4-H Science of Ag Challenge brings out best and brightest
Written by Jonathan Eisenthal
Students ranging from seventh graders to college freshmen confronted some of the thorniest challenges in the world of agriculture as part of the sixth-annual Minnesota 4-H Science of Agriculture Challenge last week.
The top award went to sisters Addison and Sydney Mitchell, who competed as the LeSueur County “Beyond The Farm” team. They took the fact that fewer students have exposure or understanding of the diversity of careers in agriculture.
The duo developed a 15-minute presentation that showed students that agricultural production may be the foundation, but ag careers extend into science, technology and business. The award came with a $1,000 scholarship for each of them, provided by Minnesota Corn Growers Association.
“We did 59 presentations, which were seen by well over 1,000 students,” said Addison, who credited YouTube as the top medium for sharing their message.
Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, this was the first time the competition was held entirely online. For the students, the virtual world prevented them from being able to meet in person with mentors, a critical part of the competition. But still, they set to work in November, picking a problem or question to address, and their work culminated in the presentations offered to a panel of industry and academic judges.
Top teams also tackled the challenges of COVID-19 as their project. Big Stone County team delved into the crisis in the Pork industry when COVID-19 shut down packing plants. Brothers Arnold and Ernest Jibben and Kevin Casper devised a survey to create a statistical picture of the closures and the impact it had on livestock farmers.
Sisters Sarah and Hannah Hecimovich helped to raise awareness of food insecurity. Calling their team the Mower County Hunger Helpers, the sisters created a presentation to show people how to make very low-cost container gardens, demonstrating how to grow carrots, potatoes and other filling and nutritious food from table scraps and economical seed kits.
When flooding disrupted the supply of rabbit food from Illinois, sisters Emma and Ellie Donnay of Meeker County proposed an alternative that they called “Rabbit Cakes,” which blended a typical rabbit ration of alfalfa, clover and dandelions, with other possible ingredients, including garlic, oats, and kelp, all mixed together and baked. They reported great results feeding it to their own brace of lop-eared rabbits.
Brianna Klouse and Maddi Hoesing focused on producer education around the topic of manure placement near water sources, which can lead to e-coli outbreaks. They developed a model to show the various types of landscapes and water features, and how much space needs to be allowed between the water and where the manure is placed.
As did all the Science of Agriculture Challenge teams, Klouse and Hoesing connected with mentors, theirs from the Cedar River Watershed District, as part of their educational process. These professionals helped them understand all the dimensions of the problem, and also guided them in their quest for solutions. The watershed district is interested in making use of the presentation they created as part of its outreach and education mission. A total of 1,400 people have watched the videos developed by Klouse and Hoesing.
The Science of Ag Challenges is supported each year by MCGA as part of its efforts to promote the next generation of agricultural leaders. A full list of each participating teams and awards can be found below:
BIG STONE COUNTY TEAM: COVID-19 Effects on Pork Production
Coaches: Suzanne Souza and Paulette Jibben
Arnold Jibben
Ernest Jibben
Kevin Casper
LE SUEUR COUNTY: BEYOND THE FARM – Agriculture Careers and Literacy
Coach: Kim Greenwald-Mitchell
Sydney Mitchell
Addison Mitchell
MEEKER COUNTY: DONNAY DUO – Organic Rabbit Cakes
Coach: Erin Donnay
Emma Donnay
Ellie Donnay
MOWER COUNTY HUNGER HELPERS – Food Insecurity
Coach: Julie Hecimovich
Sarah Hecimovich
Hannah Hecimovich
MOWER COUNTY APPLE SWISS – E. Coli and water runoff
Coaches: Amanda Klouse and Amie Klouse
Brianna Klouse
Maddison Hoesing
Overall Scholarship Winner Results (each youth team member receives)
1st Place $1,000 – Le Sueur County Beyond the Farm
2nd Place $750 – Big Stone County Team
3rd Place $500 – Meeker County Donnay Duo
Engagement Awards Winners (each youth team member receives)
1st Place ($100 each) – Le Sueur Beyond the Farm
2nd Place ($75 each) – Meeker Donnay Duo
3rd Place ($50 each) – Mower Apple Swiss
Team Awards from the Judges
Make a Difference Award – Mower Apple Swiss
Inspiration Award – Meeker Donnay Duo
Fortitude Award – Big Stone County Team
Excellence in Presentation Award – Le Sueur Beyond the Farm
Teamwork Award – Mower Hungry Helpers
