For those who know Beamesderfer, it’s really no surprise that she brings good ideas and solutions to the table.
"Brooke does well as a communicator because she really wants to promote what she sees as her industry and lifestyle,” said Stan Ernst, assistant teaching professor in agribusiness management in the college’s Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education. “She speaks well and is well practiced. And the same organizational skills that benefit her as a student help her put messages together and work to perfect them. But behind that is a huge passion for agriculture.”
That passion was formed while growing up on her family’s diversified crop and livestock farm, Thistle Creek Farm in Lebanon County. In addition to field crops, her family raises poultry for Bell & Evans, as well as grass-fed beef and meat goats.
“I always say agriculture has really set the foundation for my life,” she said. “I credit my upbringing for instilling those hands-on experiences and also my values.”
She shows boer goats at the Lebanon Area Fair and sells floral arrangements through a business she started, called Backwoods & Backroads Forever Floral.
This summer, she will be interning with PennAg Industries Association. In addition to this, she will work on a community project with the Lebanon Valley Economic Development Corporation to help generate ideas for a new agricultural resource that can be used to sustain the industry further.
She also will shadow state Sen. Elder Vogel Jr., chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, during session meetings.
On campus, she is active with the Penn State Agribusiness Management Club and the AgriMarketing Team — both advised by Ernst.
"What makes Brooke a top student is that she's driven to succeed and pretty well organized for an undergrad,” Ernst said. “In just the first year I've worked with her, she has become more intentional with her choices of where to put her time. That's not easy because she's interested in many things and wants to be involved.”
John Ewing, assistant dean for undergraduate education in the college, is an adviser for the Collegiate Farm Bureau at Penn State. He said the discussion meet is a good example of a program that allows students to connect their academic work with a high-impact experience.
“Brooke’s strong communication skills and ability to understand the challenges facing agricultural producers allowed her to positively contribute to the discussion during the state-level competition,” Ewing said. “To be fully prepared to represent Pennsylvania at the national competition, she practiced with former Penn State Collegiate Farm Bureau Discussion Meet competitors, demonstrating her commitment to continual improvement.”
As a junior, Beamesderfer is still deciding what she wants to do after graduation. She said she’s open to anything that has to do with ag policy, ag communications and advancing the industry.
“My main goal is that I want to advocate for farmers and support the agricultural community,” she said. “I just want to give back to the ag community that has given me so much and ensure that Pennsylvania agriculture remains strong for generations to come.”