Name: Ryan Van Roekel Present title position: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Role in Agron 114: Teaching assistant Greenhouse Manager Hometown/State: Pella, Iowa

How did you become interested in Ag? I have always enjoyed being outside. I grew up on a small farm and wanted to turn that experience into a career in Agronomy. Your prior work experience: I just wrapped up an internship with Channel Bio, the parent company of Crows, Midwest, and NC+; also owned by Monsanto. I ran the outside research/demonstration plots and also gave quite a few tours to growers and employees. I learned about everything from planting populations to the pipeline of products coming in the next ten years. Before that, I’ve worked in the cooperative system and also seed sales. Hobbies/Interest: My expensive hobby (more like an addiction) is riding motocross. I have a Honda 450r and am highly involved with the ISU Motocross Club. I’ve been riding all around the Midwest and also love the sand dunes, which have taken me as far as southern California to ride. Other than that, I ride mountain bikes, hunt waterfowl and deer, and enjoy being outside. What do you think are some of the challenges in the future of agriculture? The volatility of the commodity markets creates a lot of uncertainty in the Ag industry. The risks have never been greater but the rewards are also at their highest. Rising input costs have also increased the need for quality agronomists and good management systems.