomy department provides for their students. 

If you want a distraction from the stress of school; and also want a way to get outside more, than go get a dog. The start of my junior year I found myself bored and because I lived alone, I did not get out that much other than to go to class. Getting a dog to spend my free time with has been one of the best things I have done. Especially during the stressful times of the school year it is so nice to get out and take a break with a fur child. Also by getting a dog you have someone to start your adult work life with after you graduate. They can make moving or making a change less stressful.  So this is your sign, if you thinking of getting a dog. Do it. (Or cat if cats are more your speed.) 🙂

We all know that time of the school year when you just want a break. Classwork seems to be piling up along with a never-ending list of meetings and activities. And spring break has never felt so far away. As I walk to class and hear students talking everyone is talking about the same few things. “I have so many exams”, “I feel like I have no time to relax”, and “I just want a break” are a few of the most common ones. I often find myself saying the same exact things. And while my chaotic schedule is mostly self-inflicted I find myself feeling the same exact way. One thing I always keep in the back of my mind is “embrace the suck”. I first heard this back in high school about sports. While you may not enjoy every moment of college or your job it will eventually pass. Taking time out of class to hang out with friends, take a walk, or just a Netflix break can help tremendously with burnout.  You don’t have to love every moment just remember this too will pass! 

With whatever stage of life you are at (finishing high school, finishing college, or starting a new career), trying to look into what your future may look like can be scary. We all attempt to figure out exactly what it will look like; who will stay in my life, how will my routines change, and how will I change. As I am starting to look towards graduating from Purdue and moving into graduate school, I am often kept up at night with thoughts similar to these. In those nights, I usually call my mom, and she always says to me, “Transfer your terror into excitement.” What a fantastic outlook. If we can shift our scary thoughts into ones like who will I meet, how will I build a better life, and how will I grow, we can create a mindset that is prepared and ready for the big change. Therefore, I challenge everyone to get excited for your next big change, I know that I am! 

As the weather starts to get warmer, being outside around campus becomes a lot more enjoyable. At Purdue, we’re fortunate to have a lot of beautiful outdoor areas around campus to enjoy after being stuck inside all winter. Happy Hollow Park and Horticulture Park are two great areas to explore when you need to take a break from studying or the fluorescent lights in Lilly Hall (plants aren’t the only organisms that should be getting sunlight!) These parks are both within walking distance of campus—in fact, Horticulture Park is less than 10 minutes away from Lilly! If you have the opportunity to venture off campus, the Celery Bog Nature Area is another great spot to enjoy the outdoors and learn about West Lafayette wildlife at the Lilly Nature Center found there.  

It is hard to believe it is actually my last semester! It feels like four years have flown by! Senior year has by far been the most hectic, but rewarding. Without too many required classes left to take, I have had more time to take classes for fun, devote more time to research, and even be a TA for a class I enjoyed taking previously. I am glad that my course load is light so I can make time for all of the things I enjoy doing without the added stress. It also gives me the opportunity to keep learning new things and having new academic experiences. In my point of view, this last semester is all about preparing for graduate school while still avoiding burn out and finishing my last semester strong. With that being said, try your best to incorporate all of the things you like to do in your schedule! It will make your time at Purdue go much faster. Have a great Spring 2023 semester!

I think it would be a very good idea for you to come to Purdue. There are lots of fun things to do here and many great classes that you can take. However, probably one of the most enjoyable things at Purdue is becoming an Agronomy Ambassador because you get the joy of writing these blog posts.

Summer is always a good time! Either if that is traveling, being outside, or even spending time with family. I know my favorite part about summer is internships, because internships allow you to figure out what you want to do for your career, it also allows you to gain experience when it comes to looking at what a company can offer you. I know my internship last year allowed me to set my sights on what I wanted to do and what internships would allow for me to peruse my interests. Going through the process of looking for companies and talking with companies you pick up on different things that you could improve on for next time. A big thing which I have learned through talking with companies would be researching the company beforehand. This allows you to be prepared when someone asks you a question about their company. Another thing would be this process allows you to learn how to build a resume which can be the deal breaker when it comes to getting a position or not.  I have learned so much from internships just form the pasts couple of years, and I look forward to what the future has instore for me!

Purdue Mens Basketball is having one of its most successful seasons in the history of the program so far. Thanks to players like Zach Edey, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Ethan Morton, and Mason Gillis Purdue is seeing a lot of wins this season. Even with the loss to Rutgers and sadly IU, Purdue stays at # 1 in the ap polls and is pushing to win the BIG 10 conference and hopefully we will see them make a run for at least the final four this march madness.  Having good sports teams in college can make student life much more enjoyable. Going to games with friends is one of my personal favorite pass times here at Purdue. There is nothing like standing in Mackey Arena or Ross-Ade Stadium with all of the other students cheering on your school and being proud of the college you go to. Seeing as I don’t have many semesters left here at Purdue I am hoping to see our basketball team stay at #1 for the remainder of the season and I am looking forward to the football season next year!

It’s crazy to think that I just started my last semester here at Purdue only a few weeks ago. This semester feels quite a bit different than the last few semesters. This is because I am only in 12 credit hours where I am used to 15-17. I also am not an officer in the Agronomy Club anymore which took up quite a bit of time the last 4 semesters. Along with this, my other extracurriculars on campus have required less of a time commitment.   Since my club involvement has required less time and responsibility, it has allowed time to focus more on everything I need to do in order to get ready for graduation and after graduation. With this extra time I have been able to secure a full time job that I will start right after graduation. I am also planning on taking the international CCA test this semester so I can start the process to get my Certified Crop Advisor license. One last event I am looking forward to this semester is attending Spring SASES at the end of the April at K-State University with a group of other Agronomy Students. This will be a fun event to learn new things and hang out with my friends in Purdue Agronomy as well as meet other Agronomy students across the country! 

Summer internships are strongly encouraged in college and are a great way to boost your resume. They are a great way to gain skills in your area of interest and network in the agriculture industry. The internship application and interview season starts in October and runs until about March. The Purdue College of Ag career fair is one of the largest career fairs and is a great way to start the internship hunt. Most people I have talked to have had an internship for months, but here I am, still looking. I have the opportunity to go on a two-week study abroad trip in May, cutting my internship time short. This has caused a few problems while applying and interviewing for internships, but I still have many options. There are still tons of internships available, and Jane is great about keeping the undergrads informed about internship openings. If you don’t get an internship when all of your peers do, don’t panic. You have plenty of time to find an internship perfect for you! 

This semester I am truly focusing on the science and systematic approach of Agronomy. I am taking Organic Chemistry, Biology, Cropping Systems, and Farm Organization. These classes have all been very interesting and are structured in a way that helps me succeed as a student. AGRY 375 is Cropping Systems and is currently taught by Lee Schwitzer, an excellent teacher. In this class, we touch on all important topics pertaining to agronomic decisions from a business standpoint to a farmer’s perspective. I am glad to be taking this class in the Spring of my sophomore year since I have already taken Crop Production (AGRY 105) and Soil Science (AGRY 255). These classes helped better prepare me to hear and receive the information better in AGRY 375. All three of these classes are key components of a Purdue Agronomy degree. Biology is another class I am enjoying given it is touching on the basics of biology and the labs have been very insightful. Farm Organization (AGEC 310) is an excellent class because it helps me as a student to better understand the business and decision-making behind farming. Currently, we are talking about succession planning, which is a hard topic for many farmers, but I have learned numerous things. I am eager to see what this semester has in store for me and to see what knowledge I gain come summer. Speaking of summer, I am extremely excited about my summer internship with Advanced Agrilytics. I will be a field scout for them this coming summer working in both Tippecanoe and Montgomery County. I know being a field scout is not always glamorous but I am so excited to have my boots on the ground this summer to help farmers to better succeed. Throughout my two short years here at Purdue, thus far, I have discovered I have a strong interest in crop management. Advanced Agrilytics prioritizes this and ensures interns will learn and walk away a better agronomist than before. I am most excited to interact with farmers and better communicate what I am seeing in their production acres. I believe this internship will help me to better communicate, problem-solve, and develop agronomic knowledge. All key components needed looking forward to my future career.

If you’re a Purdue student or have any friends/family members that attended Purdue, you’ve probably heard that they don’t clear the snow here, but instead just polish the ice. I’m currently in my third year here at Purdue and during my time I’ve seen my fair share of winter weather and polished sidewalks. I’ve strayed away from the idea that they might just be doing a poor job, but instead this is a way to help build character. By creating a slick surface, we as students learn time management skills by leaving earlier, because we know we will have to walk slower to prevent the inevitable encounter with Winter’s slip and slide. We improve our eyesight and balance when battling these harmless blocks of H2O. These polished sidewalks don’t make life difficult; they help build us up for the rest of life.

College is a unique opportunity to find who you truly are. However, progress towards discovering the person you are meant to be can be stalled by the desire to “fit in”. Whether this push to conform comes from your friends, parents, or whoever, it is the greatest disservice you can do for yourself and your community. Once you start to celebrate your individuality, people notice and start to celebrate with you. Additionally, a strong individual will only aid the community. Various thoughts and ideas will help lead increased innovation and understanding. With all of this being said, how did I find my niche? Your niche can be through various things: clothes, organizations, hobbies, or the classes you take. Whenever I began to celebrate who I truly was, I became a better person, friend, and peer. I encourage all of you to take of some to get to know yourself, because cultivating self-love will greatly benefit you in every aspect of your life. 

In December of 2020, I was accepted to be a member of Purdue Ag Council. I went through an interview and application process to join Ag Council and I am so thankful for that opportunity. Ag Council is an organization on Purdue’s campus that hosts events for students and encourages clubs in the College of Ag to stay involved. Ag Council is a two-year term for college students. The second year, I was elected Treasurer for Ag Council. The treasurer is in charge of collecting and managing all of Ag Council’s financial accounts. I kept record of club payments for events, reimbursements of members, and checking BOSO accounts. Ag Council hosts large campus wide events, such as Moonlight Pancake Breakfast, Ag Olympics, Hog Roast, Hot Chocolate Social, Ice Cream Social, and Leadership Retreats. Ag Council promotes leadership, teamwork, and responsibility. I enjoyed my involvement in Ag Council and would encourage Purdue Ag Students to take part in this organization!  

  While reflecting upon the past 3.5 years, I can definitely identify some “yays” and “nays” in my time here at Purdue. It took me a year or so to start getting involved in things I was interested in or thought could be a good experience. If there was one thing I would tell my freshman-year self, it would be to take advantage of every opportunity presented. Now, if there was one thing I could tell my junior-year self, I’d let her know it’s okay to say no to things. There’s a balance to involvement—it’s crucial to keeping your sanity and reducing your caffeine intake. Involvement is so important (and fun) but there’s only so much one person can do. It’s beneficial to take a moment to think about whether you have sufficient time and energy for the things you need to do before taking on another event/task/position. There are so many cool organizations and clubs to join at Purdue that can help prepare you for your future; take your time in figuring out what’s a good fit for you to make the most of what Purdue offers.

This has been a pretty good semester. I have really enjoyed my Farm Management and Weed Science classes. However, I am excited for break especially since all my finals are online so I get to go home a week early.

Absolutely. I’ve written about data science here before, but I can’t stress enough how beneficial it is to take a few classes and develop those skills. Being able to work with large data sets is so for plant genetics and breeding—and honestly, most majors. A few courses I would recommend are ENTM 242, which gives a great introduction to R and data analysis, and AGR 333 (having a little previous experience with R is beneficial for this course). You don’t have to become a programming genius but having the fundamental skills of taking raw data and being able to work and analyze it is worth taking the extra credits of data science classes. If you don’t want to take an entire course but are motivated to learn on your own, there are a ton of free online resources that can get you started on your data science journey.

This Fall I worked for a farmer out in Benton County, IN, there I learned what all goes into a farm operation. I was able to gain new experiences and gain new skills that will help me in the future.  I was able to take what I was learning in courses to the farm and see how everything plays into a big operation like the one I worked for.   As I continue to learn different things in my courses, I will be able to build on those experiences and skills for the future. It’s amazing the different opportunities being a Boilermaker can open up for you.  I plan to continue working for this farmer again in the spring to see how class material is applied to a farm operation. 

It’s almost the most wonderful time of the year, minus the one week that college students dread most of all…. Finals week. Just keep in mind you’re almost there. Give yourself plenty of time for each one, so you are not cramming last second. Sleep is key and if you’re up studying all night you may forget some key points. Find some people in your class to study with. In my opinion studying in a group makes it easier. If you do not get the score you want, don’t panic. Once you’re through it, you can say you made it and go do whatever you would like for the next month. Go see the friends and family you’ve been away from and enjoy a stress free break.

Over the course of one week, I had the opportunity to travel to Baltimore, Maryland and Kansas City, Missouri. While in Maryland I attended my first Students of Agronomy Soils and Environmental Science (SASES) meeting. This meeting allowed me to connect with students from different universities with interests in crop and soil management. I was able to engage in many conversations that revolved around improving yields to provide for a growing global population. While at SASES I also competed in the speech contest where I was awarded 3rd place. I am looking forward to attending again in the spring and I encourage other members to attend as well. In Kansas City The National AFA (Agriculture Future on America) Organization held a leadership conference that collegiate students from all across the country attended to strengthen their leadership skills. Along with leadership skills the conference also gave students the opportunity to speak to companies about potential internships or full-time positions. This conference provides a constructive way for students to better prepare themselves for their professional role in society. Both of these trips allowed me to expand my network in the agricultural community and build valuable skills that will help me accomplish tasks in the work force. As a sophomore, I have thoroughly enjoyed taking advantage of these beneficial trips because I appreciate the opportunity to continue to learn outside of the classroom.

As a senior with graduation approaching, it is time to plant my next steps. There a couple options, working, going to graduate school, or pursuing other interests. In my case, I have spent my fall semester applying for graduate school. Instead of job hunting, I am more interested in pursuing more education, and hopefully obtain a PhD. My dream job would be a research scientist or a professor at a university. I love research and I find teaching to be rewarding. But that is certainly not for everyone! A majority of students go straight to the workforce, and there are many opportunities upon graduation. Finding the right job and career you wish to pursue is the most important result of your college education. In fact past students I have met that have graduated from Purdue Agronomy are happy with their career choices, so no matter which path is chosen, there are great resources and support in Agronomy!

This year I had the opportunity to travel to Kansas City Missouris to attend the AFA Leaders Conference. AFA is a great opportunity for networking with industry and other college students studying agriculture. Fortunately, this was my second year attending the conference and my trip was sponsored by Corteva Agriscience. It is a great opportunity given industry reviews your application and chooses to sponsor you to attend the conference. This is about a four-day trip where every day you get to hear from keynote speakers, attend an excellent career fair, and meet some amazing peers. One of my favorite speakers this year was a professor from the University of Illinois who helps council farming families. It was eye-opening to hear his perspective and share his own experience within a family agribusiness. We also had sessions where we learned about body language, managing money, and how to become better listeners. These topics may seem boring but I promise you they are not. The speakers are very knowledgeable and have some great information to share, but the speakers do change from year to year. The opportunity fair is an opportunity, unlike the Purdue Career fair where you can talk to big-name companies like Land O’Lakes and Cargill. When you speak with these companies at AFA it means much more than the university career fair gave you were chosen to be at AFA due to your leadership and other astonishing qualities. I strongly recommend looking into attending AFA whether you are an incoming freshman or about to start your junior year. I have made numerous connections with other agriculture students from other universities on LinkedIn and continue to stay in touch with them. College is the time to grow and expand. I believe that AFA is a great opportunity for continued growth. Plus, they offer some other opportunities outside of leaders conference like institutes and scholarships. Institutes range from crop science to a policy where you get to travel and experience these topics firsthand at industries leading companies.

My first semester of Junior year is finally coming to an end. After a tough semester of some hard classes and learning to balance work and school I can safely say I am excited for our winter break. This semester involved me taking classes such as weed science, soil and water conservation, forestry in america, physics, and soil civilization. These classes required a time commitment to say the least with multiple hours a week being spent on homework, reports, and labs. On top of this I had the opportunity to work as a TA for soils 255 and also worked in the main office for the Agronomy Department. It is safe to say I was kept very busy this semester.  This break I look forward to spending some much needed time with family seeing as I haven’t been home much this year. I also look forward to the New Year part of the break since I will be making a trip to Vermont to ski with some of my best friends. Next semester will be my second to last semester here at Purdue since I plan on graduating early. So my plans for the upcoming semesters are to stay on course and do well in my classes and to look for a job since I will be graduating within a year. See you all next semester! -Trey

It’s crazy to think that I have 2 weeks left in my last Fall Semester here at Purdue. It has been a fun but very busy semester. In the next two weeks, I have a presentation for my Agronomy senior capstone class, 2 group papers due, a lab practical for my BTNY class, along with a few other assignments. Because I have quite a few papers and presentations due I will not have any finals during finals week. This is definitely a perk about being in senior level classes is that they classes are more project based rather than test based. This allows students to learn how to work with lots of other students to meet deadlines and get the project or paper done on time. It is gonna be a very busy dead week trying to finish these papers and presentations along with studying for my lab practical. I’m getting ready for Christmas break and excited to start my last semester here at Purdue in January!

Through Agronomy at Purdue, there are three judging teams. We have a crops judging team, a forages judging team, and a soils judging team. I am on all three teams, and I love them all. These teams let you learn things that are more practical than things you learn from lectures and classes alone. You also get to travel with these teams to Regional and National contests. These contests are amazing experiences to meet students from other schools, spend time with friends, and learn about Agricultural industries around the country. Many of the things I have learned on these teams, I use when I go back home to farm, in jobs, and in internships. The hands on practical learning in team settings will make you stand out when you are applying for jobs and internships as well as helping you become a better Agronomy student.

SASES(Students of Agronomy Soils and Environmental Science) is an undergraduate conference with competitions, informative speakers, and many opportunities to network with professionals in ag. It is held at the same time as the ASA(Agronomy Society of America), SSSA(Soil Science Society of America), and CSSA(Crop Science Society of America) national meeting. There is a national meeting every fall and there is a regional meeting in the spring for undergraduate students. There are crops judging, soils judging, many different types of posters, and speech competitions. SASES conferences are an amazing way to network, make friends from all over the world, and showcase your skills. You also get to go on tours of different Agricultural industries when you are at meetings. This fall, 12 of us from the Purdue Agronomy Club got to go to the SASES meeting in Baltimore. We had a blast getting to spend time with our friends and fellow club members as well as taking advantage of all the other opportunities listed above. I highly encourage both joining Agronomy Club and going to SASES meetings. I have made some of the best friends I have through these opportunities.

As a senior sitting in the CRC working on my last homework assignment it is hard to believe that I was once a freshman wondering how anyone ever made it through college. They say that time flies, and boy are they right. It does not seem possible that I have conquered organic chemistry, participated in all of the agronomy seminars led by Dr. Schweitzer, and figured out the layout of Lily Hall over the past 3 and half years. Since day one my parents have be harping on me to enjoy the “college experience”. To them, they do not think that I fully lived out my 4 years of college like I should have. I joined clubs but not a sorority, I went home every weekend and not to every football game, I went back to my apartment to do homework rather than out with friends, I graduated a semester early, I simply just did things differently. My “college experience” has been one that I would not trade for the world. I learned how to manage my time and get the things done that needed to be done so that I could do the things I wanted to do, I made friendships that will last a lifetime because we will all be working together in the industry sometime throughout our careers, and I learned that hard work pays off in the end. Of course I managed to do all of these things during a world wide pandemic, but that made my college experience even more personalized and special. Everyone has a different way to reach the finish line. It doesn’t matter how you get there, but make sure you make the journey worth while. It’s hard to believe all of the “one last times” that are occurring this week here at Purdue for me. College wasn’t easy, it wasn’t always fun, but it was the absolute best time of my life. As I sit here and compose my last agronomy ambassador blog post, I am simply in awe about how fast it has all gone. Don’t waste time, but make every second count!   

Hello, I am Reagan Rowland, currently serving as the agronomy club president! I am inviting all of you to join the agronomy club. We meet weekly on Wednesdays at 6:00. PM in LILY 3-418. As this semester is coming to a close we would love to see some new faces next semester. Our dues are only $29 and that covers national and club dues. Throughout the semester we do various activities such as work sessions where we create kits to sell to 4-H and FFA clubs and chapters. We also have professional development events, game nights, scavenger hunts, and community service activities. It is a great way to get involved in the agronomy department and meet people within agronomy and even different majors. If you have any questions or ever need anything please feel free to contact me. Hope to see you at the agronomy club!

We are one week away from sitting around the table with family, sharing what we are thankful for, and indulging in all the food we want. The most important question now is, who holds the trophy for the best Thanksgiving dish. Now it depends on who ask, but for me the highlight is always the dessert. You have your traditional pumpkin pie, or you can mix it up and splurge on cookies and brownies. At the end of the day Thanksgiving is a day that we come together as one. This year, as well as any other year, we are thankful for the farmers that are wrapping up countless hours of harvest. Without them, Thanksgiving wouldn’t even be possible. Their hard work is what allows us to have the delicacies we all enjoy.

This year was the first year I was able to cash rent some ground and make the agronomy decisions for that land. For my soybeans I conducted a population trial and saw no yield difference between a 100k population and a 140k population. However my other soybean field showed the best yield where I planted green into standing rye then roller crimped the rye with soybeans at a V1-V2 growth stage. For my corn field I did a no till and conventional till comparison and saw similar yield between the two. This has prompted me to convert my acres to no till and I have also implemented cover crops which I just finished planting last year. This opportunity was a great way to take what I’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to a real life situation and increase the ROI on my acres and continue the family farm.

With going to a large school like Purdue, you get a bunch of benefits you might not have at a smaller school. This could be the many clubs, new buildings, an airport, lots of places to eat, and, of course, big-time sports. I was once told not many people get to go to college, an even a smaller percentage get to go to a Power 5 school, an even smaller percentage get to go to a BigTen school, and an even smaller percentage get to go to Purdue. Just this past weekend I was able to travel to the University of Illinois and watch the Boilers play a great game against a ranked team, and a few weekends before, I got to travel to Madison, Wisconsin to watch those same Boilers play a terrible game. Regardless, those opportunities wouldn’t have been possible at a smaller school, or a lot of other BigTen schools. Going to a big school has its advantages, especially if you love sports like I do!

This semester has been packed with many different experiences! I have been helping a famer out in Benton County, IN which has allowed me to apply what I have learned into a real-world scenario. I have been able to learn what goes into running a farm and make new connections for the future.  I have been taking interesting classes like AGRY 255, MGMT 212, and a genetics course.  I have also been involved with crops team during this semester where I have been learning about different seeds and plants. I have spent most of my time either in the crops resource center studying or in the greenhouse, which are my two favorite places in Lilly Hall!  I have gone to some football games and can’t wait till basketball season in Mackey arena.

This fall semester has been very busy! This semester I am in AGRY 255, which is soil science. I have enjoyed the class given I have expanded my knowledge of soils. Each week there is a lab for hands-on learning and then the material is also lectured on during the week. I am also in Agronomy sophomore seminar where we hear from past Purdue Agronomy students. This past week we got to hear from an equipment dealer who is also a farmer, which was very interesting. It taught me that in the agriculture industry you can have a successful agriculture business and farm as well. We have also heard from Agronomist for Pioneer and Channel. This class presents a great opportunity to get to know other agronomy students, and also network with past Purdue agronomy students. Recently we had the College of Agriculture Career Fair where I started looking for an internship. I decided to take an internship with Advanced Agrylitics in Benton County, IN this summer. I am very excited to be a field scout for them this summer. Although field scouting is not always the most enjoyable thing, I enjoy it a lot! I am excited about the growth I will experience through repetition and talking with farmers to expand my agronomic knowledge. When I had my interview with them we focused on who they were as a company and what their goals are. I truly was interested when they said they are a third party for farmers. They sit down with farmers and explain what is going on and give them options on how to take action. I think that is what farmers who want to focus on crop management need. This excites me and I am very interested to see how my summer internship goes with Advanced Agrilytics.

Hello my name is Jayden Brown, I’m a junior in Agronomy with a concentration in Crop and Soil Management. I’m from Rossville, Indiana where I grew up on my family farm. Growing up I was very involved in clubs and organizations ranging from FFA to Speech & Debate, along with a deep love for sports. Once I arrived on campus my love for Purdue sports grew and now you can’t find me anywhere else than Mackey Arena and Ross Ade sitting in the front five rows. I’ve deeply enjoyed my time here at Purdue and dread the day it comes to an end.

As I work my way through my last fall semester here at Purdue, I am constantly reminded and asked by others what my plans are following graduation. Some people might be able to tell you what their day-to-day activities will be for the job they have already accepted while others, like myself, can only describe their preferred job situation. At moments it can be nerve wracking to think about not being in school anymore and having duties that need to be completed to essentially keep a company or department running well. Another large milestone of joining the workforce as others say will be upon me in a hurry. Some advice that I may be able to give to others or my own perspective and journey would be to gain as much experience as possible. I have seen many of my fellow classmates work the same internships with the same companies for 3 years because that’s all they have ever wanted to do. If that is your greatest desire in life, then this advice may not be for you. For those who think they have a career or position in mind for a career. I recommend that you try it in an internship for a summer to gauge your interest and experiences afterwards. Sometimes certain jobs or careers may not be exactly like you thought. Through my various experiences I have discovered jobs that I favored I no longer wish to work and those I had little experience in I enjoyed to the fullest. The real world may not always be what you or I think, but through many opportunities I have been able to narrow down my preferences and search for my next step with greater confidence then I may have been able to without them.

There is a certain comfort that surrounds someone when they are with those they take their classes with. As there is a warmth to that comfort, joining organizations outside of your major is one of the best opportunities you can take in college. There is possibility for new friendships that catalyze growth in places that you never knew you could. For me, I joined a sorority and orientation programs. These two organizations gave me fantastic friends who have been fundamental to who I am today. So, as you start or continue on your college journey, take that leap of faith. You never know who you will meet and what will impact you.

When searching for an internship it is important to find a position that fits your interests and career goals. It can be overwhelming to find the perfect experience that will benefit yourself as well as the company. As a freshman last year, I was on the hunt for my first agronomic internship. I was intimidated because most of my past work experiences were livestock based. I wanted an experience that would literally get my boots into the field, and I could walk alongside an agronomist.   My first steps toward an agronomic internship began prior to the College of Agriculture Career Fair. I had plans to work from home this past summer, so I used my connections from FFA and 4-H to look for an opportunity within driving distance of my house. I spoke to a past chapter officer from my high school because I knew that she worked for an agronomic consultant firm. She explained to me her position and how I could get into contact with the senior agronomist with the intension of interning this summer. From there I took it upon myself to reach out and got an interview scheduled. After the interview and job shadowing, I knew this is where I would be working.   It was a predominantly crop scouting internship which was beneficial for me from a learning perspective. The senior agronomist was willing to teach me and listen to my perspective when it came to relaying solutions to producers. I was also able to not only immerse myself in different row crop management practices but, I was also able to study the fresh produce aspect of farming along the way. This experience gave me the agronomic experience that I was determined to pursue during my first summer post high school graduation.  

Fall Break is quickly approaching, which also brings a few other things along with it. The first and most stressful thing is: MIDTERMS! Yes, midterm season is upon us, but you can get through it! Being a senior, I have had several semesters to work out the best way to study, and it really comes down to planning. The best thing I can do for myself is to first know when these midterms are, know what material they cover, and what I need help with. In an ideal situation, I review notes a few days beforehand and make note of what I do not understand based on first glance. Then I go back and reread notes/books/supplemental material to try to reteach myself. In recent semesters, I’ve found that listening to the lecture (if it is recorded) again to be very helpful to make sure I have the correct information down. After I’ve relearned the material, I like to summarize/draw/restate things on my own or explain the topics (like a mechanism/ biological process) to a friend. Seeing the big picture and explaining means you have full grasp of that concept. My last tip: try to do a little everyday if you can, this way there is a better chance of committing everything you’ve learned to long-term memory. And finally, good luck! It’ll be over before you know it.

It’s crazy that I have already started my last year here at Purdue. It is very exciting but also a little nerve racking that in less than 8 months I will be graduated and be out in the real world. So far this semester I have been very busy juggling classes, Agronomy Club, Agronomy Ambassadors, Sigma Alpha and working in the Crop Resource Center (CRC). Along with all of that, I have also started job searching for a full time job! I can’t believe that I am already to that point in my college career. I am definitely excited to go to the College of Ag Career Fair in a couple weeks to talk to companies and see what kind of jobs are out there.  Some other things that I am looking forward to during my last year here is attending the last few football games they have left, basketball games and the National SASES meeting in November. SASES is a Nationwide program for students in Agronomy, Soils, and Environmental Sciences. Every November they host the National Meeting in a different US city. This year it is in Baltimore, Maryland. Twelve Purdue Agronomy student will be attending. At this we get to experience agriculture in a different part of the country, compete in crop and soil contest, present internship, club, and president posters, and network with professionals and other students across the country!

Who’s excited for October break? I know I am! In just a short two weeks I will be sitting on the beautiful beach of Gulf Shores, Alabama. Did I mention that I’m excited? It’s been a few years since I have actually been able to take a vacation somewhere. No plans, no guidelines, no stress just a nice relaxing vacation. Hopefully you get to take a nice relaxing vacation too! A vacation doesn’t have to be the sunny beach in Gulf Shores, a vacation is any place or activity that calms you and makes you feel relaxed. Most of the time I would prefer to be sitting in a tractor cab over October Break, but my mom suggested that we take a girls trip to Alabama and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Even if you aren’t going to a beach, take some time and do something relaxing over your break just as long as you DON’T STRESS ABOUT SCHOOL WORK!

Joining clubs at Purdue is one of the best tips of advice I can give to incoming freshman and undergraduates in college. Not only is it a great way to make new friends and stay busy, but it also allows for networking that can help you in your future career. My overall recommendation for new students would be to join a club that relates to your major to ensure you get those networking opportunities and a club you just particularly enjoy as a hobby. It’s all about finding the right club that suits you. If you join a club and decide it’s not for you don’t be discouraged because there are plenty more out there for you to explore.  Personally, for me Agronomy Club has been an amazing experience. Not only has it offered me the opportunity to acquire leadership skills, learn from experienced agronomists, and to stay active in school. It has also led me to meet some pretty great people I will most likely be keeping in touch with even after moving on from Purdue. Helping with community service, having work sessions, listening to guest speakers, and having relaxed meetings with games and activates are a few of the things I’ve gotten to experience in my past 2 years with Agronomy Club. So don’t forget to get out there and find the club for you!  -Trey Mettler 

Grain Origination Specialist Intern with ADM I spent the 2022 summer as an intern with ADM. ADM is one of the world’s largest nutrition companies. My internship title was a Grain Origination Specialist Intern. I was placed in an office in Mendota, IL. This internship was an experience to learn and grow as a young professional, as well as gain experience in a part of the agriculture industry I was not as knowledgeable in.  My summer began with Intern Orientation in Decatur, IL. This took place between Millikan University and North American Regional Headquarters. Besides being orientated for our specific internship role for the summer, we learned about the various parts of the company, toured headquarters facilities, had opportunities to make connections with employees from ADM, and make connections with other interns in different business sectors within ADM. After the week in Decatur, I moved to Mendota, IL. The Mendota office was in charge of originating and merchandising for all Northern Illinois ADM facilities. The facilities ranged from river terminals, to rail terminals, to country elevator locations. In Mendota, I learned about the daily tasks involved in F.O.B. Trucking, Origination, and Merchandising. Our business office sat on the same property as a brand new wheat mill, which gave me the opportunity to tour that and learn about the wheat milling process, as well. For the majority of the summer, I had the opportunity to write a daily commodity market commentary and outlook that was shared within our office. I also was in charge of the daily bid sheets; collecting, compiling and sending out daily bids for the rail, river and country terminals, as well as the wheat mill. In addition to all the learning and daily tasks, I completed a summer long project on the delivery process, created elevator maps for truckers, compiled a competitor analysis on the acquisition of a new rail terminal, and recorded the yearly production levels in IL for office use. While working in Mendota, I lived in North Utica, IL at the Grand Bear Lodge and Resort. I was close to Matthiessen State Park and Starved Rock State Park, where I hiked 51 miles across the entire summer. I visited Wisconsin once during the summer to hike because of my close proximity, as well. Beyond hiking, I spent the summer exploring local food and attractions in rural areas of Northern Illinois. This internship was a wonderful experience for my last summer as a Purdue student. In prior summers, I have had internships that have been 100% Agronomy related, so I am so grateful for the opportunity this summer to explore other career options within the agriculture field. I am now in my last semester as a Purdue student. I will be graduating in December with a degree in Agronomy: Crop and Soil Management and a degree in Agribusiness: Commodity Marketing, as well as a minor in Farm Management. I am so grateful for my time spent at Purdue and I can’t wait to see what this last semester holds, as well as my future after Purdue!

This summer I worked at Ceres Solutions and I met this really cool dude named Kevin. I drove tender truck and did a lot of other stuff at the plant. I also had to educate a couple guys how amazing Shively’s BBQ is.

Over the summer I had the privilege to be a Pathways Intern with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. With this internship, after you intern for so many hours, you get offered a permanent position for after graduation. I started out my summer in Clay county, and about halfway through was transferred to Sullivan county. Now that school has started I am working out of the Lafayette office a few days a week. The pathways program is something I recommend to anyone wanting to work with producers to better their farms. You get to work on different projects like waterways, filter strips, seedings, and attend many trainings where you will meet people from all over. The application for this one comes early, so if you are ever interested keep your eye out in late September/early October!

Well, here we are. Three years later and I’m quickly nearing the end of my undergraduate education. Everything I can say about it is everything you’ve probably already heard before.  “Wow the time has flown by!” “Can’t believe it’s almost over.” “Seems like yesterday I was walking to my very first college class!” Yes, they’re all true and you too will be saying the same things when you’re a senior! However, I’d rather share what I have gained (will gain not long from now) from these short years that will have an affect on the rest of my life. There are many little things and massive things that fit this category, but I’ll stick to the most obvious and my most favorite.  The most obvious thing I gained from Purdue is an education. I am studying Agronomic Business and Marketing and will have a Bachelor’s of Science degree come May of 2023. Within this degree holds top notch coursework dealing with precision agriculture, agribusiness, foundational production ag principles, and state of the art technology. It also contains a bank of professional opportunities from stellar professors all the way to an entire network of people in the midwest agriculture industry. Outside of college/major specific topics, it carries key personal tools like problem-solving, critical thinking, and people skills. Everything I need to be a professional in the agriculture industry can be found within my Agronomy degree. Another rather obvious and massive thing I gained from Purdue is the people. I found the love of my life, friends that will stand by me in the long run, and mentors that will I will consistently look up to. The people I found at Purdue are definitely MY people. To think I almost stayed at home for school (which is completely fine) and missed out on these incredible souls is terrifying. I thank God often for the love, friendship, and inspiration they bring me.  One final thing I’d like to mention is a little thing that never let me down. I call it by its popular name of “Treat Yo’ Self.” I gained this skill (trust me, its a skill) from the tireless coursework, busy extracurriculars, and general college student stresses. I’ve become exceptionally good at it just recently with the new semester we’ve started. It 100% helps keep me motivated to do what I have to do if there’s a reward waiting just ahead! Some of my favorite ways to treat myself include a cold Coke, Raising Cane’s 3 piece combo, Starbucks, or shopping for my cats. I’m confident as I push forward with a professional career, I will continue practicing this self care skill.  Anyway, I hope my view of “gains” gave you some insight on what you too may gain from the great Purdue University! Forever grateful. Forever true. Boiler Up!!!   P.S. – The parking never gets easier and you should always read Jane’s emails.

If you are like me, there is never a moment where you aren’t thinking about your Google Calendar, resume, or future graduate school application. In a dull moment in class, you are answering that email or planning out your homework load for the night. I have been like this for as long as I can remember, and, quite frankly, its exhausting. As I have gone through my first two years of college, I have never passed up an opportunity to create a better resume. I kept adding and adding to my to-do list without any regard for my free time or mental health. However, now that I start my junior year, I am realizing how quickly colleges goes by. I am realizing how, as important as your education is, you must also take advantage of the fun that college presents to you. Go on that walk, get the ice cream, and watch that movie with your friends, you’ll miss it when its gone. So, my parting word, is to stop always looking ahead, but start looking around at the beauty of the present. 

I had the opportunity to spend my summer in Minnesota as an intern in Syngenta’s sweet corn breeding program. I had a wide variety of experiences that ranged from planting to learning how to run a Plant Stand Analyzer and working with gathered data. My intern project that I worked on throughout the summer focused on implementing experimental designs on a set of trials to test developing harvest technology. I also got to learn about vegetable breeding programs, plant pathology, and trait development in sweet corn. Near the end of the summer, I was able to collect data on trials and taste a lot of sweet corn! It was a great internship experience– I also loved exploring the Twin Cities, meeting new people, and traveling up the North Shore! 

As I start my last fall semester here at Purdue in the Agronomy department, I look back and reflect on the time and memories I have spent here. All the bittersweet memories, fantastic trips, wonderful service projects, and friends that have come and gone in a whirlwind of 3 years seems unreal. The many late nights and early mornings I would not trade for anything. The seemingly endless days of classes and projects and homework have made me a better individual and more confidence with my agronomic skills. I look forward to my final 2 semesters here at Purdue with an attitude of confidence and a positive outlook on my future because of what Purdue Agronomy has done for me. Boiler Up! 

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.

I am going into my sophomore year here at Purdue, and I couldn’t be more ready! Last year, I was a part of the crops and soils teams here at Purdue, and through those teams I was able to meet new people, learn things I never thought I would, and allowed me to get plugged into the department. I learned how to manage the class load which allowed me to develop an array of new skills. I enjoyed experiencing everything Purdue was about, and that includes basketball and football games which are by far my favorite. I can’t wait to step back into the place I left last May and come back to gain more experiences and become more involved than I was last year with Purdue’s crops team, ambassadors, and agronomy club.  

Beck’s Hybrids is a large seed company, located in Atlanta, Indiana, where they focus on building relationships, helping farmers succeed, and selling the best seed to their customers. I had the privilege of working on the Becks Production team. As a Becks Production Intern, I scouted corn and soybean fields, helped with planting the crop, preformed stand counts and yield estimates in all the seed corn fields, and tested different rates of insecticides. I learned weeds, diseases, insect identification, seed corn production process and learned more about insecticides and herbicides. I was blessed to work with amazing people and made other connects with employers at Beck’s.  On most weekends over the summer, I would go home to the family farm in Northwest Indiana and help with baling hay or other various summer farm jobs! 

Imagine spending an entire month 3,000 miles away from your friends and family immediately after taking grueling college finals. Making the decision to study abroad was a major step in my educational journey at Purdue and a maturing step within my life. Studying abroad has been a goal of mine since my high school freshman year where I became invested in international agronomic techniques and issues through the World Food Prize Institute. I have always been willing to branch out and explore so when the opportunity occurred, I completed the application and interview process with enthusiasm. Once I was selected for the Purdue Promise Scotland Global Leadership Program, I knew that my adaptability and willingness to accept differences would be challenged. I was eager to accept this challenge and grow along the way.   I was able to fully immerse myself in the Scottish culture through tours, my host family, and conversing with locals. I have always heard of the everlasting effects of studying abroad and how it will be an unforgettable experience. Being able to experience a different culture firsthand and evaluating it through my own eyes has made me an advocate for studying abroad. Whether it is a major specific, research based, or a cultural immersion program its benefits are unmatched by any other educational program. Scotland is now my home away from home and the friendships that I built along the way will forever be cherished.  

It feels like not so long ago I was starting my freshman year at Purdue. Now, as a senior I’m focusing on coursework as well as looking for graduate student positions in labs. Looking back at my time at Purdue, here are some things I would have liked to know (or be reminded of) as a freshman just starting at Purdue: Classes may be tough and you may feel completely overwhelmed, but you will get the hang of it! It may take awhile but you will figure out how to study for each class and make friends to help you. I personally learn by writing what everything that I hear, but others may be more visual and need examples to learn material. Go to things! If you are interested in a club/organization go to the callout even if you aren’t sure whether or not it’s a fit for you, that’s what the callout is for. You’ll never know if you like something until you try it! Finally, take advantage of all the resources Purdue has to offer. There are many ways to get help with coursework, whether it be SI sessions, tutoring, or even a departmental resource room. The CCO in Young Hall is a great career resource to help you with anything job related. Your faculty mentor is also a good resource for what related courses you might want to take and career advice! Good luck this semester!

If you want a company that tailors to your agronomy wishes, Advanced Agrilytics is the place for you! Last fall, when I was looking for an internship, I wanted something that would allow flexibility in exploring different avenues within a company. Advanced Agrilytics did just that. This summer, I had the opportunity to work as a Field Specialist intern at Advanced Agrilytics. I spent most of my time field scouting, but I had the opportunity to do many other things. I was given the chance to meet many growers, learn from agronomists, attend company zoom meetings, and go to the All Company Gathering. Throughout my internship, we were asked to pick a topic to focus on and present at the end of the summer. Each intern picked a topic or study they wanted to learn about, then created a poster and presented it to the company. I focused on compaction caused by equipment and learned tons about how this affects crops. Advanced Agrilytics has a sister company called Ag Ingenuity that conducts research. For a few days this summer, I was able to help process plant samples that were then sent to a lab. I enjoyed learning more about plant anatomy and how the company conducts its research. Overall, I enjoyed my summer with Advanced Agrilytics. This company has fantastic people who ensure you have the best learning experience possible.  

We all dream about the day when we are finally finished, not just for the year, but completely finished with school. My “last first day” took place on Monday the 22nd. Of course I was elated at the fact that I am so close to being finished with school, but after thinking about it for a moment I thought to myself “what’s next?” I have been in school for almost 17 years of my life. SCHOOL IS ALL I KNOW! Yes I have had jobs and internships through the years, but nothing like a full time big girl job. I want to be an agronomist for a company, but I don’t have a specific company that I am looking into or a specific role that I want. It is scary to think that in four short months I will have a job somewhere and maybe it is something I will enjoy forever or maybe it is something that I dread going to everyday. School prepares you for a lot of things, but nothing can prepare you for this moment in life. Several of my peers already have jobs lined up or companies that they are interested in, but not all of us are that decisive. I guess the point I am trying to cross here is that you are never prepared for everything in life, but you can prepare for many things. Take every opportunity possible and never take anything for granted even if you are on your “last first day” of school. 

This summer I had the opportunity to work for Helena Agri-Enterprise as an Agronomy Sales Intern. For this I moved to Hutchinson, Kansas and worked out of the Helena wholesale location there. My responsibilities for this internship was to talk to customers, scout and take side by side pictures of plots, create marketing material, do weekly challenges, and complete a final presentation at the end of the summer. I also got to travel all over the state and learn about different agricultural practices and different plants, such as cotton and milo, which you do not get to see in Indiana. Overall, I learned a lot, met lots of new people, and had a great summer!  

This summer I had the opportunity to intern with Becks Hybrids in their production department.This internship was very eye opening to me and is an experience I would recommend to anyone interested in corn production. This internship involved anything from scouting corn/bean fields, doing stand counts, and even getting to conduct yield estimates at the end of the summer. Overall my internship involved me just helping the production department with the process they go through every summer season when producing seed corn. This summer holds a special place in my heart not only did I have a great time working for Becks but I also mad a ton of friends and worked with a great group of people which made the job even more enjoyable.  This semester at school I am excited because I am finally taking classes 100% specific to my major and minor. Weed Science and Soil and Water Conservation are two of the classes I am most interested in learning about this semester. I also have a fun class about Wild Life in America which has been cool learning about all the biomes and different animals in the US. To end my blog post catch up after being absent for a whole summer I can say that I am very thankful for my summer opportunity at Becks and I am ready to get my Junior year at Purdue started! -Trey Mettler

As you’ve probably heard from many advisors and students in the Agronomy department, a background in agriculture is not necessary to major in Agronomy or Plant Genetics. I grew up in the suburbs and had very little exposure to agriculture in the classes and extra-curriculars offered at my high school. It wasn’t until I started looking into different genetics-based majors that I really considered a major in the field of agriculture. Coming in as a freshman, I was a little worried about my limited knowledge about crops and agriculture in general. However, through classes I’ve taken at Purdue and internship experience, I’ve learned a lot; my interest in genetics and agriculture has only grown. Don’t let any worries about not having a strong ag background keep you from exploring the different majors and minors the Agronomy department has to offer!!

This year was so much better than last year especially when they lifted all the covid restrictions. Unlike last year I was able to actually connect with my classmates and make new friends instead of being cooped up all the time. Although this year was better than last I am ready to get back home and take care of my cattle and begin my second year as an intern with Ceres Solutions. Also, I am looking forward to observing and learning from the low population soybean plot I planted on the farm.

The school year is finally coming to an end. With finals around the corner and summer right after I have started to think about what future plans I have to look forward to. This summer I will be interning at Becks Hybrids in the production field. This will involve scouting fields and checking for things such as disease, weed, and insect pressure. I look forward to getting to implement what I learned this year out in the field and getting to move away from home and live more independently this summer! Overall I feel very confident with my internship opportunity and am excited to see what Becks has in store for me. My internship won’t be the only thing keeping me busy this summer however. I will also be busy preparing for the next school year. A big tip for incoming students at Purdue would be to keep in touch with your school life over the summer. This means for me making sure my class schedule is finalized and ready to go for the next school year, working on getting housing and parking pass expenses paid for, collecting plants for our Purdue Agronomy Club, and of course staying in touch with my friends. Overall I have a lot to look forward to this summer and can’t wait for it to get started!

I’ve recently gotten to participate in the Spring Undergraduate Research Conference due to a scholarship I have. At first I was very nervous and anxious about presenting my poster and I was more concerned about other work I had to do. But now after I have had this experience I am very grateful to have gone. It was a great opportunity for me to see other research my peers are involved with on campus and learn something new outside of my major. It was also fulfilling to explain what I’ve been doing in my research at Purdue and help others understand and learn something new. I highly recommend being involved in research at Purdue, even if it’s working in a lab for a semester or two. You will learn so much and will have opportunities to participate in things like the research conference. The Office of Undergraduate Research also has scholarships that pair you with a mentor to get involved in research, as well as other scholarships available for being involved in research.

Every since I was a little girl my parents always told me to take advantage of every opportunity. When I came to Purdue I decided to join the soil judging team. It was hard at first (well it still is), but I wanted to get involved with something that would take me all over the US. Competing in a collegiate contest means that you are competing against other universities which means that you have to travel to different universities/states sometimes. I enjoyed learning about the soil in different states and spending a week in a different place to prepare for the contest. I have been to Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio while judging soil at Purdue. I would have been to other contests but several of them were canceled due to COVID-19. I am grateful for taking the opportunity and stepping outside of my comfort zone to learn about new things. I encourage everyone to take the step and experience something while you are young.