Students attend SEMO ag field day

Editor's Note: The email address for Cheryl Reinagel has been corrected below.

Allison Elfrink adds a little pink glitter to Chico during Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Agriculture field day Wednesday at the David M. Barton Agriculture Research Center in Gordonville (Glenn Landberg)

More than 645 high-school students on Wednesday attended Southeast Missouri State University's annual Agriculture Education Field Day, where they learned about a variety of agriculture-related topics, from biotechnology and genetics to sustainable gardens.

The day began at the Charles Hutson Horticulture Greenhouse and continued at the David M. Barton Agriculture Research Center, where faculty, staff and students from the Department of Agriculture led the discussions.

"It's a great event for the high school students, because it gives them a chance to see practical application and invention on the farm," said associate professor Julie Weathers. "And it's a great day for us as a university, because it allows us to recruit and showcase our students to local high schools. We have great programs here and our ag department is growing tremendously. And this is an outstanding way to show that and get our students involved."

Rylyn Small, an agriculture education student at Southeast Missouri State University talks about the importance of agriculture to a group of high-school students during a field day Wednesday at the David M. Barton Agriculture Research Center in Gordonville. (Glenn Landberg)

The visiting students and instructors from about 20 schools also took a ride out to the center's crop fields, where they learned about the irrigation tile drainage system, cover crops and more.

Southeast students at the research center also had an opportunity to highlight entrepreneurship items, including a portable misting system recently designed by four students, Weathers and the center's farm manager, Collin Schabbing.

The system was created over the summer, when a couple cows slipped, or aborted, their calves months early because of high temperatures.

"We have big shade cloths, but whenever you have 40 cows standing under three of them, it's still pretty warm under there," said Southeast senior Jessi Stone.

Farms often have stationary misting systems, Stone said, but because the center uses a rotational grazing system, the cows are moved among 30 pastures.

Donn Beighley, research fellow with the Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Agriculture, talks about the different crops grown at the David M. Barton Agriculture Research Center to a group of high-school students during a field day Wednesday in Gordonville, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

So, the system was mounted on an eight-foot trailer with a custom-built platform holding four 55-gallon water tanks. It was made with items the center already had, Stone said, except for a generator.

"We rigged our own up, and it pushes quite a bit of water out," Stone said, adding the students plan to enter the creation at an MIT contest, with an opportunity for a cash prize. "We're excited about it."

For those interested in attending the next agriculture field day, email Cheryl Reinagel at creinagel@semo.edu or call (573) 651-2106.

klamb@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3639

Pertinent address:

6885 Highway 25, Gordonville, Mo.