By Jill Graner, Parkland Community College, Growing Careers in Ag Mentorship 

Being in biology, I never really thought about how important agriculture really was. When I was first accepted into this program, I had no idea how much actually goes into agriculture itself. In this blog, I want to share my experience in the program and why more people should give it a try.

The group of community college students in the program in front of Farm Credit Illinois.

My story:

In New York, where I grew up, my grandpa was the one who taught me about agriculture. He said it was more than just planting the crops or having a farm; it was how he provided for his family. One year he would do sweet corn, and the next he would plant soybeans. I asked him why he did that, and he explained that corn depleted the nutrients in the soil and the soybeans would help replenish them (plus it was easier to harvest, according to him). He told me that there is no shame in being a farmer or wanting to know more about how everything worked. This sparked my interest in wanting a biology degree.

Some of the places I was able to visit:

One of the businesses I toured and learned more about was Beck's Hybrids. At Beck's, we learned about their products, how they are marketed and everyone involved in the process. The speakers were wonderful, and we even got a tour of the plant.

Another place I visited was Farm Credit Illinois. The speakers there went into detail about the financial side of agriculture. They explained what Farm Credit Illinois is and how they helped farmers and their families succeed (this came from their about section as well). I was able to network with people from the company and with other community college students who were there.

The final place I visited was Pace Analytical. It is a lab where they test water samples from various places for things such as lead and copper. In groups, we tested our own samples and received results showing what they contained.

Here I'm adding my sample to a container to be tested at Pace Analytical Labs.

My takeaway:

This mentorship program was really informative and a great way to meet new people. It showed us that many parts make up the agriculture community. Each place offered opportunities to intern or even work there, along with learning their histories and missions. I think that if someone is given the opportunity to be part of the program, they should definitely give it a try, even if they aren't sure whether they will go into an agricultural field or not.