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Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. 

My STEP project involved polyculture system involving corn and squash was set up in a plot with 9 different sections. There were three type of sections set up, corn only, squash only, and corn and squash planted together, with each type having three repetitions in the whole plot. More of my summer turned out to be involved in the work of the student farm rather than managing the growth of my research plot.

What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? 

My view of the world changed to become so much more agriculturally focused in each and every day. Being immersed in farming culture for 3 months made me focus on the plants, weather, and the everyday interactions we have with nature. I always appreciated nature but being around other students who have been so immersed in nature for so much longer made me learn how much nature can do for us every day and what we need to give back. I used to assume that farming was something that humans did, and even knowing vaguely that there are difficulties, I did not how invested and how meaningful the farm becomes to you. The dedication that you have for the farm is one that you would have for a fellow family member or a dear friend. I would never have thought that I could care about what looks like a plot of land so much.

What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you?

One of the big things that happened over the summer was the amount of rain that came down on the farm over the months of summer. During the earlier months of the summer, there was a lot of rain that came down to the point that the farm flooded multiple times. The experience of coming to the farm and seeing the entire field flooded was heartbreaking. There was a week that we were not able to work on the farm at all due to the water damage that was done to the soil and the entire field. Experiencing that and using that as the backdrop when thinking of farmers that had already been flooded for months before our plot was very eye opening.

Soon after that event, some of the students reached out to other farmers who were hosting a call-in event where the flooding was discussed. Being able to talk and connect to other farmers made the problem even more real for me. The flooding was due to record rainfall in our area which had beat the record year that was only last year. Climate change is a topic that has been very prevalent throughout my life, but it was only until this summer that I can say that I truly experienced climate change before my eyes. Seeing the effects that humans have caused on the climate directly affect the land I helped work for the summer really brought the devastation home.

Having experienced this summer surrounded by students who were so dedicated to the farm really opened my eyes to the different types of people that are involved in this field. The classes that I attend on Ag campus were usually filled with people who seemed to be mainly from rural communities and had been raised in a farm owning family. There were some who would even come to class wearing cowboy boots and hats which did not lend to a great picture of the agricultural community. Working on this farm taught me that is not the representative population of farming necessarily. There are many diverse people involved that encourage communication, equality, equity, and self-nurture. Seeing the love they give to the land, other people, and themselves really changed how I approach the community as well.

Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life?

This past summer really helped me experience the field part of my job goal as a researcher. I have had laboratory experience on campus but being able to immerse myself into working on a farm was really eye opening into the amount of work that goes into growing and maintaining crops. It also informed me on how much work I would have to put in if I ever wish to have my own small plot of land to grow my own crops on. Having this hands-on experience really taught me what it is to work with the land and how much planning it takes to grow crops successfully. Moving forward, I definitely want to still work out in the field and own a plot of land of my own as well. Having the practical experience will really help with future research exploration and my own personal explorations.