Jocelyn Leidl, student of agriculture

This is the first in a series of short introductions of Students of Agriculture. From undergraduates, to PhDs, or those learning out in the world, this series will share snippets of different journeys in agriculture education. Know a student with a neat story? Send Lyndsey a message ([email protected]) to have them recognized as a Student of Agriculture! 

Agriculture is an innovative and evolving industry, with research playing a key role in its progression and improvement. But how do we know researchers are developing solutions for the problems farmers are facing?

Jocelyn Leidl is a master’s student in the agronomic crop imaging lab at the University of Saskatchewan. Leidl aspires to bridge the gap between researchers and farmers to ensure burning questions are being addressed.

Leidl’s interest in agriculture stems from her early years spent on the family’s grain and cattle farm near Wilke, Sask. Although she was was drawn to study animal science for her post-secondary education, a summer spent at the Scott Research Station led Leidl to choose agronomy as her major.

The connections she fostered during her time as a summer student at Scott paved the path she is on today, she says.  The encouragement she received from peers and mentors inspired her to further her studies and attend grad school.

Through her undergrad and summer research work, Leidl also got to take part in farmer discussions to listen to the issues they were facing. That has inspired her work in her master’s project, and Leidl has been able to gain a deeper understanding of the research process and learn how to analyze data and draw conclusions about treatments.

In her master’s studies, Leidl is looking at the response of wheat and canola crops to the application of different nitrogen rates. She uses a modulated on-farm surface response experiment (MORSE) trial layout; designed to cover a larger area of a field making findings applicable at the field level due to consideration of spatial variation.

In the future, Leidl would like to work in research and explore more agronomic practices. Growing up in rural Saskatchewan has given Leidl perspective into problems facing farmers and she intends to focus on helping farmers improve their operations.

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