Sunday, November 4, 2007
8-9
Spreading the Message of Opportunity: Field and Furrow Club.
Patricia Stoller, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, AE 114 Turner Hall, 1102 S Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801 and Karen Tweet, University of Illinois-Field & Furrow Club, 16490 Bristen Road, Minooka, IL 60447.
The members of Field and Furrow Club at the University of Illinois are dedicated to assuring that agriculture, and more importantly agronomy, are still of great significance and interest in today’s society. Each fall the club attends the Agronomy Day held by the Crop Sciences Department. By selling donuts and drinks to the ag producers and farmers, they represent the undergraduate involvement in the department, and meet potential cooperators and employers for the future. Another activity in which the club participates is the Campus Pathway Clean-up. This is a good way for the club to show involvement on campus towards the entire University. Field and Furrow is responsible for the paths along the famed Morrow Plots. Members meet in the spring to put together seed sets, which are sold to the Illinois FFA chapters. By assembling some major crops rings for judging, they are helping future possible members of the Crop Sciences Department. Lastly, the club also helps state high school ag students by contributing to the Illinois FFA Proficiency Awards Day. Members will prepare and serve pork chop sandwiches to the FFA members present at the University for record judging. This is a major fundraiser for the Field and Furrow Club, but also allows members to share agronomy and the club with the current FFA participants. Through these events during the year, the Field and Furrow Club members spread the opportunity that agronomy has to offer to future members, current students, and agricultural professionals.