So I don't know how many times I've said it, but time really does go by too fast. It seems like our MSU summer interns only just showed up to go to work at the NCRS, and now it's already time for them to leave. They were just children then. And now I would grant them all full fledged agronomist status. I've shown them all several times in the blog while they conduct their various intern duties. We were truly fortunate to have such a great and hard working group. Well they are Spartans after all. Below we see Emily, Jimmy, Kalvin and Kelly suited up for the company scavenger hunt earlier this summer.
Emily is from Dansville, MI and will be a Junior this fall. She worked in the Field Crop research area this summer. She grew up on a pumpkin and livestock farm and is majoring in Crop and Soil Sciences. She was always active in 4-H and FFA, and was a state officer during her Freshman year at MSU. All of the interns have a special research project, and her's was to evaluate the effects of different fertilizers on alfalfa yield and quality. She is interested in research and wants to continue on towards a Master's degree, possibly in forages.
Jimmy is from Clarkston, MI and will be a Senior this fall in Crop and Soil Science. He worked in Specialty Crop research this summer, and said he was glad to be able to expand his crop knowledge beyond just field crops. He has also previously worked as an intern for MSU extension out in the Thumb, and enjoys crop scouting. His summer project was evaluation of sulfur and magnesium foliars on potatoes. Jimmy hope to make a career as an ag industry agronomist.
Kalvin is from Perry, MI and will be Sophomore in Crop and Soil Science this fall. He worked in the Field Crop group. He grew up on a field crop farm and loves working in agriculture...outside in the field. He is an FFA veteran, having been a regional officer his senior year, and enjoyed the state competitions. He started raising Honeybees many years ago and still maintains hives back home. Kalvin's summer project was soil sampling over time following broadcast and sidedress applications of different liquid nitrogens. When he graduates in a few years, he would like to continue working with growers as an agronomist.
And Kelly is from Litchfield, MI and will be a Senior in Ag Food and Natural Resources. She said this is a broad base agri-business major. She too was active in 4-H and FFA and even considered being a vo-ag high school teacher for awhile. But now is looking to work in agri-business in the future. Her summer project was evaluation of different foliar fertilizers on Concord grape bunch and grape growth. It was a good research experience she said.
It was very rewarding to hear them tell how much they all learned this summer during their final reports. They also respected the amount of responsibility that they were given. Below we see that they can go from the field to a business meeting in no time flat. In addition to the field work, they were also very helpful in several company events, such as the Corporate Growth Conference below.
So it will be nice to look back on these pictures and remember how much we all enjoyed having them at the NCRS this summer. And hopefully we can stay in touch as they graduate and move on into the challenging yet rewarding world of agriculture. I would recommend any of them. As I said earlier, they are Spartans after all.
