Favorite Non-Agronomy Department Classes

I’ll say it again, I cannot believe this is my last semester on campus! I wanted to give a follow up on my last post about my favorite agronomy classes, and list some of my favorite non-agronomy classes. So, here we go!

My favorite non-agronomy classes include Horticulture 270 (Hort 270), Agricultural Economics 321 (Agec 321), and Agricultural Economics 411 (Agec 411). Hort 270 is called Flower Arranging and House Plant Care, taught by Mary Lou Hayden. I took this class for fun as a treat for my senior year and it has easily become one of my favorites! In this class you will learn how to care for different houseplants and even propagate as many as you want off of her mature plants. You will also learn both the art and science of arranging flowers in many different styles. We have done wedding bouquets, bud vases, triangle designs, corsages, and many others. Next, is Agec 321 which is Introduction to Commodity Marketing with Dr. James Minert. I never thought I would be interested in commodity marketing when I learned I had to take this class for my Farm Management minor, but soon after starting, I discovered I had a real interest in it. This class is one that has difficult content to grasp, but the way Dr. Minert teaches breaks it down to make it easier to understand. I learned so much in this class and was able to relate it back to my summer internship experiences and even have some conversations with some of my managers about what I had learned. My final favorite non-agronomy class at my time at Purdue is Agec 411, Advanced Farm Management with Dr. Nathaniel Thompson. This was also a requirement for my farm management minor, and became one of my favorites very quickly. We hear from guest speakers 1-2 times a week, most of which are growers who talk about their practices on farm, and some of which are industry professionals such as farm managers and CPAs. In addition, we participated in a semester long farm simulation. We had to make decisions, track expenses, and compare our position with other in the class. I learned so much through this simulation and got to work with classmates who had both similar and different ways of managing an operation.

Again, I am so thankful for the out of department classes I have taken and how much I have learned from them. They have given me a well-rounded education that will benefit me as I pursue a career in agriculture. 

Ever Grateful!

Riley