Testing Dryland Cover Crops and Establishing a Demonstration Crop Rotation
Primary Topic:
Agriculture
Other Topics:
Food Systems
Lead Mentor:
Katherine Caswell
County Extension Specialist, Agronomy/Cropping Systems
Internship Overview:
Weld County Extension began a partnership with the City of Greeley Museums in 2023 to initiate the development of an agriculture education site. While the long-term goals for this site encompass larger projects for community landscaping education and events, a portion of the historic homestead will be developed to demonstrate conservation practices and methods for Colorado’s unique cropping systems. The primary objective for the summer of 2024 is to prepare the area, design a plot layout, and conduct an evaluation of dryland cover crops. The intern would be responsible for assisting with all the plot work, including learning plot design, the planting process, data collection, and developing educational materials for the future. As no project is conducted in isolation, the intern will also be involved in aiding with other research projects in Weld County and the Eastern Region, along with generating media articles around these topics.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
The goal of this internship is for the intern to aid with the development of a new crop demonstration site, take ownership of at least one aspect of cover crop evaluation (weed control, soil health, or forage quality), and write articles about their observations and experiences. Additionally, the intern will be exposed to regional Extension activities, including the Crops Testing programs summer events and on-going research projects. There are opportunities for the intern to spend days with other Extension Specialists to shadow them and assist with data collection on a range of projects. The main scope of the project will be the development of the cover crop plots at White Plum Farm in Greeley, with the intern selecting their own objective and focus within that project, on an aspect of cover crops they would most like to evaluate.
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
Weld County Extension Office, USDA NRCS, Eastern Region of CSU Extension, CSU Crops Testing, Department of Soil and Crop Science, City of Greeley
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
It is anticipated that the student would gain knowledge in crop research methods, how to plan a crop research project, and how to conduct common methods of data collection. Additionally, the intern will learn how to do basic data analysis to evaluate their initial results. Finally, the intern will be writing articles along the way about their observations and experiences with the project, before writing a final report of their project results. This report will be an informal, Extension style report that can distributed both to producers, within CSU, and to other agencies.
Through opportunities to attend Extension events in the Eastern Region, the intern will be exposed to the varying farming conditions in northeast Colorado. Finally, the intern will be exposed to the day-to-day aspect of being an Extension Specialist. The intern’s primary goal will be to work on the White Plum Farm project but will also be able to ride along with Extensions Specialists and researchers as they go about their summer.
Through opportunities to attend Extension events in the Eastern Region, the intern will be exposed to the varying farming conditions in northeast Colorado. Finally, the intern will be exposed to the day-to-day aspect of being an Extension Specialist. The intern’s primary goal will be to work on the White Plum Farm project but will also be able to ride along with Extensions Specialists and researchers as they go about their summer.
