Green Girl Abroad: Responsible agriculture at the MTT research farm and lab

This week the Cal Poly students started their practical agricultural farm work. Sara Hylton and I spent Wednesday and Thursday in Ylistro on a research farm and laboratory owned by a company called MTT just in time to help gather data for the fall harvest. Another student named Noora who is working on the farm to satisfy her practical experience requirement picked us up in the morning and spent the day teaching us how to accomplish our work tasks. We started out preparing grass trays to be dried and analyzed. For each bag of grass pulled from the fields we used a machine to cut it the grass, weighed out two 100g samples and put the trays in the oven to dry overnight. Next we cleaned harvested rapeseed using a machine that sifted out smaller particles and vacuumed out lighter, larger grass material. We then tested it for moisture levels and weight per 1000 seeds. This process was repeated for sacks of barley. During these tasks it was important to keep samples labeled and be precise in our measurements so the research stays accurate. Each sack of grass and seed was pulled from a specific field that received a designated amount of fertilizer, fungicide or pesticide. The purpose of this particular project is to compare moisture and mass of yielded material in regards to what treatment was used, if any at all. The second day we worked included more data collection similar to the day before; cut grass trays, moisture and weight tests as well as a new task; putting together samples to be sent out to the customer who ordered the research.

Markku Niskanen, an MTT research scientist at this facility gave us an informative overview of what the company does and why they do it. MTT is an institute developing sustainability, research information and transfer technology for agriculture and food innovations. They operate at 15 locations all over Finland studying new biotechnology, animal production, plant production methods and economic aspects of environmentally friendly agriculture. Their international network ensures top quality resources for the benefit of their various customers. Responsibility in the food system is a major goal of MTT, broadening the scope of their work greatly. From animal welfare and energy production to transportation and nutrition, they seek to transform productivity as well as profitability in agriculture. This holistic approach fosters better consumer choices while improving national health.

Finding solutions to environmental impacts caused by agriculture is another primary focus of MTT. Ag impact on aquatic systems, mitigation of climate change, use of biofuels and enhancing biodiversity also take part in the research they do. This goes back to their mantra of responsible food production from start to finish. While many companies externalize their environmental impact, MTT internalizes them with the goal of sustainable resource use.

I was amazed to hear about the important work MTT does while encompassing so many different focus areas. They truly aim to revolutionize the food industry in terms of efficient production, quality, sustainability, and consumer health. This is the kind of company I could see myself working for in the future. Unfortunately, during these trying economic times governmental funding for this company has been cut significantly in recent years. MTT would like to continue researching and publishing their finds but it is difficult to pinpoint who their customers are and how to generate revenue for their work; after all it is still a business with over 760 employees running many studies. Many producers order specific projects but what about the local farmer who would like to know the best way to care for his crop?

Despite the tight budget, MTT has been successful enough to provide practical work experience for students new to this kind of work, including a couple Austrian students we met who live on the property. We feel lucky that Markku was even happy to allocate a few days for English speaking visitors from America. This is another instance where it is easy to see how valued education is in Finland. In the meeting with Doug Piirto and Antti Pasila last week it was mentioned that about seven out of ten Cal Poly Natural Resource Management interns have a fine time getting their employers to teach them about their job, providing some needed training and evaluation of their efforts for school credit. However, about three out of ten employers want to know why it is their job to educate their employees and are unwilling to do a little extra work to give a student skilled labor experience before entering the work force after graduation. This sometimes comes off as a, “What’s in it for me?” kind of attitude. Hearing this shocked the Finnish faculty in the meeting. Here, students are received much differently by their employers who understand that their apprentices need help fine-tuning their work in order to be effective professionals. They are happy to provide this necessary service for the betterment of the industry.

I have found it very interesting to see how differently the word “responsibility” is interpreted between our two countries. My education here, including my work at MTT has highlighted how national priorities shape attitudes within the population that change the way a country functions. In Finland I feel a much stronger sense of togetherness and positive effort towards a greater good. America also values progress but in different ways. People often fight for what they believe in by berating their opponent instead of proving why their stance is superior. I suppose I’m getting a little political again but I’m not ashamed to say that missing the presidential election at home is no skin off my back. In fact, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my election season than in beautiful, serene Finland.