A cell phone, a DVD and toy tractors are just a few of the items that will be on display for the next 50 years in the agronomy building.

As part of the Department of Agronomy’s centennial celebration, taking place this week, agronomy students filled a time capsule with things they think relate to agronomy.

Melea Reicks Licht, communication specialist for the agronomy department, compiled the items to be included in the time capsule.

“I included as many items as would fit,” she said.

The time capsule looks like a big glass tube. It is two feet deep with a six-inch diameter. A local glassblower, Trond Forre, made and donated the capsule.

“It is glass so the items can be seen from the outside,” Licht said. “We won’t actually be burying the capsule — we are planning to display it in the [Agronomy] building.”

The capsule will be located near the main office, but not right away.

“It will be sealed at a later date by Trond,” Licht said. “Some of the items need to have special protection.”

Originally, the department planned to open the capsule during its 200-year anniversary. However, some students disapproved of that plan.

“The students set the 50-year opening, so they might be around to see what things are still used and how things have changed,” Licht said. “My grandpa constantly reminds me that his first tractor cost him $800. It will be interesting to see what inflation does to production costs and how it affects methods in agriculture,” said Bret Sitzmann, senior in agronomy, who suggested the input prices be included.

Dustin Hoeft, senior in agronomy, suggested an ear of corn be included. “The size of an ear of corn has changed over the years and keeps getting bigger,” he said. “Students can compare the ear of corn from today to one 50 years from now.”

The items in the time capsule were all “suggested by students in Agronomy,” Licht said.

The student suggestions came from the Agronomy Club, an orientation class, and Agronomy 392.

Associate Professor Mary Wiedenhoeft, who teaches Agronomy 392, gathered many of the student suggestions through a question added to a midterm exam.

“One student recommended a picture of a farm family because that may not be typical in 50 years,” Wiedenhoeft said. Many of the items suggested were “about to be extinct or on the cutting edge,” she said. A few of the submissions were not plausible, however.

“Someone suggested tofu,” Wiedenhoeft said. “And we really couldn’t use tofu.”