Libby Baker-Mikesell competed in her first science fair as a second-grader. Her goal at the time was clearly defined: find a problem and then create a solution. The Port Royal, Penn., resident met the challenge and took that direction to heart, but she didn’t stop there. As Baker-Mikesell grew older, she continued seeking processes and situations in need of improvement on her family’s farm.
As an FFA member in high school, she combined her supervised agricultural experience (SAE) in beef production with an agriscience research SAE, which focused on the dilemma of having limited space for both manure storage and compost on her farm. “I composted cattle manure with different carbon sources to see which would be most effective,” Baker-Mikesell says. “That was spread over our land. The next year I grew grasses with the same composts to see how effective the previous year’s research was, and then I just put a practical application to that.”
Pleased with the success of that experiment, she expanded her research to include agricultural findings that would have regional impact and value as well.
With her family farm located in the middle of the impaired Chesapeake Bay watershed, Baker-Mikesell knew this was an area she wanted to explore. So she grew different short-seasonable crops, such as buckwheat, sorghum-sudan grass and oats, to determine which ones would decrease the amount of phosphorous in the soil naturally (without additives). She discovered that sorghum-sudan grass had the highest phosphorous uptake, followed by oats.
“I’m proud that I’ve developed some of the best management practices that farmers across the region can use to hopefully increase the health of the bay,” Baker-Mikesell says.
Her research has earned her top honors of being named a 2017 Star Finalist in Agriscience.
She challenges other FFA members who are looking for ideas for an agriscience project to think of where they live, a question they might have and a way to answer it. “Whether they live somewhere else and have a passion for food science or agricultural technology, there’s agriscience,” Baker-Mikesell says. “There are opportunities for pretty much everyone.”
Baker-Mikesell plans to start a dual major next year in agricultural education and plant sciences. “I’m taking my love of agriculture and my experience in research, and I’m finding a passion for plant and environmental sciences,” she says. “I’d like to teach the next generation about the importance of agriculture and conservation and how all of that can be used.”
Baker-Mikesell is the daughter of Robert and MeeCee. She is a member of the Greenwood FFA Chapter, led by advisors Krista Pontius and Michael Clark.
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