About SMF Practicum Students - 2019-20

Practicum Students 2019/20 Lakeland College “About Us” Crop Technology AE 461

Colby Foreman Andrew, AB Born and raised in Edmonton, soon moved out to our families mixed grain and cattle farm in rural Alberta, before this I had little knowledge about agriculture. Regardless, the farm and the agricultural industry piqued my interest and I began working at our local Richardson Pioneer in Lamont, AB, and have continued working there for 2 years now as an agribusiness student. My biggest take away from my time at Richardson would be that farming isn’t a 9 to 5 job and requires around the clock service.

Marina Gampe Unity, SK Born and raised in small-town Saskatchewan, I knew nothing other than agriculture as my mom was in crop research and my dad was in sales. I didn’t have that farm to grow up-on, but my passion for agriculture is just as strong. The past 2 summers I have worked for Bayer CropScience as a Territory Sales Associate. I have had the privilege of working alongside Ryley Maze, P.ag, CCA. Learning the ins and outs of farming, customer relations and crop inputs. I will return for a third year before attending U of S. So far the biggest takeaway from my time with Ryley is, the industry is always changing, and you need to be on your toes and always eager to learn and to continue to expand your knowledge.

Ashton Cookson Killam, AB I grew up on an acreage so I knew very little about agriculture until I started working at a grain elevator out of highschool. Being able to meet farmers and learn about grain made me want to learn more about the industry and how it all comes together. This past summer I worked at Nutrien Ag Solutions out of Killam where I got to experience a different side of agriculture. I am looking forward to where this industry will take me.

Emily Fiala Blaine Lake, SK I grew up in a small town surrounded by agriculture, my parents own and operate a small business along with my mom working in ag sales. My passion for agriculture stemmed from my mom, being exposed and experiencing what she does on a daily basis made a huge impact on the career path I chose. I worked in Prince Albert, SK last summer at the Co-op Agro Centre. This summer I will continue at Co-op at the Agro Centre in Moose Jaw, SK. I also plan to stay here at Lakeland for another year to further my education through their applied degree program in Agriculture Sciences. While working in this industry, my biggest takeaway is to always be ready to learn, experience new things and be involved. You never know what you will see and learn in this dynamic industry.

Hannah Robertson Sturgeon County, AB Coming into this program I had no agricultural background and choose to take the practicum stream of Lakeland College’s Student Managed Farm. My decision was based on the fact that I wasn’t returning to a family farm. This past summer I had the ability to work as a summer student at Richardson Pioneer here is Vermilion. After my summer there I know I have made the right decision for my career ahead of me in agriculture. My biggest take away from the summer was there is always room for improvement as this world of agriculture is always going to continue and thrive. Lastly, I would like to thank the staff at Richardson Pioneer for the ability to grow my skills in this summer student position.

Jordan Mitchell North Battleford, SK Although I grew up on a farm, my farming experience is quite different from most in Alberta and Saskatchewan. My family has cows and grows fruit crops instead of the typical grain crops.

Growing up and going into my first year of college I never imagined I would be going into the crop industry. I started off college in Environmental studies and later switched into crop tech. It was soon after that I realized agriculture was my calling. I spent my past 2 summers working for Ag retails and managed to scout a total of 70,000 acers this past summer with Nutrien Ag Solutions in between Hamlin and Cutknife. I was lucky enough to work alongside very knowledgeable managers and co-workers and I learnt a lot about diseases in crops as well as finding thresholds for spraying insects.

Kaitlyn Rumpf Battleford, SK I grew up on the family farm, I have been apart of the farm for as long as I can remember doing whatever job that needed to be done. The past summer I worked for Richardson Pioneer in North Battleford as a summer student. I did various jobs such as crop scout, chemical and seed deliveries and some paperwork in the office. My biggest take away from my summer experience was the knowledge I gained from scouting that helped me with my classes this year.

Keanna Svendsen - Striga Hafford, SK I spent my summer conducting research trials with WARC (Western Applied Research Corporation) located in Scott Saskatchewan. Here, I learned lots of practical and hands on knowledge about agronomy, this job helped me bring back useful information in the fall and helped me develop more of an understanding in some of my studies. Working at WARC provided me with the opportunity for a position to cover mat leave. I will be looking forward to this opportunity and more to come!

Lindsey Haesloop Daysland, AB I was born and raised on a mixed (grain and livestock) operation outside of Daysland, a small farming community. My passion for agriculture started when I was very young joining 4-H and being involved in every aspect on my parent’s farm. The past two summers I had the pleasure of working at Crop Management Network. I had the privilege of working with Colin Miller, the manager at the Daysland location, Brad Bendfeld and Tyson Weins. I learned so much to bring back to school and keep the knowledge for the future to use in the agriculture industry. I recently completed my diploma in Animal Science Technology and I am completing my Crop Technology diploma in April. After graduation I have a job lined up at CMN Daysland. The biggest thing I took away from my summer job was how fast pace the industry is and always be learning because you can always gain more knowledge.

Mason Grisdale Porcupine Plain SK I was born and raised on a grain farm in northeast Saskatchewan and have always been very passionate about agriculture. After graduating from high school in 2017 I decided to attend Lakeland college for agribusiness majoring in marketing, after graduating from agribusiness I decided to come back and earn my crop technology diploma. During my summers while I was in college I worked as a summer student for Pasquia agro services in Porcupine Plain Saskatchewan. While at Pasquia agro services I would blend fertilizer, scout fields, and deliver chemical these experiences have allowed me to network with farmers in the area as well as get an understanding of how a retail works.

Owen Dancy Rapid View, SK When I was growing up I always wanted to be a farmer just like my grandpa, however he had a standard for me before that. I had to get a job before I was allowed to start my own operation. I have worked for the Co-op in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan as a summer student, for the past three summers, and plan to go back this spring as a full time agronomist. I have had a taste of everything at work, from working the chemical shed to doing a bit of paper work. Through my past 3 summers my biggest takeaway is to work hard each day and no matter the task do it 110%.

Tijmen Jonker I grew up in The Netherlands. My family and I moved to Rolling Hills, Alberta in 2016. Over the summer I worked for the U of M and I scouted for Fusarium Head Blight and collected data during the summer for their research project on fusarium head blight.

Nicole Sharpe Drumheller, AB Coming from a small farming community just north of Drumheller agriculture has always been a big part of my life. I’ve grown up and spent a lot of time on my grain farm helping my dad where I can. I knew growing up that I wanted to remain in the industry and broaden my understanding and knowledge about the different aspects of agriculture outside of farming alone. Having this in mind I pursued a summer job in the retail industry these past two summers with Nutrien, where I was able to gain valuable knowledge surrounding the ins and outs of retail. Moving forward I am working for Bayer Crop Science as a summer sales associate which I believe will be a step in the right direction for my interests. I am incredibly thankful for the numerous opportunities within agriculture and excited to see where this changing industry takes me.

Dylan Gabel Westlock, Alberta I was raised on a mixed farm north of Westlock, Alberta. This past summer I worked for Nutrien Ag Solutions out of Westlock as a crop scout. I learnt many things about the industry and gained valuable knowledge in weed, disease and insect identification. I will be returning back to Nutrien this summer and can’t wait to see what this year will have to offer.