Why Agronomy?

Hey there! My name is Grace Beard and I am currently a sophomore studying Agronomy with a concentration in Crop and Soil Management. Two years ago around this time, I was getting serious about applying to colleges and trying to figure out what I wanted to do.  So many thoughts ran through my mind. Should I even go to college? If I do go, do I want to go into agriculture or explore something new?

Throughout high school I got very involved in FFA, especially the crops judging CDE. I really enjoyed learning about the different plants and insects but was never sure if it was the direction that I wanted to head in. Finally, my senior year of high school my team and I got the chance to go the National CDE agronomy contest which I had prepared for months for. The contest was in October just a few days before my application for Purdue was due. At this point, I was still undecided on a major but was open to may different options. While at the contest I made so many new friends from all around the country and my passion for agronomy grew. While at the contest the people in charge of the contest spoke about the opportunities that agronomy has to offer and that is when I made the choice to apply to be an agronomy major.

Sitting here now two years later I know that I made the right decision and could not be happier to be here at Purdue in the Agronomy department surrounded by so many great things. Not only are the people amazing but the opportunities are endless.