eCarly@CALS

One Class Can Change it All

No agriculture background?

That isn't going to stop Gabrielle Washington from pursuing the passion she's discovered.

Gabby grew up Houston, Texas surrounded by city life. She gained an insight into agriculture when she would visit her grandmother as a young child.

"My grandma grew pears, figs, herbs and raised ducks. This was my earliest exposure to agriculture," says Washington.

Taking an environmental science class in high school and learning about the opportunities in agriculture helped Gabby decide that agriculture was something she wanted to be part of.

Washington will be a senior agriculture major with a concentration in agricultural economics at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. Her college is one of the 1890s land-grant institutions. With the part the second Morrill Act of 1890, the land-grant mission was extended to include historically black institutions. The original Morrill Act was passed in 1862.

She was one of 20 interns selected to participate in this summer's George Washington Carver Internship Program in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Throughout eight weeks, participants are paired with faculty members to take part in research in their area of interest. Students selected also receive a stipend, room and board and round-trip travel to Iowa State. Each weekend, students could also participate in trips to museums, zoos, fairs, camping and other social activities.

"I definitely learned that camping is not my thing," exclaimed Washington.

For her summer internship, she worked with Georgeanne Artz, visiting assistant professor of economics. Together, they did research on field machinery used in fruit and vegetable fields on small acreages in Iowa. In the study, the focus was to find out what types of machinery niche market farmers use. Washington was able to interview two farmers and sent out surveys.

"Interviewing the farmers one was of my favorite parts. It was really neat to talk with farmers and hear how passionate they are about their work," says Washington.

The goal is to provide economists helpful information for farmers who would like to start producing fruits and vegetables on a small acreages.

After analyzing her data at the end of the eight weeks, she concludes that the majority of farmers with small acreages in Iowa plant more vegetables then fruits, and most farmers own their machinery but would be willing to share equipment with others.

"I really enjoy doing research and writing. I want to be able to help people," says Washington.

Gabby is very appreciative of her experience at Iowa State University. She plans on attending grad school to either become a professor or do extension work. She says she will definitely be applying to Iowa State and that it is in her top choices.

"I have participated in many internships and this is one of the best experiences I have had," says Washington.

For information concerning the George Washington Carver Internship Program contact Aurelio Curbelo acurbelo@isatate.edu and check the website at http://www.ag.iastate.edu/diversity/gwc.