As an Agricultural Communications major, I have been allowed the freedom to choose any courses within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to fulfill my degree hour requirements. This meant I could take classes from any department, whether it be within Family & Consumer Sciences, Agricultural Economics, Animal Science, Molecular Biology, or Plant Sciences among others.
I was slightly confused as a freshman as to which area of agriculture I wanted to focus my studies on. Then it donned on me when registering for classes that I had always understood plant sciences better than say animal or human science based courses, and that my favorite FFA contests included floriculture, plant biotechnology and agronomy. So I signed up for an intro agroecology course, which sparked my interest even more.
One plant science course led to another, and I eventually declared a minor in horticulture, which in simpler terms can be defined as the art or practice of garden cultivation and management. Through the horticulture program I have had the opportunity to visit some of the most advanced greenhouse systems in the country (Greenhouse Production), learned the ins and outs of operating systems within horticulture and designed my own greenhouse (Greenhouse Design), and have done experiments with almost every growing technique used in horticultural plant growth (Horticultural Plant Propagation).
I can use my experience with these courses and this program in the future if I decide to open my own greenhouse or retail flower shop, which I do hold as a goal to reach someday. Whether I was conducting experiments and writing lab reports, or studying for a quiz on business management, the diversity of material within the UW horticulture program has taught me countless lessons, and I could not have asked for a more wonderful advisor and instructor (Karen Panter-who is also the Extension Horticulture Specialist). Though I have interests in other areas of agriculture too, I am so grateful that I ended up studying plant sciences because at the end of the day it’s what I find the most fun.
Madison Clark