Maybe it was because I thought agriculture was all about in-the-field farming or maybe it was because I just didn’t understand the broad applications of technology within the agricultural industry. Whatever it may have been, I never expected to come to Governor’s School for agriculture and visit a research laboratory that housed highly expensive mass spectrometers. Aside from some DNA and Covid-19 uses that I found interesting, I learned how mass spectrometers could be used for soil classifications and other agricultural necessities. The soil processing aspect of this machinery intrigued me. Learning about the vitality of soil from professor Tim Durham during the preliminary week at Governor’s School for Agriculture was fascinating; not only was the structure and composition of the soil vital for agricultural production, but soil management is a huge issue that has to be dealt with on farms regularly. Back in Virginia Tech’s genomic sequencing laboratory setting, winding through the halls of this high-end web of complex machinery with my peers and staring in awe at the complicated and confusing technology was a lesson in and of itself; agriculture is part of every industry and the possibility of coupling agriculture with any interest out there is very likely. As the lab director discussed the applications of the laboratory to us, I realized that any higher learning that I pursue will be related to agriculture and my passion for the topics relating to agriculture and life sciences can have many, many implications and potential.

• R.A.H