Benjamin Harder

Quality Assurance Technician, Trained Ag and Safety Communicator

Decatur, Illinois, United States

About

Growing up on a small farm in Shumway, Illinois helped grow my love for agriculture. Whether I was feeding the animals, competing at shows in 4-H, or helping my family plant our garden, I was always around agriculture. I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a degree in Agricultural Communications, with minors in Crop & Soil Management and Food & Environmental Systems. I chose to attend UIUC because of my passion for agriculture, which lead me to picking my major, and has extended my knowledge of agriculture. My goal is to become a seed representative with an agricultural company in Illinois. My degree and experience have given me the tools, and resources to succeed in this career path. A huge hobby of mine is watching and playing sports. My favorite team to cheer for is the St. Louis Cardinals. Contact me at [email protected] if you want to talk about agriculture or even Cardinal baseball.

Experience

  • Sweet Corn Research Intern at Illinois Foundation Seeds Incorporated
    May 2014 - Aug 2015 · 1 yr 4 mos

    Helped seed technicians and breeders in planting, sorting, and packaging sweet corn varieties. Inoculated, pollinated, and harvested sweet corn plots. Assisted in note taking and seed treatment for crop breeders. Delegated tasks and supervised approximately 20 seasonal workers.

  • Laboratory Research and Teaching Assistant Intern at Horticulture Research Laboratory
    Jan 2014 - Nov 2014 · 11 mos

    Collected samples of seeds such as thistle, ragweed, and pigweed to test vigor. Counted and sorted seeds to use for research and data collection. Germinated seeds and cultivated plants to test herbicide effects. Graded lab reports completed by about 200 students every semester.