Agronomists in the Classroom

People are often compelled to give back, especially when their lives have been enriched by a life impacting experience. This is very true for Jamie Bultemeier, the Corporate Sales Director at A&L Great Lakes. His exposure to agronomy at Purdue University sparked more than a career path; it lit a passion for agriculture. As a way of giving back, Jamie partnered with a former college classmate Jeff Bradford to teach a four-week precision ag module during Dr. Lee Schweitzer’s Agronomy 598, a senior capstone class for agronomy students. The four-week module included about 20 hours of instruction on GIS fundamentals, GIS software, GPS equipment, and evaluation of GPS based agronomic data such as variable rate seeding and fertilization.

Dr. Schweitzer has been teaching and facilitating a key set of agronomy fundamental courses since 1980 that focus as much on preparing the student for their career as teaching agronomic facts. Industry involvement in the educational process is key for agronomy undergraduate students, helping students to make those first networking contacts and get a real world perspective of the agronomy industry that they are about to enter.

Jamie is just one of the many leaders in the agronomy industry that can trace their career success back to being a student in Dr. Schweitzer’s classes. Jamie noted, “As a young FFA member I participated in the Agronomy Contests, several held at Purdue and hosted by Purdue faculty, including Dr. Schweitzer, and it was through those events that I realized I had a knack for agronomy. I was good at it, and Purdue University Agronomy Department was where I wanted to study. I hope that through the opportunity to share my nearly 20 years of experience in the precision agronomy industry, I might inspire another student to push themselves farther than even they thought they could go.” Spend just a few hours with Jamie, and you will soon realize that his passion for agriculture and agronomy that was fostered at Purdue is evident in everything that he does, from his work at A&L Great Lakes Laboratories to his own farming operation.


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