{"id":9280,"date":"2020-05-04T10:44:03","date_gmt":"2020-05-04T14:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences-new\/?p=9280"},"modified":"2020-05-04T11:06:43","modified_gmt":"2020-05-04T15:06:43","slug":"stillfarming-and-stillstudying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/news\/stillfarming-and-stillstudying\/","title":{"rendered":"#StillFarming and #StillStudying"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt was cotton season when I was born, so my mom had to stop by the fields to show me to my Dad and Grandad. I guess you could say I was basically born in the field,\u201d mused Daniel McDonald, NC State Agricultural Institute Crop Science student.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second Shift<\/b><\/h1>\n

\"AFor many of our students, returning home for online classes meant returning to work. Daniel\u2019s family operates McDonald Brothers Farm in Red Springs, NC.\u00a0 They grow almost 5,000 acres of corn, wheat, soybeans, and cotton.\u00a0 \u201cMy Grandad started this as a hobby farm with hay and a few cattle.\u00a0 My Dad and uncle ramped it up in the mid-\u201990s.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Daniel\u2019s father was an educator, teaching automotives at Fayetteville Technical Community College.\u00a0 So learning was highly valued in his family.\u00a0 \u201cDad instilled in me the importance of education.\u00a0 Once you have it, it can\u2019t be taken away from you,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cI don\u2019t know when I sat down and decided to get an Ag degree, but I can\u2019t think of anything I\u2019d rather go to school for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Off-Campus and On the Clock<\/b><\/h1>\n

Daniel is a first-year student in the two-year Agricultural Institute, concentrating in field crop technology and living on campus in Raleigh. \u201cI like campus life – I didn\u2019t realize how much I\u2019d miss it until they moved classes online.\u00a0 I\u2019m doing ok with the online classes, but the on-campus experience is far superior for me.\u00a0 Learning in front of a computer is just not my favorite thing to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that he is back home, farm work calls.\u00a0 Daniel is a key equipment operator in their family farm business of three full-time employees. \u201cI do most of the applicating – herbicides and post-emergence.\u00a0 I can operate anything we own.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been doing it since I was seven or eight years old.\u00a0 If there\u2019s a problem, I don\u2019t call Dad. I get in my service truck and fix it.\u201d A reliable worker like Daniel is hard to find.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are no idle hands on the farm.\u00a0 \u201cI think my Dad was kind of excited to have me home.\u00a0 I used to drive home on weekends to work, hunt, or just see friends, but now I can help out even more.\u00a0 Before now, they were kind of operating a man short.\u00a0 They would divide and conquer the work but were really stretched thin without me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"tractorTractor Tech<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

Daniel has found that being home is a mixed bag. \u201cI\u2019m glad to be home and be available to help in the afternoons.\u00a0 But we live in a map-dot town.\u00a0 People joke that we don\u2019t get Monday Night Football until Thursday.\u00a0 So technology isn\u2019t really my thing.\u00a0 My main tech experience is a GPS touchscreen in the tractor, not a laptop. Since my Dad can\u2019t really help me with tech support, I\u2019m kind of on my own to figure it out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

An Early Bird<\/b><\/h1>\n

Daniel\u2019s days start early with breakfast and homework before heading to the fields.\u00a0 \u201cMy Dad helps keep me on track.\u00a0 I <\/span>have<\/span><\/i> to do school work in the morning.\u00a0 After I finish fieldwork, I go to bed thinking about what I have to do on the farm the next day.\u00a0 Dad reminds me to focus – that school comes first.\u201d But Daniel\u2019s discovered the downside to online learning too.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not getting the hands-on learning experience.\u00a0 I learn by watching what other people do., especially in math.\u00a0 It helps to see someone work out problems in real-time.\u201d He knows that university resources exist, but they aren\u2019t always convenient. \u201c I call classmates often and we help each other. If it\u2019s not Zooom time and you have an assignment due, you need answers right then.\u00a0 We don\u2019t expect professors to be on call 24\/7, and most of them are responsive to email, but a lot of times for my work schedule, I have to start ahead of time and then end up finishing right before an assignment is due. More times than not, I turn it in and hope it\u2019s ok.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the challenges in his second semester, Daniel doesn\u2019t expect the hiccup to affect his degree timing.\u00a0 He thinks this new level of education will be of value back home. \u201cI want my degree to make me a bigger asset because it\u2019s something they don\u2019t have.\u00a0 I hope I bring back something new – a new perspective they don\u2019t have and could use.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Four
Daniel McDonald (right) with Jacob Conner, Jackson Davis, and Zack Conner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Want to Become a Workforce Asset?\u00a0<\/b><\/h1>\n

Our two and four-year students take home knowledge leading to in-demand careers. Learn more about student<\/span> degree pathways<\/span><\/a>, our two-year Agricultural Institute<\/a>, or sign up for an undergraduate’s<\/span> guided email tour<\/span><\/a> of our Crop & Soil Sciences Department.\u00a0 It\u2019s how we are growing the future.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\u201cIt was cotton season when I was born, so my mom had to stop by the fields to show me to my Dad and Grandad. I guess you could say I was basically born in the field,\u201d mused Daniel McDonald, NC State Agricultural Institute Crop Science student.<\/span>\r\n

Second Shift<\/b><\/h1>\r\n\"AFor many of our students, returning home for online classes meant returning to work. Daniel\u2019s family operates McDonald Brothers Farm in Red Springs, NC.\u00a0 They grow almost 5,000 acres of corn, wheat, soybeans, and cotton.\u00a0 \u201cMy Grandad started this as a hobby farm with hay and a few cattle.\u00a0 My Dad and uncle ramped it up in the mid-\u201990s.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nDaniel\u2019s father was an educator, teaching automotives at Fayetteville Technical Community College.\u00a0 So learning was highly valued in his family.\u00a0 \u201cDad instilled in me the importance of education.\u00a0 Once you have it, it can\u2019t be taken away from you,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cI don\u2019t know when I sat down and decided to get an Ag degree, but I can\u2019t think of anything I\u2019d rather go to school for.\u201d<\/span>\r\n

Off-Campus and On the Clock<\/b><\/h1>\r\nDaniel is a first-year student in the two-year Agricultural Institute, concentrating in field crop technology and living on campus in Raleigh. \u201cI like campus life - I didn\u2019t realize how much I\u2019d miss it until they moved classes online.\u00a0 I\u2019m doing ok with the online classes, but the on-campus experience is far superior for me.\u00a0 Learning in front of a computer is just not my favorite thing to do.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n[pullquote align=right, color=red]Once you have [education], it can\u2019t be taken away from you[\/pullquote]Now that he is back home, farm work calls.\u00a0 Daniel is a key equipment operator in their family farm business of three full-time employees. \u201cI do most of the applicating - herbicides and post-emergence.\u00a0 I can operate anything we own.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been doing it since I was seven or eight years old.\u00a0 If there\u2019s a problem, I don\u2019t call Dad. I get in my service truck and fix it.\u201d A reliable worker like Daniel is hard to find.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThere are no idle hands on the farm.\u00a0 \u201cI think my Dad was kind of excited to have me home.\u00a0 I used to drive home on weekends to work, hunt, or just see friends, but now I can help out even more.\u00a0 Before now, they were kind of operating a man short.\u00a0 They would divide and conquer the work but were really stretched thin without me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

\"tractorTractor Tech<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\r\nDaniel has found that being home is a mixed bag. \u201cI\u2019m glad to be home and be available to help in the afternoons.\u00a0 But we live in a map-dot town.\u00a0 People joke that we don\u2019t get Monday Night Football until Thursday.\u00a0 So technology isn\u2019t really my thing.\u00a0 My main tech experience is a GPS touchscreen in the tractor, not a laptop. Since my Dad can\u2019t really help me with tech support, I\u2019m kind of on my own to figure it out.\u201d<\/span>\r\n

An Early Bird<\/b><\/h1>\r\nDaniel\u2019s days start early with breakfast and homework before heading to the fields.\u00a0 \u201cMy Dad helps keep me on track.\u00a0 I <\/span>have<\/span><\/i> to do school work in the morning.\u00a0 After I finish fieldwork, I go to bed thinking about what I have to do on the farm the next day.\u00a0 Dad reminds me to focus - that school comes first.\u201d But Daniel\u2019s discovered the downside to online learning too.<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m not getting the hands-on learning experience.\u00a0 I learn by watching what other people do., especially in math.\u00a0 It helps to see someone work out problems in real-time.\u201d He knows that university resources exist, but they aren\u2019t always convenient. \u201c I call classmates often and we help each other. If it\u2019s not Zooom time and you have an assignment due, you need answers right then.\u00a0 We don\u2019t expect professors to be on call 24\/7, and most of them are responsive to email, but a lot of times for my work schedule, I have to start ahead of time and then end up finishing right before an assignment is due. More times than not, I turn it in and hope it\u2019s ok.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\nDespite the challenges in his second semester, Daniel doesn\u2019t expect the hiccup to affect his degree timing.\u00a0 He thinks this new level of education will be of value back home. \u201cI want my degree to make me a bigger asset because it\u2019s something they don\u2019t have.\u00a0 I hope I bring back something new - a new perspective they don\u2019t have and could use.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_9300\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1242\"]\"Four Daniel McDonald (right) with Jacob Conner, Jackson Davis, and Zack Conner[\/caption]\r\n

Want to Become a Workforce Asset?\u00a0<\/b><\/h1>\r\nOur two and four-year students take home knowledge leading to in-demand careers. Learn more about student<\/span> degree pathways<\/span><\/a>, our two-year Agricultural Institute<\/a>, or sign up for an undergraduate's<\/span> guided email tour<\/span><\/a> of our Crop & Soil Sciences Department.\u00a0 It\u2019s how we are growing the future.<\/span>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many of our students, returning home for online classes meant returning to work. Daniel McDonald’s family operates McDonald Brothers Farm in Red Springs, NC. Online classes have to fit into farm work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2196,"featured_media":9283,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22,18,28],"tags":[165,320,359,360,358,317,164],"class_list":["post-9280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-impact","category-students","tag-agricultural-institute","tag-covid-19","tag-distance-education","tag-farm-work","tag-field-crops","tag-online-learning","tag-undergraduate"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2196"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9280"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40542,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9280\/revisions\/40542"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}