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Ag endowment provides research experience for ISU studentsIowa Ask any of nine Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences interns what they did over their summer vacation and their stories will range from lumberjacking to designing an irrigation system. They share two things in common: All nine worked on Iowa State Research and Demonstration Farms, and their internship experiences were made possible by the Iowa State University Agricultural Endowment. For the past 12 years the Agricultural Endowment has funded internships at ISU Research and Demonstration farms that give students valuable experience as well as the tools for making a difference in agriculture's future. The Agricultural Endowment's mission is to provide opportunities for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to support the people and infrastructure vital to the future of Iowa agriculture. Here is a snapshot of what the nine ISU Agricultural Endowment interns experienced this summer: --Spencer Funk, a sophomore in agriculture business and animal science from Cumberland, studied the effects feed moistures have on cattle weight, through a study at the Armstrong Research and Demonstration Farm near Lewis. Funk monitored the weight gain of cattle fed a high moisture feed compared to cattle that were fed lower moisture feed. Results from the study will be made available to cattle famers during field days later this year. --Nathan Upah, Borlaug Scholar Award and internship recipient from Clutier, followed in the footsteps of 1970 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Norman Borlaug. The Agricultural Endowment established the Borlaug scholar to help students understand where Borlaug came from and understand he was very similar to today's students. Upah, junior in animal science and agronomy, planned tourism projects and helped restore the Borlaug boyhood home. "It's a very self-motivating position. You can't be afraid to make mistakes and use your own judgment," said Upah. When he wasn't working at the Borlaug home, Upah assisted crop researchers at the Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm near Nashua. --Jordan Dittmer of Lacona studied corn research at an ISU research farm near Rhodes. Dittmer, a senior in agriculture systems technology, helped to manage a transgenic corn plot as well as collected data on the growth. The research aims to develop safe, effective strategies for growing corn destined for use as pharmaceuticals and other uses. Dittmer helped plant the research plot and will harvest the corn to be used for genetic research at the university. --Jake Miltenberger, a sophomore in agriculture studies, started each of his work days feeding 170 steers and 1,500 hogs at the ISU Western Research and Demonstration farm near Castana. Miltenberger of Sloan studied the weight gain in feeder cattle related to added corn and syrup supplements in their diet. Miltenberger also researched the growth rate in pigs that were fed ethanol byproducts. "The pigs are divided into control pens to monitor their reaction to different diets," said Miltenberger, adding that 70 percent of swine production costs is paying for feed. --Annie Lanzen, a junior in agriculture systems technology from Ottumwa, used her engineering skills to design and build an irrigation system. Lanzen designed and built the ISU Horticulture Research Station's irrigation systems used for research in strawberry patches. Lanzen compared the design to "playing with adult tinker toys." She worked under agriculture and biosystems engineering adviser Melody Carroll; calculating the amount of water to pump through the irrigation system. The calculations will be used as future reference for next year's strawberry patches. Lanzen also lent a hand working in the station's vineyard. --Jarett Cook and Lucas Monson, both seniors in forestry, lived the life of lumberjacks in ISU's Brayton Forest near Delhi. Cook and Monson "dropped" and "bucked" trees, trapped animals and worked to preserve the land. "Most of the trees and vegetation in the forest are standard for Iowa, but every once in awhile we'll find a tree or insect we learned about in class that isn't native to Iowa," said Monson of Boone. Cook and Monson were the first interns to actually live in the forest while they worked. "This is the quickest way to find out what you want to do," said Cook of Barnes City. --Anna Webb, a senior in horticulture, worked with professor Hank Taber studying the results from rotating cucumbers and green peppers. "The results will indicate whether cucumbers and green peppers can increase soil utilization," said Webb of Michigan Town, Ind. In addition to managing the test plots, Webb also marketed the vegetables grown at the Horticulture Research Station to local buyers. "My ultimate goal is to teach agriculture at a community college and produce my own food," said Webb, adding that her internship has been very beneficial for her education. --Chris Moore, a senior in agriculture studies, wanted "significant results" from his independent study and internship combination studying pasture utilization. Moore of Allerton managed a project led by animal science professor Daniel Loy at the McNay Research and Demonstration Farm near Chariton. "The results will be useful for me when I have my own cattle farm," said Moore, who fed an ethanol byproduct to feeder cattle to research pasture utilization. 9/8/08 Date: 8/29/08
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