Extension lecturer combines love for research and agriculture – Agweek

WAITE PARK, Minnesota – Dana Adams has always been open to pursuing her passions and learning everything she could about them.

And so it was that a girl who grew up in a military family and had no agricultural experience whatsoever fell head over heels in love with her job in agricultural education in four Minnesota counties.

Adams grew up outside of Alexandria, Virginia, where both parents served at an Air Force base.

“I’ve dealt with a lot more military personnel than with people who are involved in agriculture,” Adams said.

She first got a taste for agriculture while studying for her bachelor’s degree in biology. Her professor’s husband worked in the field and she was told that a career in agriculture was real and worthwhile.

The “moment” for her was when she was studying abroad in the Netherlands on a veterinary course. She definitely had no intention of becoming a veterinarian, but the other two people in the class did.

Michael Johnson / Agweek

“It was made very clear to me that we didn’t need to slow down, we needed to try harder,” Adams recalls of the intense experience. So she got to work, got her hands dirty and realized she wanted more from this lifestyle. The whole world of farming was open to her and her curiosity drove her to pursue it further.

“I’m very interested in agriculture and how all these pieces fit together because it’s like a grab bag to me,” Adams recalled thinking as she learned more.

Not satisfied with her bachelor’s degree, she pursued a master’s degree, but faced resistance when it became apparent that Adams had no agricultural background.

Eventually, a professor from South Dakota agreed to talk to her about possibly joining if she took some extra courses first. A year later, she joined a research team at South Dakota State University.

She continued her work in the dairy and went to New Zealand to work as a farmhand on a 1,200 head dairy. This experience opened her eyes and made her realise that she preferred an educational or research role to the labour-intensive daily work in the barns. Extension work was calling.

“I really appreciated the work Extension was doing and it gave me a lot of fulfillment to see those connections,” Adams said. She found it very rewarding to provide farmers with research-based information that could help them do their jobs better.

She began her Extension career in Indiana, but her interest in dairy farming led her to an Extension job in Stearns County, Minnesota. In this position, she now provides expertise on agricultural production systems in four counties: Stearns, Benton, Morrison and Sherburne.

It all goes back to the entomology professor who assured Adams that it was OK to pursue something without any prior knowledge. She knew that as long as she was passionate about it and never wanted to stop learning, there was nothing that could stop her.

As a result, she began doing something she loves and became the first African American woman hired as a faculty member at the University of Minnesota Extension.

“I realize I don’t look like a typical farmer,” said Adams. But agriculture needs people like Adams who are willing to participate and bring a lot of knowledge to the table.

When she comes to an area of ​​the country where dairy farming has been around for a long time, she has to know her way around. Her knowledge has been tested many times. She has learned that the key to her job as an Extension educator is that while she has a lot of answers for people, if she can’t answer a question, she knows someone who can.

“I really enjoy my work and love finding answers,” Adams said. “I like the relationships I build.”

No two days are the same as she fields calls about rental rates, nitrate levels, transition plans, dairy barn construction tips and offers a wealth of Extension resources. She supports Annie’s Project, which offers workshops for women farmers and ranchers who want to learn management and decision-making issues related to a farm operation.

Adams is busy building relationships with producers in her area and establishing a farm with her husband.

She is happy to be a woman in farming because she likes to know where her food comes from and she values ​​real connections with the people who produce that food.

“I think it’s important to demystify how agriculture gets to people’s kitchen tables,” Adams said.

Michael Johnson is a news editor for Agweek. He lives in rural Deer Creek, Minnesota, where he is beginning to settle down on a farm with his two children and wife.
Reach Michael at [email protected] or 218-640-2312.