Name: Linda Brown Present title position: Senior in Agronomy: Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Role in Agron 114: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Hometown/State: Des Moines, IA

How did you become interested in Ag? I grew up in Des Moines, IA, not exactly a farming community. During High school I began working at Pioneer in a soybean pathology lab. The Pioneer lab provided me with some great experiences and encouraged me to pursue agriculture in college. I would love to go into research developing new varieties or methods that make modern cropping more productive and sustainable. A new crop cannot be successful unless it fits into the way agriculture is practiced and fulfills the farmer’s needs Your prior work experience · Profession Intern with Pioneer Hi-bred International, Germplasm Security & Protection—Summer 2011 · Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for ISU Biology 212 Lab—Spring 2011 · Summer Hire with Pioneer Hi-bred International, Plant Pathology—Summer 2008-2009 Hobbies/Interest Music (Bassoon), biking, beekeeping What do you think are some of the challenges in the future of agriculture? Both food and energy are central parts of a developed economy. Never before has agriculture played such an important role in the production of these commodities. As the field of biofuels expands, more cropland is being redirected from the feed and food markets to be used in biofuel production. Biofuels are emphasizing this tradeoff as both food and fuel demands increase with the growing global population The challenge that must be addressed by current and future agriculture production is to meet both of these needs in a sustainable way.