Mid-Semester Update and Some Words of Wisdom!

I don't know about everyone else but I cannot believe that it is almost November already! I have just finished up some exams for this time of the semester but finals week will also be here before we know it! I also can't believe that it's about that time to be registering for next semester's classes. I hope that everyone is able to get into the classes that they want to take!

This semester has been quite busy it seems like. I attended the career fair at the beginning of October and was able to gather an interview from a company and I should be hearing from them soon. I definitely recommend checking out the College of Ag career fair because there are so many great opportunities that can come from it! I know I mentioned this in my introduction blog but I will share it again! I was able to land an internship with Co-Alliance as a field scout the summer after my freshman year (just this last summer) and I am so grateful that I was given that opportunity! Other than the career fair, I have still been involved in Agronomy Club, Agronomy Ambassadors, Collegiate Farm Bureau, and Best Buddies. I was able to work the Agronomy booth (along with other Agronomy Ambassadors) at the College of Ag open house during homecoming and that was a blast! I am also currently working on picking out another study abroad trip to go on and am working to get a research position on campus so as I always say, the opportunities are ENDLESS here!

College tours have also been making their way around campus and I can't help but think back to when I was in that position. I remember thinking "wow, I came from such a small school and this place is HUGE!" and countless other things like that. I had the idea that I wanted to major in Agronomy and when I was on the tour through the agronomy department I just knew that this is where I was supposed to be. Everyone in the agronomy department, whether that be professor, TA, graduate student, or even your own peers are willing to help every step of the way. I loved how close-knit everyone is and that just secured my decision. I am now a sophomore in Agronomy: Crop and Soil Management and couldn't be happier. Being in this department and at Purdue has helped me make very valuable connections and experience many exciting and rewarding events, activities, and opportunities. So, to everyone who may be reading this and has gone on a tour and/or is thinking about attending Purdue (and more specifically being an Agronomy major): the campus is definitely not as big as you might think and you might travel the world, you might experience things that you may never get to experience anywhere else, and you will definitely always be part of this close-knit family!

Again, if you ever have any questions that I may be able to answer feel free to contact me:
rober377@purdue.edu
Boiler Up!

Friendly Advice

Hey everyone,

I hope your year has been going well! As you may already know we only have 8 weeks left including finals week, and many of us have a lot of ensuing stress from midterm exams, finding a full time job, a summer internship, or deciding what classes to take for the upcoming semester. These may be stressful, but luckily we have a great faculty, as well as many resources to help us navigate through many of theses challenging events.

In agronomy and as a Purdue student you will have many opportunities to pursue an internship or partake in club events, and these are both very helpful when in an interview for a full time position. In these interviews you can talk about an event you took part in or what you learned from these events, and who you may have met. For those reading this I hope you decide to choose a career in agronomy, or a related field. If not I hope you pursue plenty of internship and club opportunities to help you network as well as gain experience.

SASES Annual Meeting 2017

Hello Everyone,

As the semester has just passed halfway and harvest is in full swing you can be sure that everyone in the Ag industry is hard a work. With the second round of midterms quickly approaching time management is a valuable skill have in order to balance a number of responsibilities that I have at Purdue such as studying for exams, extracurriculars, church, and securing an internship for the summer. As the semester flies by I am reminded of the great opportunities that Purdue offers its students and am grateful that I am able to take advantage of those.

It's harvest season!

As an example, this past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the national SASES (Students of Agronomy, Soil, and Environmental Sciences) conference down in Tampa, Florida. Through the Agronomy club, 7 other students and I were sponsored to attend the meeting and compete in various competitions while learning about different topics relating to our majors through new research and innovation. Some of the competitions we were involved in included speech, quiz bowl, and club poster. We also had the opportunity to learn about Florida’s agricultural heritage through a tour of the University of Florida plant research station, wildlife refuge, and heritage museum. SASES is just one way that students in the Agronomy department have opportunities to interact with other universities and gain knowledge in a setting outside the university.

Agronomy students at SASES

God bless and Boiler up!

Andrew Chupp
chupp1@purdue.edu

          Hello all I am Kyle Fogle an agronomics business and marketing major, and I am also minoring in farm management and food science management. I am a junior here at Purdue. I am also a transfer student from Ivy Tech Columbus region so this is only my second semester here at Purdue.

          The week that just past was a major week for a lot of people as it was the last week before the halfway point in the semester and also the four day weekend that is our fall break. Anther big happening this past week was the agriculture career fair where almost 200 businesses were represented. This event is very important as this is the basis for most internships and full time employment that will occur after seniors graduate or the summer begins. In many cases students have been preparing for some time and there is never as much opportunity on campus than this event. I had a very successful day and talk to several businesses along with being asked for a couple interviews.

     Now that we made it through this week kids can also say that the first round of exams are done and are preparing any projects and the next round. One project I am working on is I have to collect 15 weeds for a weed collection which has been a little different as there are 50 that can not be used, but from my internship with premier I have been able to collect all the specimens from the required ecosystems of row crop, clipped or mowed and untouched areas. Now enjoy the agronomy department and it has plenty of opportunities as long as there is a will to pursue them. I hope to see even more interest in agronomy in the years to come.


Boiler Up!

Kyle Fogle

Welcome Back!

Hello All!

My name is Nicholas Fanning, and I am currently a senior studying Agronomic Business and Marketing with a minor in Food and Agribusiness Management. I am originally from a small town outside of Fort Wayne called Huntertown, however my family now resides in Fishers, Indiana.

As this semester picks up steam and the weather starts to change I cannot help to think back the opportunity I had this summer working with AgReliant Genetics out of Lebanon, Indiana. AgReliant Genetics is the third largest seed corn company in the United States and have recently ventured into the soybean genetic market. My internship primarily consisted of working with their conversion nursery. The job of the conversion team was to make sure that GMO traits were properly getting into non-GMO corn, and that the appropriate proteins were present. What I love about internships is the fact that it is one giant learning experience. AgReliant Genetics was extremely helpful in teaching me why certain practices are done, explaining in simple terms some of the genetic processes, and allowing my experience to be multi-dimensional.

This semester I am again working for Dr. Shaun Casteel in Applied Soybean Production Research. My job primarily consists of helping graduate students process and analyze data, both in the field and in the lab. This experience has been extremely helpful in allowing me to understand the research side of production agriculture and has been a huge resume booster. I would highly recommend undergraduate research if you are given the opportunity.

I hope to see many of in the upcoming year and hope you fall in love with Purdue Agronomy like I have!

Boiler UP!!

Nicholas Fanning