Agronomy Quiz Bowl Is Latest Point of Pride and Accomplishment for Agriculture Students
Wilmington College's Agronomy Club Quiz Bowl Team placed fourth in a major competition highlighting their knowledge of agronomy and soil science held earlier this month in Salt Lake City.
PICTURED: Visiting Salt Lake City for the Agronomy Quiz Bowl are, from the left, C.J. Martin, Jonathan Vance, Kaitlin Kestermann and Kelsey Broering.
The event was featured at the international annual meeting of three professional organizations, the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), American Society of Agronomy (ASA) and Crop Science Society of America (CSSA). This year's theme was "A Creative Economy for Sustainable Development."
The College's team was comprised of sophomore C.J. Martin, junior Kelsey Broering and seniors Kaitlin Kestermann and Jonathan Vance, Dr. Jason Parrish, assistant professor of agronomy, serves as the team's faculty adviser.
The United Nations has declared 2021 as the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development. This theme ties to research, education, outreach and food production undertaken by the members of the meeting's three professional societies, according to the website for the competition.
"This work has empowered a proliferation of new tools, data and innovations that can increase the amount of safe, nutritious food grown while increasing numerous positive impacts on soils and the environment. These tools will allow production increases without further damage to natural ecosystems while providing both large and small-holder farmers with new options to reduce the problematic manual labor associated with farming and that make farming a more flexible, stable enterprise.
The site went on to read this theme encourages new ideas for food, feed, fuel and fiber production, and natural resources protection.
"We particularly encourage radical ideas and proposed paradigm changes that may make leaps in our progress towards a sustainable world agriculture economy," it added. "The theme will prompt out-of-the-box solutions to the agriculture sector's problems as we continue to provide sufficient, safe and nutritious food to a growing global population while faced with mounting environmental and resource constraints."
The WC contingent also had the chance to tour agronomic facilities in Salt Lake City.
