Meet our Summer Intern Levi

It is no secret that planting has been off to a slow start. April slipped into May and now we are nearing June with planting progress far behind last year, and much below the 5-year average. I can relate to farmer’s frustrations as my intern, Levi Collins, and I struggled through rain and mud to set up our research traps we will be tracking this growing season. We will set up over 70 traps for various pests across the territory. 

I wanted to take time this week to introduce you to our intern for the summer, Levi Collins. He will be assisting me with research this summer as well as contributing to this blog, videos and podcasts. 

Meet Levi Collins 

Levi grew up in the small town of Alexandria, Indiana. He has always been interested in agriculture. From a young age, he began working on neighboring farms. At age 10, he began working for a hog farmer and at age 16, he started helping out on a cattle operation. These farmers allowed him to show in 4H, and ultimately grew his passion for agriculture. 

When Levi turned 18, he joined the United States Marine Corps where he traveled through six countries and explored different cultures. He never strayed too far from agriculture in his four years in the Marines. When his comrades would go into the cities and check out fancy cars, Levi would end up in some sort of field, learning about local agriculture. He learned about growing crops and raising animals in the sandy soil of Kuwait, the mountain sides of Okinawa, and the rain forests of Malaysia. 

After two deployments, Levi decided to return home to Indiana. He attended Purdue University and majored in Agronomy. During the school year, he worked on the soybean production team. Levi is especially fascinated by how insects can affect yield and production of crops. That sparked his interest in working at DTN. He is looking forward to helping out with research this summer, and we are fortunate to have him. 

Stay tuned for more coverage this season as we bring you our latest research, tips and tricks for surviving pests and diseases this season. 

Learn more about Insect Insider

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