Putting the wheels in motion
Old MacDonald had a farm. E-I-E-I-O. And on that farm he had an industrial safety specialist. E-I-E-I-what?
Sure, everyone has diverse interests, but the combination of agriculture and technology is how 23-year-old graduate assistant Ben Ritter of Saginaw spends his time.
By day he is a CMU student taking classes and assisting with IET 170, metal shop and IET 180, small engines. But every evening Ritter returns home to work on his family farm in Indiantown.
"It makes for long days, but it's kind of fun," Ritter said.
The fun began when Ritter entered Delta College. Two years later he emerged with an associate's degree in science. He then went to East Lansing and completed his bachelor's degree in agroscience from Michigan State University last year.
While a student at MSU, Ritter lived in FARMHOUSE; a student organization based on agriculture. He found it amusing to say he lived in the FARMHOUSE house.
In continuation of his agricultural background, Ritter spent a year teaching high school in the Thumb. He taught agroscience in Ubly last year, but then decided that teaching on the high-school level was not for him. He decided to return to school.
CMU granted him a graduate assistantship and here he is.
While Ritter is currently assisting in the metal shop and small engines labs, he hopes to take on a more instructional role next semester.
"My initial plan was to be here a year and a half. I might be a terminal student," Ritter joked.
But agriculture is no joke to Ritter and he sees the importance of an education in agriculture in order to stay abreast of farming technology.
"Agriculture is the number two employer in Michigan, so it's not like it's a small segment of the population."
In his free time, Ritter farms.
"Farming is my hobby. I like doing it to the point where I like doing it for a hobby, too. I'm lucky enough to be in a position right now where my dad can handle the farm and I can come home in the evenings and pick up the slack."
Off of the farm, Ritter is also involved in local politics and acts as the head of the Bay County Young Farmers. This position allows him to sit on a county board and stay in touch with his area.
"If you only see the surface things you don't have a full appreciation of the life you live. I think you have a little more respect if you understand what goes on behind the scenes," Ritter commented.
Classes, farming and advocating take up much of Ritter's time.
"I'm sort of addicted (to doing many things) right now. That's what it feels like," Ritter said.
It also feels like a culture shock. The adaptation from MSU's zip-code-sized area to CMU's small town feel took some work.
"My first impression (of CMU) was that it's a lot smaller. East Lansing has a lot more going on."
Now that he has settled in, Ritter is also seeing the advantages of a smaller school.
"Central offers lots of hands-on experience, which I'm really impressed with."
This engineering farmer cites real-life experience as one of the keys to his success. Summer internships and his work on the family farm have offered a wealth of experience that generally can't be found in the classroom.
"It's one thing to get it out of a book, but another to practice it and have it at your fingertips," Ritter said.
The ultimate goal for Ritter is to obtain his master's degree in industrial safety from CMU. After that he would love to work for a large corporation as an industrial safety expert. In the meantime, there is plenty to learn.
"When I finish here I'll have a full industrial background," Ritter said. "I found a whole other aspect of education that really lights me up"
