A local student is a member of a nationally recognized group at Penn State University after a competition earlier this month.
Center Township native and Butler High School graduate Ben Crusan just won the Forage Bowl.
“I personally really enjoyed it,” Crusan told Butler Radio. “It was a great way to expand my knowledge in forages. It was a great way to meet with industry professionals; to meet awesome students from other universities; and to engage in a little friendly competition with them.”
Crusan, a junior Plant Sciences major, and other members of the Penn State Agronomy Club, took first place in the National Forage Bowl competition as part of the American Forage and Grassland Council annual conference held on Jan. 15-16 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Forage Bowl included students from four universities competing to answer Jeopardy-style questions about topics like plant identification and animal health. In addition to the competition, the conference also provided an opportunity for workshops and networking that Crusan hopes will benefit him in his career after graduation.
“This interest really stems from working with my grandfather and my uncles on their dairy operation in Indiana County,” Crusan said. “So later in life, I will be the one managing that operation. Therefore, I chose to study plant sciences at Penn State so that I could be prepared for when that moment arrives.”
This is the second consecutive year that Penn State has won the National Forage Bowl competition.
Written By: Ryan Saeler for the Butler Radio Network
