Amanda Bender of the Big Foot FFA is a Wisconsin Star in Agriscience Finalist.

The Star in Agriscience Award recognizes individuals who have worked in areas of agricultural research or focused on the scientific aspect of their Supervised Agricultural Experience.

Over the course of her SAE, Amanda has conducted research in the areas of food products and processing, plant systems, and animal systems. Her research started in middle school, looking at the effects on the color of vegetables from lime in water used for processing. Additionally, she has focused on comparing natural antimicrobial agents for plant tissue culture. This focused on how the agriculture industry could improve treatments for diseases which affect germination and growth in crops. Most recently, Amanda has investigated nutrient breakdown in extruded feeds versus non-extruded feeds.

Amanda’s parents are Richard Bender and Barb Nordmeyer. Her advisor is Lisa Konkel.

Amanda Bender, 2022 Star in Agriscience finalist!