NORFOLK, Neb. – It seems like there are no shortage of controversial topics when it comes to agriculture today.
They include issues related to the environment, thinning profit margins, feeding a growing world population, maintaining food safety and finding the next generation of farmers, among others.
Rather than shying away from such topics, Northeast Community College agricultural students were presented with an opportunity to research one of them as part of a team, then present it in a public setting. All this took place in the Issues in Agriculture course this semester.
The Northeast Community College Agriculture Department sponsored a booth fair where the research was presented to anyone interested.
While Northeast has offered Issues in Agriculture for years, this is only the second year it has sponsored a booth fair, giving students a wider audience to present their findings. The event took place on Tuesday, Dec. 3, in Union 73 with 19 booths displayed.
Bob Noonan, Diversified Agriculture instructor, said about 90 students took part in this year’s booth fair. A few of the topics were popular with students, with more than one group addressing them, including nitrates, grass and grain-fed beef and how to handle livestock.
Noonan, Brandon Keller, Sarah Sellin and Henry Goeden are instructors for the Issues in Agriculture class. Students selected the topics based on their own research, then received approval from instructors.
In discussing their research, most students were careful to remain neutral – rather than arguing for a particular side. The students learn that there are almost always going to be ideas or practices that are controversial.
“It’s important to admit that there are problems and look for ways that we can mitigate those problems,” Noonan said.
One of the topics that was addressed was carbon dioxide pipelines. Connor Kreikemeier, West Point; Braydon Wobken, Hooper; Lillee Schmidt, Gordon; and Lilly Allicks, Wyanet, Ill., combined to do the CO2 project.
Kreikemeier researched eminent domain, which is the taking of private land for the public good. While such actions are usually reserved for government projects such as highways, it was their opinion that it would be legal for this project as well, but such action could bring lawsuits.
Wobken researched the safety of it, finding that short-term exposure to a sudden leak could be lethal, while long-term exposure, such as a small leak, could lead to cognitive effects on kidneys and lungs and other vital organs. That’s why where the pipelines are located matter greatly, he said.
Schmidt researched carbon dioxide pipelines, including why they are being proposed, the routes being proposed and if they are needed to keep some industries, such as ethanol, viable. She also made a three-fold display, summarizing the findings.
Allicks' contributions included making flyers, and the compensation factor, including crop lost with lower yields for up to a 100-foot right-of-way space for the pipeline company. That not only disrupts the soil, but causes compaction issues.
Among other things, based on her research, Allicks found that the yield for soybeans is decreased by 25% for two to three years and corn yields decline about 15% for the same time. Pipeline companies are compensating the landowners, Allicks said.
Issues in Agriculture
Northeast Community College Ag students (from left) Connor Kreikemeier, West Point; Braydon Wobken, Hooper; Lillee Schmidt, Gordon; and Lilly Allicks, Wyanet, Ill., were among at least 90 students taking part in the Issues in Agriculture booth fair at Union 73 on Tuesday, Dec. 3 (Northeast Community College)
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