Agriculture Education and Career Connections 2022

EDUCATION & CAREER

Pursuing a career in dairy

Post-secondary instructors offer advice

By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com

Editor’s note: Dairy Star asked several postsecondary instructors for their advice for prospective and current students seeking a career in the dairy industry. Visit Dairy Star’s Facebook page for a link to more advice from these instructors.

Decisions young people face if they want to pursue a career in the dairy industry can be challenging. Choosing whether or not to earn a post-secondary degree and, if so, whether to attend a two-year or four-year school involves consideration of programs, degrees, time and money.

Ted Halbach and Eric Ronk, faculty instructors in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, agreed the job outlook is positive.

“All you have to do is look around at farm owners and dairy industry personnel to realize there are a lot of aging-out baby boomers in the industry,” Halbach said. “This naturally creates opportunities both on-farm and in-industry for new graduates, evidenced by the nearly 100% job placement colleges are reporting for dairy students.”

Kari Slinden is an agriculture instructor at Ridgewater College in Willmar, Minnesota, which offers two-year degrees.

Slinden said any post-secondary education is

helpful for students pursuing dairy careers in acquiring skills and potentially increasing their pay.

“Visit schools, take a tour, talk to students and instructors of that program before making your choice,” she said. “We even invite prospective students to sit in a class or two to see what it is about.”

Dr. Tera Montgomery is a professor of dairy and animal science at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She encourages students to nd what ts their individual goals and to embrace learning.

“Regardless of where you go to school, or if you even go on to additional schooling after high school, the most important thing is to realize that you are going to need to keep learning,” she said. “The dairy industry is changing, agriculture is changing, business is changing; and so, we all need to keep learning.”

Montgomery said she sees the variety of school options as a benet.

“All of our schools in the Midwest that have dairy or agriculture programs are fantastic,” she said. “The industry needs dedicated and well-educated people more than it matters where you go to school.”

Halbach said some students combine community college and university education.

“Some will start at a local technical college or two-year institution to earn their associates degree before transferring to a four-year university,” Halbach said. “Be sure

to understand the transfer agreements that (the two schools have) if that’s your path.”

Halbach stressed the importance of making sure ahead of time that community college credits will transfer to one’s university of choice.

Dr. Isaac Salfer is an associate professor of dairy nutritional physiology at the University of Minnesota. With his mother working at a community college and his father at a university, Salfer said he sees how both types of schools provide benets.

“Some of the advantages of a (community college) would be it’s a shorter period of time, it’s cheaper and its programs tend to have more direct, applied skills. They’re very targeted programs.”

Salfer said four-year programs offer other benets.

“The advantages of a four-year university are you have exposure to a wider variety of people and it helps you build a wider network,” he said. “Also, larger programs allow you more exibility, which can be a positive.”

Salfer said for those who are unsure about their career path, it is OK to take time to decide.

“You might be better off working for a couple years, trying to save up some money and guring out some of your interests,” Salfer said.

No matter the choice of school, all said there are ways to nance post-secondary education without compiling unreasonable debt. Numerous scholarships are available through all schools and also through

Eric Ronk

University of WisconsinMadison

Ted Halbach University of WisconsinMadison

Dr. Isaac Salfer University of Minnesota

Dr. Tera Montgomery University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Kari Slinden Ridgewater College

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outside organizations and businesses within the industry. Scholarships often go unawarded because students do not apply for them.

“There are fewer students going into dairy than there used to be,” Montgomery said. “But, there are just as many, if not more, scholarships available than there have been because companies want to attract students to the industry.”

The process for applying has been streamlined.

“Applying for scholarships is made easy through the common scholarship application that makes students eligible for university, college and departmental scholarships,” Ronk said. “Additionally, one-third of full-time freshmen received federal nancial aid last year in the form of grants, loans and work study.”

Work study jobs within school systems offer exibility of hours and pay. Dairy programs have many options for these jobs because colleges and universities usually have on-site farms. Universities offer jobs in research as well.

“There are a lot of benets in working for a research lab while in college,” Salfer said. “You can work the number of hours per week you want to work and do the kind of work you want to do.”

Outside of school, working part time on nearby dairy farms or in the industry offer compensation and experience.

“I have students who nance their schooling by selling high quality genetics every semester to pay for that semester’s tuition,” Montgomery said.

Salfer said he has students working as part-time emergency cow breeders.

“If you are AI trained, you can breed cows for half a day on the weekend and usually make pretty decent money because there aren’t that many people who are trained,” he said.

Salfer also stressed the importance of internships.

“I really encourage students to do at least two internships throughout their college career,” he said. “Most

of the time, those pay pretty well in the dairy industry and give you exposure to specic careers that you might potentially do down the line.”

Slinden said internships open new ideas for careers that students might not have previously considered.

“Some of our students come into school with one program in mind, but, after an internship experience, change programs or emphasis areas,” Slinden said. “Students should nd a job or career that they are interested in, but it doesn’t hurt to have an open mind within career elds. Many people change careers multiple times throughout their lives, so having some broad background can be helpful.”

Once individuals make a choice about schooling, having certain characteristics can forecast success.

“Attend class each and every day, complete your assignments as you would complete tasks at your job – all of it, on time and with high standards – ask for help when you need it and be a continual learner,” Slinden said.

Montgomery said advocating for oneself and getting involved helps as well.

“Relationship building through networking and asking for help is a key to being successful in general,” she said. “While you are in school and once you are out of school, the most successful people are involved in something beyond the classroom and the usual day-to-day living activities.”

Salfer said being self-driven is a trait he sees in his most successful students.

“They have this internal drive,” he said. “They want to be successful and try different things, and a lot of it comes from themselves without someone needing to push them.”

Ronk said critical thinking skills, being able to work in teams and nding a work-life balance help foster success as well.

All said the future of dairy careers involves data, technology and engineering, and having knowledge and skills in those areas is benecial.

“There are not a lot of people out there that have the hard computer sci-

ence or engineering experience and also know how a dairy farm works,” Salfer said.

Montgomery agreed.

“We are just scratching the surface on how to use and interpret all of (the data and technology) separately and together,” she said. “There are a lot of really fun and interesting areas to pursue.”

All agreed the future looks bright and will allow students to pursue their dreams.

“The dairy industry has so many diverse careers; students are lucky to be able to choose from so many opportunities,” Slinden said. “Take advantage of job shadows and summer jobs. They can lead you to great places.”

Salfer said students should think about the global perspective.

“The world is becoming more interconnected; there’s more sharing of resources across different areas,” he said. “Branch out and use the sunlight from all those (global) branches to help your roots, which are your own individual farm and community.”

Montgomery said students should realize their potential and their value to the future of dairy.

“We need you and others like you to continue to move our industry forward and to be a major part of what we love best about being here – on the farm, in the state, in the region, in this country, on this planet,” she said. “Make your mark. There are so many different ways to be involved in the dairy industry that you will nd something unique for you.”

Halbach agreed that young people are needed in the industry.

“We are banking on this generation of young people to solve the problem of how to feed the world’s growing population, projected to be more than 9 billion people by midcentury,” Halbach said. “This will require us to produce roughly double the amount of food by 2050 but with less land, water and resources. If students want to be challenged and make a difference, what bigger challenge is there than this?”

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From the classroom to the cow

Schommer taps into college experience in daily work as herdsperson

By Stacey Smart stacey.s@dairystar.com

FREDONIA, Wis. – A college education has provided a solid foundation for Nicole Schommer’s career in the dairy industry. This 2020 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls is the herdsperson at Paulus Dairy near Fredonia where she draws upon knowledge learned in her college courses in her daily work on the farm.

“I learned so much from classes that offered hands-on experiences,” Schommer said. “Taking those concepts and putting them to use in real life has been very benecial to my job.”

Paulus Dairy is owned by Mike and Lori Paulus and their son, Andy. The family milks about 1,500 cows and farms close to 3,000 acres. Cows are milked in a double-20 parallel parlor three times a day, while a double-6 herringbone parlor serves as a hospital parlor for fresh and treated cows. Calves and heifers are housed off-site.

Schommer grew up on a 60-cow dairy several miles from where she is employed. She began helping at Paulus Dairy during the winter break of her senior year in college when Mike and Lori’s daughter, Tiffany, was on maternity leave. Schommer returned full time to the farm in March 2020 when the campus shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, causing her to nish classes online.

Tiffany left the dairy in June to farm with her husband but continues to help one day a week at Paulus Dairy. Since then, Schommer has stepped into her role. Schommer has a Bachelor of Science degree in dairy science and a minor in agricultural business. Her main responsibilities at Paulus Dairy include managing cows and employees.

“During my senior year, I took an agricultural human resource management class, and looking back, I’m glad I did,” Schommer said. “This course helped me to understand the diverse backgrounds our employees come from. We place a strong

emphasis on communication amongst employees and have created such a strong team because of that. Everyone works so well together, and it makes it a fun place to be all while getting the work done.”

Schommer said problems are addressed immediately, and the importance of a problem is explained to employees.

“We want our employees to have a full understanding of why they are doing each job,” Schommer said.

Furthermore, Schommer said taking Spanish courses throughout high school and for two semesters in college has given her the ability to effectively communicate with employees each day.

On the cow side of things, Schommer’s dairy production, nutrition, dairy herd management and reproduction physiology courses have had the biggest impact on her everyday duties.

“The basics from those courses taught me about overall health and nutrition, enabling me to make proper management decisions about individual cows and the herd as a whole,” Schommer said.

In her dairy production course, Schommer learned about producing quality milk and how that relates to mastitis control – topics she addresses in her work at the hospital parlor where she milks once or twice a week. Here, she gauges mastitis severity while looking at how many times a cow has been treated and determining whether or not treating her or culling her would be most protable for the farm.

These courses also aid Schommer in her work with the post-fresh group and sick cows.

“If we have a sudden are-up of sick cows, I communicate with my team to learn if there were recent changes to the ration or something in the feed that may be affecting animal health,” Schommer said. “Or perhaps an environmental change is to blame, and I will work to get to the bottom of it.”

Schommer’s nutrition knowledge also comes in handy when investigating the cause of a displaced abomasum. Examining the stocking density of dry cow pens to avoid transition issues is another example of how Schommer puts what she learned in college to use.

Schommer’s favorite college course was dairy herd management taught by Dr. Kelm. This class is the capstone class for dairy science majors at UW-River Falls. After spending the rst half of the semes-

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PHOTO SUBMITTED

Nicole Schommer, a 2020 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, is the herdsperson at Paulus Dairy near Fredonia, Wisconsin. Since March 2020, Schommer has been working full me at the farm that milks 1,500 cows.

ter learning how

generate and utilize

for

decisions from DairyComp 305, Schommer and her classmates worked in groups on a local dairy farm to audit facilities and protocols. From there, the students created a presentation highlighting what the farm was doing well along with suggestions for improvements based on their ndings.

“The farmers got to sit in on these presentations to hear our feedback in person, and we were able to hear what they had to say about our ndings as well,” Schommer said. “It was truly such a great hands-on experience seeing that so much of that project, which was crammed into one semester, is now what I do on a day-to-day basis at Paulus Dairy.”

Learning how to make lists off of DairyComp 305 has been helpful for moving cows and drying off cows, Schommer said.

Following her sophomore year at UW-River Falls, Schommer did an internship working as an assistant herdsman at Sunset Farms, which milks 1,200 cows near Allenton. At that point in her college career, Schommer

was not sure which route she wanted to take after graduation but was interested in hands-on cow care.

“During that summer, I learned so much about how a dairy of that size operates on a daily basis, and I knew this was something I would enjoy doing after college,” said Schommer, who returned to Sunset Farms the following summer as well.

Schommer was responsible for helping with weekly herd health checks with the veterinarian, working with the post-fresh group every morning, administering vaccines, doing daily pen walks, milking the hospital group a few times a week, taking urine pH samples and performing other tasks essential to managing a herd of that size.

“That internship helped me immensely in what I do at Paulus Dairy every day,” Schommer said. “I would strongly encourage that a college student nd an internship. This is your time to explore what you like and do not like in your major. It gives you so much valuable experience and can also secure you a job prior to graduation. It may also open your eyes to other things that you

never thought you would be interested in.”

In addition to her academics at UW-River Falls, Schommer was a member of the Collegiate Farm Bureau chapter, Dairy Club and Sigma Alpha-Beta Zeta – a professional agricultural sorority. She said these extracurriculars continue to bring value to her present-day job.

“Dairy Club allowed me to see so many different types of operations and ideas during the countless tours we did, along with providing connections to so many farmers across the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota,” Schommer said.

Schommer feels her college education gave her the training she would need to land a good job in the industry and put her in a position to be successful as a herdsperson. Schommer looks forward to continuing her work with the team at Paulus Dairy to produce quality milk and provide excellent care to the farm’s animals.

“I am excited to see what new technology will be introduced to this side of the industry in the years to come and to learn how we can apply it to our facility to keep bettering our day-to-day practices,” Schommer said.

Shift, pivot, diversify

Moores use UW-Platteville foundation to build successful

By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

MAQUOKETA, Iowa –

The shortest distance between two points may be a straight line, but that is not the path Brandon and Heather Moore have taken to chase their dreams.

“Originally, Brandon wanted to own a stock cow herd, and I wanted to be a small dairy farmer, milking 50 cows in a tiestall barn,” Heather Moore said. “But like many businesses, ours has grown and changed out of necessity.”

The Moores, of Maquoketa, are 2008 graduates of the University of WisconsinPlatteville; Brandon majored in agricultural business while Moore majored in agricultural education-non teaching and animal science with a dairy emphasis.

“UW-Platteville has a great reputation for its agriculture program, and that played into both our decisions to attend school there,” Moore said. “For Brandon, it was close enough to home he could remain involved in the family farm, and it was in relatively close proximity to home for me too.”

The experiences they had as students at UW-Platteville

enterprises

are what the Moores consider to be the best part of their time spent at the university and what prepared them for their careers.

“We had great classes and professors, but the greatest asset of our education has been the connections we made,” Moore said. “We have several college friends that have been essential to our business startups in all aspects – those operating businesses similar to ours, dairy equipment specialists, inspectors, marketing specialists, agronomists. We have been fortunate to continue those relationships beyond our college years.”

After their graduation, the Moores began laying the foundation for their future.

In 2011, they purchased their farm. The farm was set up with feed yards, so Brandon began backgrounding calves. In 2014, Moore launched her dairy farm in a newly built tiestall barn, and they expanded their feed yards, the rst of many growth spurts and changes the farm would undergo.

Today, Moore Family Farm has become a diverse operation and is home to the Moores and their children: Tucker, Cassidy, Cooper and Sutton. The Moores are milking about 30 registered Holsteins using a used Lely robotic milking system that was installed this fall.

In addition to the dairy herd, Brandon custom feeds about 800 head of cattle for a fellow alum as well as backgrounding and feeding their own small herd of beef animals. In addition to the farm, Brandon works full time as a territory manager for Big Gain.

The Moores’ passion for agriculture has spilled over to their children, who are building their own small enterprises within the family’s farm.

Tucker oversees a 600-hen laying ock as well as feeds between 500 to 1,000 broiler chickens each year. Cassidy is working on building both a Boer goat herd and a herd of French Alpines and has accumulated about 40 does. Cooper and Sutton take care of the farm’s two Great Pyrenees dogs and the puppies the Moores recently whelped and the farm’s cats; they are also beginning to work with their show calf projects.

Like many small dairy farmers dealing with declining margins, Moore began looking for ways to diversify and add value to their product.

“We opened Moore Local in Maquoketa in 2017 to see if our community would be interested in the idea of food straight from the family farm,” Moore said.

The town embraced the Moores’ venture, and the Moores moved from their orig-

Turn to MOORES | Page 8

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Heather and Brandon Moore stand with their children Cooper (front, from le ), Su on, Cassidy and Tucker Aug. 20 in Mount Sterling, Wisconsin. Brandon and Heather, both 2008 graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Pla eville, have built a diverse farm near Maquoketa, Iowa.

inal 500-square-foot location to a new 4,600-squarefoot location.

“While we focus on items straight from the farm – currently cheese, beef, eggs, chicken, duck and pork – we also sell a wide selection of Amishmade goods and have a ourishing coffee and ice cream shop located in the store,” Moore said.

The location is home to an on-site creamery where the Moores process their own milk into cheese and also houses a 1,200head capacity custom meat locker which is owned with two partners. In 2021, the Moores added a second store location in Bellevue, Iowa, about 20 miles away.

“We started the store as a low-cost way to add value to our farm,” Moore said. “We opened the store six weeks from the date of our original conversation about a store with rented coolers and discounted rent as a Christmas popup store. The demand was tremendous, and here we are, ve years later.”

Juggling all of their businesses and family obligations can sometimes present challenges for the Moores, but they said being honest with themselves about their abilities has helped them stay focused.

“We laughingly say our business plan is ‘Pivot,’” Moore said. “We have learned a lot on the y and taken some calculated and some not-so-calculated risks. We have to be honest with ourselves about our strengths and weaknesses and hire out the things we don’t have the time, opportunity or ability to do well.”

The Moores consider animal husbandry to be a strength of theirs while

acknowledging eldwork and machinery are weak areas.

“We have had to change our goals,” Moore said. “For example, we no longer look for the highest production; instead, we look for a balance of health traits that t with our management style along with high components and efciency to t in with our nonstop lifestyle. We decreased our cow numbers in response to the demand on our time that the stores were creating. Besides the labor saving, the robots also help with heat detection even if we can’t be on the farm all day, every day.”

As their enterprises continue to grow and change, the Moores rely on the relationships they have developed to help them keep everything running.

“It is all about nding balance,” Moore said. “Sometimes we might drop all the balls, but we are blessed to have amazing employees, family and friends that help pick them up and keep us going.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The inside of Moore Local awaits customers in Bellevue, Iowa. The Moores opened the store in 2021.

What was your background growing up? Why did you choose agriculture?

Radke: I grew up on our family dairy, so coming back home to the farm was always my rst choice.

Herkenhoff: I grew up on a small dairy farm north of Albany, Minnesota. I have always had a passion for farming and liked being around dairy cows.

Warren: I grew up on my family’s dairy farm near Litcheld, Minnesota, where my rst ever job was feeding bottle calves and milking cows. I was also involved in 4-H and FFA where I showed dairy cattle and took part in speaking contests. My love for dairy led me to become a county dairy princess and Princess Kay of the Milky Way nalist where I shared the story of Minnesota dairy farming with consumers. To say agriculture has been in my blood is an understatement.

Kral: I grew up on a small dairy farm outside of Hanska, Minnesota. I loved the farm and loved the agricultural way of life. I knew I wanted to be a part of it. However, I learned from my family that owning a dairy farm was more than a fulltime commitment. I liked the idea of a little more freedom while still supporting the industry that I grew to love as a kid.

Middendorf:I grew up on my family’s dairy farm north of Sauk Centre, Minnesota. I chose agriculture because it has been a passion of mine my whole life. I have always been involved in agriculture organizations such as FFA in high school and dairy club in college. These organizations opened my eyes to the career opportunities in agriculture.

Schubert: My family and I grew up outside of town in a farming community. We were very accustomed to the constant hum of farm machinery, grain dryers and tractor trafc. I chose agriculture because of my community farming ties and my years of milking cows and feeding calves on a neighbor’s dairy farm.

What is your current career?

Radke: I’m working on our farm after graduating college in Fennimore, Wisconsin, six years ago.

Herkenhoff: I work for Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District and also own and operate a 44-cow dairy that has 220 tillable acres.

Warren: I am the marketing and communications specialist at First District Association in Litcheld, Minnesota. My main focus is on farmer communication and ensuring they are the most up to date on the happenings in their cooperative and the dairy industry as a whole. I also dapple in event planning for both our patrons and employees. Each day is a different project and challenge.

Kral: I work for Agropur as a cheese production manager in Le Sueur, Minnesota.

Middendorf: I am a sales agronomist at Osakis Creamery Association.

Schubert: I am an irrigation water management specialist and agronomist. I spend most of my spring and summer participating in eldwork and spend my winters working with growers to create plans for successful growing seasons.

Describe a class or classes that benetted you in your career.

Radke: A couple classes that really helped me were the heating, ventilation and air conditioning and electrical classes. They helped me get a better understanding of what I was doing in those areas.

Herkenhoff: The classes that helped me the most were the ones centered around soil through the college of agriculture. The professors were great at teaching us about topics that would really benet a farmer. They also provided great handson experiences that I have used throughout my dairy career.

Warren: The ag education and ag communications department provided a vast variety of classes to choose from along with some great faculty who teach and support these classes. Two classes that stick out in my mind when asked this question were my advanced writing and ag journalism course and food and agriculture campaigns. Both these courses were not only fun project lled classes, but they were also very realistic for the marketing and communications eld. They challenged me to do new things and were deadline orientated which is what my job entails. Dr. Garrett Steede was an amazing professor at incorporating real life elements to these classes which have benetted me in my career.

Kral: I remember two classes that really helped my career. Dairy product processing was the meat and potatoes of the program at SDSU. We learned about all the basic processing techniques, including the most used equipment in the industry and how they function. Another class was technical controls of dairy products. This class taught us more of the ner details of how milk behaves. We did a variety of lab testing to get familiar with lab equipment and test procedures that are used in the industry. We also studied components and subcomponents of milk like the casein micelle and how it relates to dairy manufacturing.

Middendorf: Ag sales was one of the most benecial classes I took in college. We did mock sales pitches with industry professionals, and they gave us great tips and feedback. Learning individuals’ buying types and learning how to word questions and handle objections have helped me excel in my career.

Schubert: My natural resources management classes helped me better understand farming practices including tillage, drainage and soil conservation. I benetted from taking agricultural lending classes to understand the nancial aspect of farming as well.

What activities were you involved in during college? How did they benet you?

Radke: I didn’t really take part in any college organized activities, but after class, I would get together with other classmates and hang out with them.

Herkenhoff: In college, I played offensive line for the University of Minnesota Gophers. This did not allow me to have too much free time to participate in a variety of activities as it consumed a lot of my time. It taught me how to keep a tight schedule and use my free time wisely. Being involved with football did teach me about teamwork and listening to others to hear what they have to say. That is a skill I use frequently when meeting with people.

Warren: I was involved in Beta of Clovia Sorority and Gopher Dairy Club where I held leadership roles which helped me with my professional development and especially how to work with others as a team. This helps in the real world as you will come in contact with so many people and personalities in the work place and world. It is benecial to know how to communicate and handle those individuals to be successful. Both of these organizations also gave me a pool of people and connections. These connections are benecial for your future and gives you mentors and resources to go to. It is important to have your army of people you can fall back on for advice and support.

Kral: I was involved in the dairy club. It helped me get out of my comfort zone and meet new people. A lot of the people I was in school or club with are people I have encountered in my few years in the industry. I also played intramural sports whenever I could. Playing sports was a blast; it was a nice break from worrying about classes or assignments.

Middendorf: I was in multiple clubs in college. I was involved in Sigma Alpha Professional Sorority, Saddle and Sirloin and Bison Dairy Club. These organizations exposed me to industry professionals as well as other students in the college of agriculture. Being able to talk to alumni and receive career advice was one of the greatest benets of these organizations.

Schubert:I was involved in our North Dakota State University Agribusiness Club. This helped immensely with networking with potential future employers, and I created friendships with fellow

Sam Radke Wilton, Wis. Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Ag power and equipment tech

Luke Herkenhoff Albany, Minn. University of Minnesota Environmental science

Ashley Warren Litchfield, Minn. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Agricultural communication and marketing

Kevin Kral New Ulm, Minn. South Dakota State University Dairy manufacturing

Emily Middendorf Sauk Centre, Minn. North Dakota State University Crop and weed sciences and animal science

Rebecca Schubert Little Falls, Minn. North Dakota State University Agricultural economics, minor in natural resources management

Dakota State University offers

in

and

science.

students along the way. I also had an on-campus job all four years of college. Having an on-campus job was great because they were exible with scheduling in between classes, and it was convenient to work on campus and not need to commute to a job.

What did you consider when picking a college to attend?

Radke: What made me consider Southwest Wisconsin Technical College was the affordability of the program and the fact it was a two-year course. I always hated being in school, so that really helped.

Herkenhoff: For me, picking a college was both academics and athletics. I really liked the St. Paul campus because it was like a small farm within the city. I was sold when I saw the corneld in the middle of St. Paul.

Warren: I wanted to stay in agriculture after school. The UMN had a great agriculture program, and the St. Paul campus had a small-town vibe which I loved while also offering the Big 10 school feel. The faculty also made an impression on me during my visit. They gave me the impression they wanted me to succeed and they would be there to support me, which held true throughout my college career. The UMN also had other opportunities to switch career paths if I chose to.

Kral: The main reason was that SDSU is one of only a few schools to offer the degree that I have. I also wanted to go to a school that had a good reputation. I wanted a location that would feel like home. I didn’t like the thought of living in a bigger city. Brookings, South Dakota, was perfect. It was large enough to have anything you would need but still had a small-town feel.

Middendorf: I was looking for a career in agriculture. The only schools I considered had outstanding agriculture programs and campus barns for hands-on experience. I wanted to get a little way from home to become more independent. A four-year degree was also important to me for the experience.

Schubert: I considered what choices there were for academic programs, oncampus clubs and activities, tutoring programs and, most importantly, what felt like home away from home. I wanted to nd a strong sense of community.

What advice would you give a high school senior considering college?

Radke: For current high school seniors, I’d say take time to go visit campuses to see if they would be a good t for you if you do pursue college.

Herkenhoff: I would recommend taking the time to visit a variety of colleges you think would interest you. When there, talk to the people to get a better idea of what the college has to offer. Find alumni and current students to ask about what it is like on campus and in classes.

Warren: My biggest piece of advice for a high school senior looking into colleges is that it is OK not to know everything yet. I remember starting my senior year of high school and being so excited, but I had to make all these big decisions right away. As a 17- or 18-year-old, these decisions can be scary. It’s OK to not have all the answers. While looking at colleges, consider what you are interested in and what’s important to you. What classes did you enjoy taking in high school? Is location a factor for you? It’s also OK

to start on one path and then realize you want to go down a new path. Sometimes guring out what you don’t want is more helpful than guring out what you want. Keep an open mind and go for it.

Kral: I would give a high school senior the same advice I would give my younger self. College opened a lot of doors for me, so it was a great career choice. I did question that decision while in college and shortly after. But like any investment, it has paid off for me in the long run. I would advise that while you are in college, take it seriously and learn all you can. You might not get the opportunity to have free time and that much variety in knowledge and experience around you to learn from again. Participate in as many events as you can and meet a ton of people. It’s a small world, and I bet some of the friends you make in college will surface again later in your career.

Middendorf: Take college classes in high school if they are offered. Find a school that offers extracurriculars that are of interest to you. Those will be where you make your best friends and have the best memories.

Schubert: Tour a few different schools and nd one that gives you a sense of community and has great academic programs and on-campus activities. Do not be afraid to move out of your hometown for a few years. Moving away for college can present great opportunities to expand your horizons and learn new things.

What do you think it takes to be successful in your career?

Radke: Even though I didn’t go to be a technician at a dealership after college, it’s nice having the knowledge I learned in college to x equipment on our farm. This has saved us lots of dealership bills, which helps the farm thrive.

Herkenhoff: Hard work with dedication is by far No. 1. Be willing to learn from others because college is a start, and the work force is constant on-the-job training. Everything is always changing, and you have to be willing to keep up with the changes to be successful in any career you choose.

Warren: No matter the career, you need to believe and have condence in yourself. There will always be challenges, but if you take the bull by the horns and go for it with condence, those challenges will seem minimal. And, don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone here and there. This is how you grow not only in your career but also as a person.

Kral: Come in to work every day with the attitude that you are going to put 100% into the day. You need to do everything you can to help you and your coworkers succeed in whatever task you are challenged with. That includes learning new things, teaching other people what you know and working together to solve problems.

Middendorf: A positive attitude, willingness to learn and hard work ethic will take you anywhere. Take initiative and be a team player. These traits are invaluable in the work place and have helped me have success in my career.

Schubert: Have drive and motivation to learn new things and be the best in your eld. Be OK with constructive criticism and open to new ideas. Starting a career after college is a bit intimidating, but relax, have fun and nd good mentors in your eld that will help jump-start your career.

Crop Scout Internship

knowledge to the field first-hand. Throughout the season, you will learn to identify weeds, diseases, and insects affecting crop growth and development. You will gain experience testing soil and plant nutrients, and analyze reports used to make crop input recommendations with an experienced Agronomist.

The crop scout interns will be based out of Fredericksburg, IA, Waucoma, IA, Cresco, IA, Jackson Junction, IA, Burr Oak IA, Mabel, MN, and Spring Grove, MN.

Position Duties:

• Inspect assigned grower fields to identify weeds, insects, diseases, pest and crop population counts, crop and weed staging and other crop diagnostic issues.

• Utilize crop scouting software/weekly reports to document and share observations with partnered field Agronomist.

• Keep current on agronomic products, trends, and precision ag technologies.