Quality Seed Production
College of Agricultural Sciences
Soil and Crop Sciences
Larimer
County
(Washington)
- Agriculture
- On-campus
Primary Topic:
Agriculture
Other Topics:
Food Systems
Internship Overview:
The intern will assist the Agronomy Foundation Seed Program with various duties that will provide the student with training, knowledge and basic understanding of seed production and plant breeding.
The program will allow the student opportunities to develop leadership skills while learning the process of creating wheat lines that are genetically pure, participate in Extension outreach to producers through field days, learn about commercial crop production, and be involved with small grain seed production in the High Plains. The student will get hands-on experience collaborating with researchers and working with experienced agronomist learning seed multiplication and purity of winter wheat varieties and advanced lines vital to our nation’s food supply.
The program will allow the student opportunities to develop leadership skills while learning the process of creating wheat lines that are genetically pure, participate in Extension outreach to producers through field days, learn about commercial crop production, and be involved with small grain seed production in the High Plains. The student will get hands-on experience collaborating with researchers and working with experienced agronomist learning seed multiplication and purity of winter wheat varieties and advanced lines vital to our nation’s food supply.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
Goals: The goal of this internship is to provide the student the basic agronomic understanding of seed production and plant breeding conducted by the Foundation Seed Production Project at Colorado State University.
Scope: Agronomy Foundation Seed internship for the summer of 2024 will involve seed multiplication and purity of winter wheat varieties and advanced lines. Specifically, this entails roguing (removal of undesirable plant types), weeding, assisting with harvest by cleaning bins and combines, and assisting with seed conditioning. Most work will be performed outside, walking fields throughout the day in various weather conditions. Some travel may be required.
Objectives: Students will learn leadership skills leading a crew of undergraduate students. Worker Protection Safety; Crop Seed Identification; Weed identification in the field; Cultivar Purity; Crop Growth Stages; Plant Stand Counts; Crop Disease; Water and Fertility Deficiencies; Seed Harvesting and Conditioning.
Scope: Agronomy Foundation Seed internship for the summer of 2024 will involve seed multiplication and purity of winter wheat varieties and advanced lines. Specifically, this entails roguing (removal of undesirable plant types), weeding, assisting with harvest by cleaning bins and combines, and assisting with seed conditioning. Most work will be performed outside, walking fields throughout the day in various weather conditions. Some travel may be required.
Objectives: Students will learn leadership skills leading a crew of undergraduate students. Worker Protection Safety; Crop Seed Identification; Weed identification in the field; Cultivar Purity; Crop Growth Stages; Plant Stand Counts; Crop Disease; Water and Fertility Deficiencies; Seed Harvesting and Conditioning.
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
The primary market for AFS is the Wheat Seed industry in Colorado. Each year this self-supporting operation annually produces an average of 486,000 pounds of foundation wheat seed per year. Without this vital service, CSUs wheat breeding program and its marketing partner Colorado Wheat Research Foundation (CWRF) could not distribute the wheat varieties it develops to producers efficiently and cost effectively.
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
Development of leadership skills related to knowledge relating to plant breeding and agronomy skills, and the service this effort provides to the community and university. Deeper knowledge of agriculture and the future goals of researchers and farmers. Natural resource conservation and sustainability. Commercial crop production methods and application. How to work together as part of a team. Goal setting, attention to detail, problem solving, communication, organization and planning.
Professional Development Opportunities: There will be numerous opportunities for connection and learning from other professional researchers and programs due to the program being based at ARDEC research center. Interns will also be able to attend wheat field days where multiple researchers and community members gather to learn about the latest research and share ideas.
Professional Development Opportunities: There will be numerous opportunities for connection and learning from other professional researchers and programs due to the program being based at ARDEC research center. Interns will also be able to attend wheat field days where multiple researchers and community members gather to learn about the latest research and share ideas.
