Agriculture Weekend Experience brings students to farms
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Eight College of Agriculture students experienced Iowa agriculture firsthand in April as part of a pilot program called Agriculture Weekend Experience (AWE).
Six students traveled to Crawford County to participate in AWE, from left: Clayton Stage, Christine Jurinek, Luke Gran, Susan Silveira, Nick Behrens, host Keith Weller and Dustin Carter.
AWE was designed to give College students with minimal farm experience a chance to learn more about Iowa agriculture by visiting Iowa farm families. Students stayed with host families on farms across the state and learned about many aspects of farm life including decision-making, livestock production, farm management and machinery maintenance.
Fifty-four percent of students in the College come from nonfarm backgrounds.
Four farm families in Crawford County hosted six students on April 9 and 10. Two farm families in northern Iowa near Clarksville and Osage hosted two students April 16 and 17.
Susan Silveira was one of many students who learned to drive a tractor.
"I enjoyed the whole experience," Susan Silveira said. "Everything we did during the weekend added some new insights on my perspectives and understanding of how life works on a farm." Silveira, a graduate student in natural resource ecology and management from Brazil, stayed with Euinice McCallaugh and Doug and Judy Gronau near Denison. The Gronau family produces corn and soybeans.
"I now have a greater appreciation for what these people do to feed the world" Christine Jurinek said. "I will never look at food shopping the same realizing where the food came from and the dedicated people who made it happen." Jurinek, a junior in biology from the Chicago area, stayed with Larry and Annette Boeck near Denison. The Boecks have a crop and livestock operation with corn, soybeans, hay and feeder-to-finish pork.
"We got to tour the agronomy center. The precision that is used is unbelievable," student Dustin Carter said. "There is a calibration machine they use to measure chemicals, this machine is run off of a laptop computer and can measure to the hundredth of an ounce. I would have never expected that amount of technology in a town so little." Carter, a sophomore in animal ecology from Waukee, stayed with Keith and Deb Weller near Denison, a family that has a crop and livestock operation.
Doug Gronau, right, discusses livestock marketing options at Keith Weller's cattle-feeding operation with, from left: Weller, Christine Jurinek, Luke Gran, Susan Silveira and Nick Behrens.
"AWE helped me better understand Iowa agriculture by showing me the people behind the term 'Iowa farmer'," student Luke Gran said. "We witnessed the intricate web of connections from the farmer to the community and everywhere in between." Gran, a junior in forestry from Newton, stayed with Keith and Deb Weller near Denison, a family that has a crop and livestock operation.
"I always figured farming wasn't easy," student Clayton Stage said. "I was amazed at the number of hours and the amount of money farmers put into farming." Stage, a freshman in industrial technology from Dike stayed with Mark and Betty Schwery near Denison, a family that has crop operation.
Nick Behrens, left, and Clayton Stage, investigate a planter.
"AWE showed me how hard farmers have to work to make a living," student Nick Behrens said. Behrens, a junior in entomology from Sioux City, stayed with Mark and Betty Schwery near Denison, a family that has crop operation.
AWE was co-sponsored by the College of Agriculture and the Iowa State University Agricultural Endowment. Founded in 1937, the Iowa State Agriculture Endowment provides scholarships to Iowa State students (more than 800 in the past nine years); support for student activities and internships; grants for research and demonstration projects and support for other College programs that advance agriculture in Iowa.
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