Name: Katie Demers Present title position: Junior in Agronomy: Business Management Minoring in Insect Science Role in Agron 114: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Hometown/State: Storm Lake, IA

How did you become interested in Ag? I grew up on my family farm in Northwest Iowa. Since we never raised any livestock, row crops have always been a big part of my life. Agronomy first sparked my interest as a future career option when I was forced to create a documentary for school about my dad’s contracted seed corn operation through Garst. However, I didn’t start my college career in the Agronomy Department. I originally had my sights set on going to vet school. After realizing that being a veterinarian was more than my stomach could handle, I spent the majority of my freshman and sophomore years switching my major and jumping from college to college within the university. It was during the spring of my sophomore year that I took Agronomy 114. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and had finally found a field that fit my interests. I switched my major for the last time last spring and am looking forward to completing my bachelor’s and hopefully a graduate degree in Agronomy during my adventure at Iowa State. Your prior work experience: · Warehouse Personnel Monsanto Co.—2009-2011 · Work on Family Farm Hobbies/Interest: Instructing Dog Obedience, Horseback Riding, Paintballing, Baking, and Scrapbooking. What do you think are some of the challenges in the future of agriculture? A major concern in my eyes is maintaining and preserving the natural fertility of the soil. Near the Missouri, thousands of acres of valued farmland were literally washed down the drain. And with land prices at an all-time high, many small time farmers are selling out and handing their land over to production facilities that plan to destroy the natural nutrients of the soil by using the land for waste management. These areas will be out of commission for agricultural use for decades to come. If we continue to allow such travesties to occur, it won’t be long before the soil that makes the Midwest so valued is devalued beyond repair.