Fremont Public School District issued the following announcement on July 26.
The 2021 Fremont FFA Packer Land Lab internship is well underway and is looking a little different this growing season.
The biggest change this summer is the presence of two interns. Noah Baker and Carly Smith were selected to take on the responsibility of scouting the potato crop that was planted at the Packer Land Lab field on W. 44th Street. The interns have also had the opportunity to job shadow a variety of local experts.
Noah and Carly’s weekly scouting duties involve carefully walking the potato field to observe and record anything that could negatively impact the crop.
Variables that could impact potato growth and health include insect damage, weeds, nutrient deficiencies, deer damage, weather damage and other elements. The interns record their findings on a digital scout report that is shared with the people at Karnemaat Farms, who help manage the crops for the Fremont FFA.
Since beginning in late May, Smith and Baker have had the opportunity to meet with TimesIndicator Editor Richard Wheater who educated them about the newspaper’s creation process and gave them a few pointers on writing news articles.
The interns also accepted the invitation to visit Helena, an agriculture retail company in Conklin. There they met with branch manager Meghan Haverkamp and learned about the unique operation that serves a variety of row crop and specialty crop growers in the area.
The interns also traveled to Hart, where they met up with Ben Werling, an MSU Extension Agent who specializes in commercial vegetable production. They also toured the Michigan Asparagus Industry Research Farm where researchers study various asparagus varieties the variables that play roles in asparagus production. Currently, the research team at MSU is studying the process needed to freeze asparagus to prolong its life and freshness.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Fremont Public School District
Alerts Sign-up