Precision Ag has been one of the main contributors to becoming more efficient and more profitable. On my family farm, we adopt new technology to make our jobs less stressful and more precise. When we first started farming, our equipment wasn’t the newest but it got the job done. I’m really glad that I got the chance to run old equipment, so I really appreciate what we have today. On our farm today, we use GPS to run all of our technology. For example, we use GPS to run Row Sensing on our combine. On the corn head there are two feelers in between one of the rows where the corn row enters the head. Once it feels the row, the combine will drive itself when we activate the auto steer. Row Sense has been very enjoyable during this harvest because it gives the operator a chance to pay attention to the things around them.
I also work at my families Ag retail business called Welch Ag Service. We use advanced technology to apply a uniform and precise application. For example, all of our sprayers use GPS which has a feature called section control. The sprayer booms are 120 feet across and they are broken up into multiple sections. This allows us to use automatic shut off’s so that we do not have overlap. When the GPS senses that the boom is over an area that has already been sprayed, it will shut off that section of boom. This feature is beneficial to the farmer because it decrease the amount of money they are spending on pesticides.
About the Author
My name is Alex Welch and I am currently a senior at Western Illinois University studying Agriculture Science. I am from Macomb, Illinois and I spend most of my time working on our farm.
When I think of rooftop gardens I think of a community gathering space on top of an urban building, with a few potted plants. This is a valid thought, but also a misconception. Rooftop gardens have come a long way from being a novelty space to living green areas in cities all over the world.
Chicago City Hall Green Roof
The Chicago City Hall Green Roof is one of the most famous rooftop gardens or green roofs. It is a winner of the American Society of Landscape Architects 2002 Professional Merit Award. The project came about after the city’s electric utility failed to make good on a 1991 franchise agreement. In turn, the city sought legal action and agreed on a $1.1 billion settlement. Afterwards $2.5 million was put towards the Chicago Department of Environment’s Urban Heat Initiative.
Chicago City Hall Green Roof (courtesy of greenroofs.com)
This beautiful landscape includes mostly woodland vegetation and only occupies half of the roof area of the Chicago City Hall. Upon further research, I found out that this green roof saves the city $5,000 a year on utility bills according to greenroofs.com.
Rooftop gardens, or green roofs, have very beneficial qualities to them as well as providing a beautiful aesthetic to a space. They aid in increasing air quality through photosynthesis, they can keep buildings cooler than a traditional roof, and providing more space for agriculture.
About the Author
My name is Kirsten Streicher. I am a senior Ag science major and I graduate in the spring. I am a member of the horticulture club.
Monday November 18th, 2019 was a big day for me. On that Monday, in Louisville, my teammates and I marked our last ever judging card and talked our, last set of reasons as competitors. For me this was the end of an era that has shaped who I am, and will forever have an impact on my life.
As a kid, my first passion was sports. In my elementary years, my competitive nature was formed through basketball with my best friends and baseball with my brother. The older that I got, it didn’t take long for me to realize that a slow, short, and overweight, kid wasn’t cut out to make it to the pros. That left the door open for me to form a new passion. At this point in my life I had virtually no background in livestock. My brother and I showed pigs at the county fair, and for the first couple years we were the kids that stood last in class. We didn’t show because we wanted to, but because our dad thought it would be beneficial to us. In my 4th year in 4-H, I had a Hampshire gilt that changed it all for me. I was picked to be Reserve Champion Hamp at our county fair, to most that doesn’t mean much, but to me, she’s what started it all. As soon as I had my first taste, of a purple banner, I was hooked.
Going into 7th grade that next year, a teacher at my school, put together a livestock judging class that I knew I had to be in. Every day I looked forward to going to this class because I was hungry to learn more about pigs and livestock in general. In this class, we began to learn the basics on what to look for in the selection of all market and breeding animals. We would watch sale videos, judge classes, and even give a set or 2 of reasons. Before joining this class, I had no idea that I would naturally enjoy looking at and evaluating livestock. I would go home from school every day watch online sale videos, read term packets, do anything to improve my skills. Livestock became all that I could think about, and to be honest not much has changed since then.
I remember my first ever reasons contest like it was yesterday. As an 8th grader, I was sitting in a reasons line with kids I looked up to, that were much older and more experienced than I was. To be honest I was flat out scared. My first set of reasons was a train wreck. I could barely make it through my placings and broke the cardinal rule and used my notebook. After the contest, my scores reflected my performance, and left plenty of room for improvement.
When freshman year rolled around we had a meeting with our
high school coach Greg Rupert, who generously donated his time to our judging
program. He didn’t care what your background was, or if you even showed
livestock, he was there to help teach and shape the kids that were willing to
learn. Greg started us off, all on the same playing field and gave us all the
tools we needed to read livestock and ultimately mark smart cards. Later in the
year a guy by the name of James Schinbeckler, came to help us learn reasons.
James had just finished judging in junior college, and it didn’t take long for
me to figure out he was a wizard in the room. James became one of my biggest
mentors not only in livestock judging but also in showing pigs.
Throughout high school, my teammates and I won almost every contest we went to, but the success is not what I cherish most about my high school judging career. Greg and James donated their time to give back to a program they believed in. They pushed us to win humbly and always treat others with respect. My coaches molded my passion for the industry and put me in a position to go to college and do something that I loved. What I learned in and out of the mini bus, not only gave me the maturity but also the opportunity to move 18 hours away for college. That was big step for a home loving, momma’s boy.
When I first received, a message on Facebook from, my now past coach, Conner Newsom that was the instructor at South Plains College, I almost automatically wrote him off. As a senior in high school I thought there was no chance that I could move that far away from my friends and family. Needless to say, my mom and I made the trip south to Levelland, Texas. I had recently visited many other schools, but by the time I left Levelland, I knew I was going to call South Plains home. Knowing what I do now that was the best decision I ever made. Livestock judging at South Plains emerged me into a group of people from all over the country that shared the same passion that I did. They were quick to accept me even though my closest friends teased me for being a fast talking “Yankee”. Livestock Judging made me push outside of my comfort zone, and gain experiences that I would have never gotten back home in Indiana. West Texas taught me a lot of things about life, but most of all it helped me make connections and friendships that I could not have gotten anywhere else.
After my two years were up, I moved back north to Western where I am now, to further expand my connections within the livestock industry. Here at Western, livestock judging is a culture that doesn’t always revolve around judging 4 animals. Dr. Mark Hoge, pushed us to be better livestock evaluators as a whole. His focus is to mold the future show stock producers and livestock show judges. Western has given me the opportunity and put me into a position to judge livestock shows. I look forward to working with kids in the show ring who have the same passion as I do, by offering my honest opinion, right or wrong.
As Dan Hoge says “You’re never finished, your roles just change”. My time spent livestock judging has developed my passion for the industry and shaped me into who I am today. I will forever be thankful for the people that I have built relationships with, and the different places that judging has taken me. Now that I have marked my last card ever, I feel that I am ready to give back just like those who have given back to me.
My name is Drew Lamle, I am originally from Columbia City, Indiana. I first received my Associates in Agriculture Science at South Plains College, in Levelland, Texas, before Attending Western. I am currently a Senior and plan to Graduate this upcoming may, with a Bachelor’s in Agricultural Science with a focus in Ag Business.
You can ask just about any high school student what they are going to college for and they will have an answer. When you ask a college student that is a Freshman or Sophomore what they are going for they usually say they have already changed their major multiple times. When you ask a college Senior they usually tell you they have a major and a job already lined up.
I grew up on in the middle of no where. My house is surrounded by fields and the closest Walmart is at least 45 minutes away. I loved to go help my dad on our small family farm. I can even remember my dad putting my car seat in the combine so I would have a comfy seat. I always have had a love for agriculture, but never knew what to do.
This is my dad trying to pet a newly born calf.
In high school all of my friends knew exactly what they were doing after graduation. Some were graduating early to get into nursing, while others were applying to colleges. I knew I wanted to go to college, but what college and for what was not on my mind. I eventually figured out that Lincoln Land Community College would be best for me since I still had no idea what to do with life.
This is when I graduated from Greenfield High School.
At Lincoln Land I was able to make friends that I still have today. I also found role models who helped me throughout my two years there. Mr. Harmon was my adviser at Lincoln Land. He helped me when I had no idea what to do. Mr. Harmon told me about Illinois State College and Western Illinois College. After visiting both schools I made my decision of going to Western Illinois University.
This photo includes the main entrance to Lincoln Land Community College. Pictured is Ocean Boggs to the left and Terri Woelfel to the right.
I decided when applying to Western that I wanted to be an Agriculture teacher. I lived in Thompson Hall my first year at Western. I had so much fun in and out of class. I took many classes to get me prepared to become a teacher, but eventually I had a feeling I was not made to be a teacher.
This is a picture of me in front of Thompson Hall.
Now in my senior year I have changed my mind in becoming a teacher. I have changed my major to Ag Science. I may not have a job lined up or have an internship, but I know no matter where my life takes me agriculture is in my future.
About the Author
Thank you for reading my blog! My name is Tristen Gilbert. I call Greenfield, Illinois my home. I grew up surrounded by agriculture.I am a senior at Western Illinois University. I am majoring in Agriculture Science. I plan on continuing my interest in agriculture in my future.
When I first chose to come to Western, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I had heard that WIU had a successful pre-veterinary course program, which is what drew me in. I wasn’t even aware that I was studying through the agriculture department until I participated in an introductory session over the summer called SOAR. There are two different paths a student can take for pre-veterinary course work. Between the biology or agriculture path, I’m so glad I chose the Ag path.
Growing up in East Peoria, Illinois, I wasn’t really exposed to many agricultural things. My first year at WIU was an eye-opening experience. At first, I felt like an alien in my classes. So many other students already had at least background knowledge about what was being discussed in classes. I felt behind and alone the first few weeks.
The first class that really made me realize that I had made the correct choice of coming to Western was my Animal Science 112 course taught by Dr. Mark Hoge. Our labs involved hands-on experience on the university farm. Although I had never done anything like that before, I was encourage by my professor and other students to participate. Those students pushing me to try new things would become some of my closest friends.
Because of the Ag department, I have met many amazing people and have made numerous connections. I’ve experienced things that I never thought I would. I joined the Equestrian Club, where I now serve as treasurer, and I am an active member of Sigma Alpha.
This is was the first time I had ever caught a chicken. This was taken on my friend’s family farm.
If it were not for the amazing students and faculty in the agriculture department, I wouldn’t be where I am today. In May, I will graduate with my Bachelor’s in agricultural science and a minor in chemistry. I cannot express enough thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way at WIU. As I wrap up my last two semesters, all I can say is thank you to the amazing faculty, friends, clubs, and sisters that I have met along the way.
(The Benefits of Showing Livestock Within the Youth)
-Photo Provided Cindy Cagwin-Johnston
A lot of individuals ask the question, “Why do people waste their time and money showing livestock?” This statement is one of the many stimulants as to why the showing industry is often viewed as just another hobby that involves spending an absurd amount of money. Yet, in reality there is much more beneath the surface of this culture.
I grew up on a small cattle farm in an even smaller town, where I spent the majority of my time caring for my 4-H/Junior show projects. My days consisted of waking up feeding and working my show cattle that I planned to exhibit at the county, state, and national level. I would then usually go along with my dad to do what ever work that we had on the docket for that particular day. Once that job was finished I would return home to repeat my daily ritual of rinsing, working hair, cleaning pens, and blow drying my cattle. I would then direct my attention to feeding and walking my pigs that I would also exhibit at the county and state level.
An outsider looking in may wonder why someone would put all this time and effort into an animal that may only exhibit at a few shows. Well, for my family it simply came down to the idea that livestock was just simply the lifestyle that we loved and were accustomed to. However, there is more to showing livestock than it just being genetic. Over the many years that I have been showing livestock I have learned many valuable lessons. These lessons range from time management, work ethic, and responsibility. The many values previously mentioned have sculpted me into the individual that I am today.
Showing livestock has not only allowed me to hone these valuable life skills, but to also cherish the time that is spent with family and friends during this activity that create memories that last a lifetime. Because without friends and family to help support me throughout my career, I would not have learned the life skills that I have or created the relationships with people throughout the country.
-Photo provided by Cindy Cagwin-Johnston
When another livestock exhibitor is asked, “Why do you show livestock?” their rebuttal is very similar to the basic concepts that I have reiterated above.
“Exhibiting livestock over the years has allowed me to network and meet many different people around the country that greatly impacted who I am today.” -Cole Whisman
-Photo Provided by Caseelynn Johnston
About the Author
My name is Dalton Johnston I am from Virginia, Illinois. I am also a senior at Western Illinois University majoring in Agribusiness
In 1999 social media became a relevant social platform in society. With that it has had it’s pros and cons on society and how we go about our business throughout the day. When you start looking at the livestock side of the conversation, the plot thickens. We have lost stockman. We have lost discernment and critical thinking and have gained insignificant “likes” . We have lost “livestock” and gained “pets” . We have lost knowledge and gained the internet. We have lost the ability to look at an individual and gained the ability to look at an ad or catalog page. We have lost the quest to be a stockman and gained the quest to be an “instant expert” . Just ask them, they will tell you. If society could cut back on screen time and instead focus more on real world situations I believe that we would all be amazed how much could be accomplished in the livestock realm and everyday life in general.
It will be interesting to see in twenty years where the livestock industry will be from a technology and character standpoint. Being that all junior show men and women for the first time will be raised by a generation that depended so heavily on social media and the internet versus solely depending on real life experiences and face to face interaction. Although the convenience and networking of the internet has taken the livestock world to new level in terms of mobility and communication. It has significantly diminished live auctions, confrontation and individuals ability to handpick stock. Rather a large population of folks would rather sit behind a computer screen at home, read blogs, posts, articles and “educate” themselves although there may be some things to learn from these sources. Nothing can replace real life experiences and confrontation.
What worries me about the livestock industry as social media continues to grow as does this contemporary group of “self proclaimed experts” that prefer a day in front of a computer screen over a day in the barn or pasture. If every individual in the livestock industry could be educated in a hands on environment similarly and correctly by an industry leader, the general livestock community could enhance the overall quality of not only the stock but also themselves as stockmen and women.
A prime example of this occurrence say a heifer wins Louisville one of the most prestigious cattle shows in the country thousands of people immediately see that individual through the internet and social media and know that she was the one this year. Sometimes we get so caught up in the image of that individual at the backdrop that we forget about things like longevity, soundness and maternal characteristics. We focus so intensely on that picture we forget about practical functional key factors and become consumed with creating the individual that can walk into a show ring and win a banner.
The phenomenon of people becoming over consumed with the internet and social media is not only happening in the livestock industry. People would rather sit in the comfort of our own homes and order their groceries on amazon than go to the store. Although it is convenient in the same the internet is also instilling a new level of inactive, un-social, shiftless nature upon modern society. The internet and social media is a powerful resource and has its advantages this is just a reminder that a stockmen isn’t made behind a computer screen.
About the Author
Hello, my name is Wyatt Jones I am a fourth year agribusiness student at Western Illinois University with a minor in animal Science and strong passion for agriculture.
“Why do you work in a hog confinement” is a question I get asked quite frequently. It is hard to explain to someone about your passion when they can’t quite understand it, but they always say, “Do what you love”. My passion just so happens to be pigs, and it all started about two years ago. Two years ago I started working on a small hog farm doing all of its record keeping and helping in the barn when I had time. This past summer I had taken a production internship with Carthage Vet System and I am so glad I did.
My Internship Experience
This past summer I had an internship with Carthage Vet system as a production intern. I was able to learn all aspects of how a swine facility operates. I worked on a 5,600 head sow unit that was a farrow to wean operation. My days normally started at 6 a.m. every morning and on wean days at 4:30 a.m. I learned all operation duties that included breeding and day one care in the farrowing house. My heart and passion stuck mainly in the farrowing house and that is where I spent most of my time. My duties included checking sows, making sure the birthing process was going smoothly, warming babies, and doing day one shots. I loved working with the babies and watching them grow into healthy pigs.
As my internship ended, I am still employed and work at the swine facility and I see my future continuing with this company. I love working with pigs and love seeing how all of my hard work pays off when healthy pigs go out the door.
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” -Confucius
How A Farrowing House Works
A farrowing house is where the sows will come up to give birth. In a room there are 56 individual crates the sows will go in to. Along with the sows going into crates there are heat lamps over each crate so that when she has piglets, the piglets get warmed up. Day one care is when there are pregnant sows and they are actively farrowing in the room. Day one care at the farm I work at consists of assisting sows and making sure the birthing process is going smoothly, drying and warming up the babies, cross-fostering, as well as day one shots. Day one shots are to prevent the piglets from getting sick, just like how a human baby would get its check up shots. Cross-fostering is where you evaluate each sow and piglet and size up all of the piglets in the litter so they are all around the same size. After each sow in the room has farrowed, or had her babies, that room is now closed. The first 48 hours of the piglets life is very crucial as it sets it up for the remainder of its life. Then the piglets will be weaned around 21 days of age.
Photo taken by Maddie Anderson at the WIU farm
Meet the Author!
My name is Maddie Anderson and I am a senior at WIU majoring in Ag business with a minor in animal science. I am from a small town not to far from Macomb. Thank you for reading my blog post!
At the beginning of this semester, I didn’t know what I was going to blog about, and I didn’t think I had anything worth writing about. Thinking back to what I’ve done this past summer I realized that the most interesting study that I have worked on was my dicamba and waterhemp project. Dicamba is a chemical used to control broadleaf weeds, but in recent years, some weeds have started to resist dicamba.
At the end of last year, I gained a position at the
WIU Agricultural Field Laboratory as a research tech under Dr. Mark Bernards. Much
of the work was technical: mixing chemicals, backpack spraying, weed removal, seed
harvesting, and general upkeep of the fields at the farm. Dr. Bernards also
indicated that we would have a chance to participate in an experiment and
participate at the weeds contest. In late June the 3 other workers and I picked
a project and began working.
Introduction- To start off, my project was a continuation of a leatherneck graduate. Allison Rumler had started this project and conducted it completely in the greenhouse. Dr, Bernards encouraged me to take on this project because they, and I, were curious to see if the results would change when the plants were exposed to less than perfect conditions. So, after this I set to work on the project.
Seeding
and transplanting – The whole point of this project was to
answer the question “do varying degrees of dicamba affect the seed production
and germination rate of waterhemp”. To start off, we randomly seeded a plastic
tub of waterhemp and allowed it to germinate. Once the plants were about an
inch and a half to two inches, we carefully transplanted 96 of them into their
own pots to allow for further growth. The pots were watered every other day and
were grown for about 3 weeks to a month before they were the appropriate size
to spray. They were between 10 and 12 inches when they moved onto the spraying
process
Spraying-
Spraying
was done with help of a special robot on the farm. Located in the greenhouse,
this robot can simulate rainfall, spray patterns, and soil erosion. We used the
same speed of spray patterns on the waterhemp and randomly assigned them to a
dosage of dicamba. There was 6 levels of concentration with the dicamba, ranging
from an untreated check, to total extermination of the plant. They were then
left to dry and placed back into the greenhouse for further growth.
Transplanting- The next step of this process was to transplant all the waterhemp into a field. We chose the soybean field behind the agronomy shed and transplanted the first 96 plants mid-June. The plants were watered every other day until they became established in the soybean field. This was repeated in mid-July with a new set of waterhemp that recieved the same treatment as the group before. This was to test different environmental periods and gave me a total of 192 plants to watch over.
Observing-
The
waterhemp was left to grow in a fenced in area, I observed the health,
accounted for growth stages, and sexed the plants when they matured and flowered.
The fence was to protect not only the waterhemp, but the soybeans from deer. Unfortunately
a couple of my waterhemp plants died from ground squirrels, but the project continues.
From there it was simply a waiting game.
Harvesting-
Late
October into early November, I harvested the female plants. Figure 1 and 2 show
a female from the early set (1) and a male from the late set (2) I collected
them in separate paper bags, grouped them into spray quantities, and sent them
through a thresher. The seeds were then collected and put through a germ test.
Germination
test- The Germ test is currently ongoing. This tests how
well dicamba products disrupt the viability of the seeds. It also tells us how
smaller rates effect the seed production. This test will determine if environment
plays a bigger role in seed production and viability than we thought.
After this project is completed, I will be presenting this at North Central Weed Science Society meeting in Columbus Ohio. This has given me such a good experience and a want to continue to work in research. I want to thank Dr. Bernards for pushing me to try a research project, and furthering my curiosity in weed science.
Figure 1. set one of waterhemp project. dead female ready to be harvested Figure 2. plant from study two. dead male that will not be harvested.
In late March the city of Carthage, Illinois, contacted WIU’s Forestry Club to do a complete street tree inventory so that the city could progress to becoming a Tree City U.S.A. For a city to become a Tree City U.S.A that city has to do the following: have a tree board or department, have a tree care ordinance as a foundation for the tree care within the city, the city has to also spend at least $2 per person living in the city on tree care, and the city has to observe Arbor Day and plant a tree every year.
As a student enrolled in WIU’s urban forestry class who needed to do a 100 street tree inventory and as member of the forestry club, I decided to partner up on this project and with our professor’s permission start the tree inventory in Carthage. Matthew Perry and I both had to do this project and together we inventoried approximately 350 trees out of Carthage’s 796 total street trees. For every single tree we had to tag and take the following metrics: address location, block number, parkway width, corner lot, utility above or near the tree, species, condition, diameter at breast height (4.5 feet), and pruning recommendations.
The first day of the inventory in April was started with a couple hours of training followed by many hours of inventory. That Friday we spent six hours in Carthage doing the inventory on Main Street. As the summer came and went we chipped away at the inventory, but in the fall we were finally able to get everyone in the forestry club working on the tree inventory. Once again Matt Perry and I decided to go back to Carthage a few more times just to send the inventory project home.
At the end of October the day finally came and we presented our research to the city board of Carthage. The findings concluded that out of 796 street trees in Carthage 47% of those trees were some kind of Maple. There were several different species of maple including: silver, sugar, red, black, and Norway. Having a variety of species is always a good thing, but when they are all from the same genus, being different species isn’t so important. In the meeting our professor Mr. Blome said, “If the invasive Asian Longhorned Beetle were to arrive in Carthage that means over 47% of Carthage’s trees would be wiped out, because Boxelder trees are also in the same genus as maples. The general rule for tree selection is the 5:10:15 rule. No more than 5% of trees from the same species, 10% from the same genus, and 15% from the same family.”
Photos Courtesy of Paul Blome
Another interesting fact we learned about Carthage’s street trees is that they are mostly located towards their courthouse on the square in the center of town. The outer edges of the city are nearly void of trees opening up a lot of planting space for future trees. Carthage’s trees are mostly 20-30 inches in diameter, meaning they may be towards the end of their life which will open up opportunities for population and species distribution towards those empty spaces on the edge of town.
Photo Courtesy of Paul Blome
When it came to the condition of Carthage’s trees most of them were in the fair category, which is neither good nor bad. A tree being in the fair category means that it has a few defects, but with proper pruning could be a healthier, more aesthetic tree. As Mr. Blome has said, “It is difficult to take a tree from fair to good, but is easy for a tree to go from fair to poor.” Later, the mayor of Carthage said during the meeting, “We have never pruned trees and have never had a pruning plan in place.” One main reason that trees landed in the fair category is because taller trees were often planted near or in power lines, phone lines and cable lines, making it a very crowded tree, and when a utility company comes and performs a utility prune on that tree, it will be a pretty aggressive cut, because as Mr. Blome said, “A power company’s job is to maximize reliability and minimize liability.” A general guideline for what a healthy tree would look like includes one leader, no crossing branches, no girdling roots or roots that wrap around the tree and in a place that offers enough space for the tree to grow to its full potential.
The city of Carthage has a long way to go before they are a Tree City U.S.A, but they are on the right path. With Carthage having the tree inventory in hand they now can work towards proper care regarding the species, size and health of the trees. The inventory was also a road map for what trees should and should not be planted in the near future. The Mayor of Carthage said, “I have been trying to get this going for 15 years even though at this age I most certainly won’t see the fruits of my labors.”
This seven month long project had turned into a lesson for all of us. For the city of Carthage they now have a road map for the future care of their trees. For us students we were given the privilege to inventory a whole city’s street trees, and learned about proper pruning and selection. I hope future students will have the same opportunities that we had in the urban forestry class as well as the forestry club.
Lars Smith grew up in and currently resides in the small town of Astoria, Illinois. Lars is senior in the School of Agriculture majoring in Agricultural Science and is taking courses focused on plants. His innate curiosity made him want to learn more about trees which inevitably lead him into WIU’s Urban Forestry Management class where he was able to spend substantial time working on Carthage’s street tree inventory.
Western Illinois University School of Agriculture 