Education Advisory Committee Spotlight: Amanda Gevens
Farming for the Future Foundation’s education advisory committee is dedicated to students of all generations in the areas of agriculture, food and farming. To help children and families gain a better understanding of food production and mealtime, the FFTFF education advisory committee is a team of teachers and professionals with experience in school systems who are creating lesson plans and connecting with schools and teachers to integrate engaging agriculture-centered lessons into classrooms.
Amanda Gevens realized her interest in agriculture at a young age. As a child, she became determined to join her older sibling at a part-time job on a farm near their hometown on Long Island, New York. Amanda convinced her parents and the farmers that it was a good idea for her to spend time in the field and began to grow meaningful relationships with the growers and direct market customers while cultivating a deep appreciation for crops and the land.
“I started at the age of nine, harvesting sugar snap peas and bagging three-pound bags of onions,” said Amanda. “I’ve always really enjoyed being outside and the various aspects of growing vegetables. And then, I become very close with the farmers, and they became like family to me.”
Through employment with Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk County as a teenager, Amanda gained experience with practical farm research and integrated studies to manage diseases and pests on specialty crop farms which, eventually, led her to earn a Ph.D. from Michigan State University and a career in plant pathology.
“Having a practical impact and practical outcome is most fulfilling to me in my work,” said Amanda. “Knowing that the work that we’re doing on a day-to-day basis and over time have outcomes that can inform, change and improve practices in the field matters to me, and it’s something I teach my students to value as well.”
Today, Amanda is a plant pathologist with heavy extension appointment, which means she gets to spend a lot of time in the field. She has been a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin – Madison for 12 years and is currently serving as the department chair of plant pathology in the UW College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. In her roles, Amanda mentors the next generation of plant pathologists, works directly with farmers to prepare for disease management, and serves as a liaison between the agriculture field and administrators and lawmakers to assist in creating informed policy that benefits that state, economy, farmers and science.
Technology advancements have changed the way that Amanda and her team have been able to understand pathogen ecology and make recommendations for disease treatment.
“In recent years, we’ve integrated drone imaging in fields,” said Amanda. “This allows us to better read the crop and understand symptom development which we can tie directly back to pathogen identification. From those outcomes, we can optimize a management procedure for growers which reduces disease and generates a healthier crop.”
As fewer people are growing up on farms, Amanda sees the advanced use of technology used in farming as an important factor in recruiting more people to the field.
“There are so many opportunities within agriculture,” said Amanda. “It’s a shame more people don’t think about it as an industry where they can foster their interests. Drones are a great example of this. Whether your interests are in the engineering of the machine or locating mechanisms, or the engineering of sensors or the interpretation of the data the sensors are collecting, there are many ways to showcase science and new technology and advancement within the context of agriculture.”
Amanda’s combined experience in university settings and fieldwork as well as her deep relationships in Wisconsin’s growing communities benefit FFTFF’s education advisory committee. FFTFF is grateful for Amanda’s dedication to increasing agricultural literacy and for her time and expertise as she joins us in our mission to deepen the relationship between people and their food.
A little more about Amanda:
Best way to enjoy a potato: Daily
Piece of technology I couldn’t live without: Smart phone, what can’t it do?
Favorite place to be or favorite thing to be doing: I grew up enjoying eastern Long Island beaches. I miss them. My favorite place is on a beach with my family.
Words of wisdom or mantra to live by: Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.
