Wednesday, April 2, 2014

My Future Job 

Written By: Tracy Hillenbrand 4:28 P.M.

I plan on being surrounded by green for the rest of my life. I am sure many of you jump to the conclusion of money, however I find the crops we grow to be a more appealing green. I will finish out my degree in Crop and Weed Science in a year and a half, but school will not be out of the picture. I am hoping to continue my education by getting either a master's or doctorate in plant breeding. 

pioneer.com

People do not see the amount of science and dedication needed to improve yields for farmers, help keep food costs low, and provide enough nourishment worldwide. I believe this is an ever growing field with the need becoming greater as the minute passes. God only created so much land, and with the amount of people continuously increasing, the need to be efficient with farm land increases as well. 

I have never lived on a farm, however, I have worked for a seed research company year round for the past four years. I grew up two miles down the road from the Willmar DuPont Pioneer Research Station. This research station specializes in corn and is the reason behind my drive to become a corn breeder. I figured that if I can still find my job fascinating after four years I should make it my goal to instill my passion for breeding into others by maximizing yield. 

It is not hard to become a Research Associate for a genetics company. These are the people who help the breeders do all of the necessary tasks throughout the year. One example of this is to plant corn by hand to get an even amount of crops to germinate from each variety tests will be run on. I am hand planting on May 28th, 2013, in the picture below. 
Through my many years worth of experiences with Pioneer, I have learned that an employee only needs a B.S. degree to work for the company. They do not care what the degree is in, as they are more concerned with your ability to catch on quickly to new tasks and dedication to finishing the task at hand. The average salary for an entry level position within the company ranges from $30,000-50,000. The company also has profit sharing and excellent health care benefits. 

There are many types of crops that an individual breeder and researchers may work on. These can range from crops such as corn, wheat, and soybeans to things you would not even guess are bred. The University of Minnesota invented the Honeycrisp apple through their research department. There are turf breeders who breed specifically for golf course greens. NDSU has a potato breeder who has been breeding potato varieties that get used by Frito Lay. 
Plant breeding is involved in a person's life on a daily basis, whether it is from snatching a bag of chips off a convenience store shelf, opening our pantry doors, or out getting a bit exercise in. There is a lot more to farming in today's society than jumping onto a tractor and dumping some seed in. I want to push the envelope and challenge the current expectations set in the seed industry.