Prospectus

Issue date: 10/21/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Patrick Wood When fall rolls around, student farmers in the agricultural belt of Illinois have a tough time balancing the harvest with classes. This year promises a bumper crop, but the harvesting time will be short, forcing college students to work long days instead of going to class.

Towards the end of the year, namely around the beginning of fall, the Midwest turns into an agricultural madhouse as farmers race to harvest crops. Country roads turn into interstate highways for combines, grain trucks, and tractors with wagons in tow. Small farm towns become busy epicenters, especially if they have grain elevators that corn and soybeans are stored in. There are a large number of Parkland College students that reside in or around these farming communities and are expected to help during harvest. So how do they juggle school, possibly a job, their social lives, and farming, all at the same time?

And, as if to compound an already stressful time, this year promises to be one of the biggest harvest bonanzas to date-the year was one of the wettest and healthiest on record. However, the wet days have continued into the fall, making harvesting impossible for the large machinery. Farmers can only stare at a their profits as the temperature approaches the freezing point.

"I'd say that of all the classes I teach, probably one-third to one-half are actively involved in a farming operation," said instructor Larry Thurow of the Business Agri-Industries Department. "The other half, or the other portion, is non-farm students, but they may be involved in some sort of agricultural business on the side, working for whoever, maybe some sort of company."

As student farmers begin to be needed in the fields during the fall, things begin to change for them at Parkland. They have more issues with timeliness in returning assignments and class absences, which in turn causes these students to have to make up assignments, tests, and exams. However, many student farmers realize their availability during farm season and plan accordingly, usually trying for a more online-oriented class schedule. Most also make an effort to be out of class by one in the afternoon at the latest, which means morning classes.

Continued...

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