UW-Whitewater Enactus Chapter presented agricultural project, Scouting Forward, at it’s first  national competition

April 15, 2014

By Michael Riley

Mitchell Fiene reminded  judges how much we need farmers.

“Once in your lifetime you may need a police officer or a fireman,” Fiene said.  “Once a year you may need a doctor, but every day, three times a day you may need a farmer.”

This quote was how Fiene and three other members of Enactus concluded their presentation on Scouting Forward at the Enactus National Exposition 2014 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Scouting Forward was the UW-Whitewater Enactus chapter’s main project for the past year.

Enactus can be described as an umbrella organization, Enactus Vice President Dan Fink said.

Enactus helps other organizations on campuses with projects they already are working on and finds   the project a funding source.

It must  fit three variables to qualify:  environmentally friendly, include a social aspect and

economic principle.

Fiene said the main idea behind this years project was to work with local farms to boost the local economy.

The exposition is an opportunity for more than 400 Enactus chapters from universities across the United States to compete.

The majority of the schools attend the event for a chance to qualify for the U.S. Enactus team.

The college team who wins the competition  will represent the United States for the 2014 World Cup held in Beijing, China.

The event also included a career fair with more than 50 companies, 20 of them being fortune 100 companies including Target, Walgreens, Coco-Cola, Pepsi-Co and Home Depot.

Fink said it was one of the best career fairs he has ever attended.

He said there was an incredible opporunity for all the UW-W students and other undergraduates seeking internships or jobs.

The UW-W Enactus Chapter, despite only being founded two years ago, made it to the quarterfinals of competition.  

“The judges were impressed how innovating and exciting Scouting Forward was,” Fiene said.  “It not only incorporated technology and biology, but also using it on one of the most important industries in the world.”

At the exposition, other chapters similar to UW-Whitewater that have been founded in the past few years, presented small economic development projects like résumé work shops, Fiene said.

Scouting Forward is typically the type of project that a 10-year-old Enactus organization would bring to competition, Fink said.

More than a month of practice went into the presentation.  Fink said the group met almost twice a week to work and prepare.

“Starting this growing season, we will be incorporating a biological stimulant and deciding what impact is for local farmers,” Fiene said.  “This allows farmers to save money and not use as much fertilizer.  The biological stimulant allows the root system of plants to generate a larger service, area accessing more nutrients in the soil.”

Fink said next semester the organization will continue improving Scouting Forward and look to add more projects.