Kansas State Agriculturist- Fall 2018 by Lisa Moser

Fall 2018

Volume 64

Number 2

NO DIRT

NEEDED On the Hunt LITTLE APPLE

AUSSIE

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Know a future wildcat?

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to meet them. (785) 532-5736 www.ag.ksu.edu @kstateag

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KSUAGR.COM | 1919 Platt Street, Manhattan, Kansas 66502

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THE OTHER SIDE One student shares how experiences across campus have shaped her college career.

A LEGACY CONTINUES

HITTING HOME

CAMPUS CALLING

NO DIRT NEEDED

Kansas State alumni wear their Miss Rodeo Kansas crowns proudly.

Students and faculty come together to support Hurricane Maria victims.

Three College of Agriculture students discuss 2018-2019 student government election.

Food production in hydroponic systems takes off for Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources.

ON THE COVER: HANGING BASKETS Read more on page 57. Photo by Leah Giess

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ON THE HUNT

FINDING FORAGE

A wildlife and outdoor enterprise management student explores career opportunities in South Africa.

Animal science researchers study value chain livestock systems in Ethiopia.

LITTLE APPLE AUSSIE

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH

NOW BOARDING

IMAGERY IN AGRICULTURE

Australia native shadows classes at Kansas State University.

Spending a semester abroad teaches one student life lessons about agriculture, the Irish and herself.

The College of Agriculture and Education Abroad Office work together to provide students with a variety of international opportunities.

A unique course focuses on highlighting the agricultural industry through pictures.

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ENTS classroom

CONNECTING COLLEGES

TIPPING THE SCALES

Students seek to better prepare themselves for their careers by choosing majors from two colleges.

Animal science students complete a class undergraduate research project.

MAKING AN IMPRESSION

PREFERENCES OF THE PALATE

BASKETS OF BOUNTY

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Professors are creating new teaching styles to keep up with the changes in preferred methods of learning.

Meat scientists analyze sensory research through consumer evaluation.

Horticulture students use their creativity to produce edible hanging baskets.

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SISTERHOOD OF SOIL Three Sigma Alpha sisters find their bond outside the chapter on the soil judging team.

CHORES BY CHOICE Undergraduates bring the farm to school to work with their animals.

INDUSTRY LESSONS Students seek to broaden their skills through community internships.

COMPETITIVE EDGE The livestock judging team leads members to a successful future.

WILLOW LAKE FARM Willow Lake Student Farm Club plants the seeds of learning and friendship.

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A Letter

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MOLLY BERTZ, CHANTELLE SIMON AND ASHLEY FITZSIMMONS

t the beginning of the semester, three redheads teamed up to create a vision for the latest edition of the Kansas State Agriculturist. This brainstorming session was filled with ideas of change and pushing boundaries. We settled on simplicity and sophistication. But like our red hair, we wanted it to stand out. Led by our editor and lead designer, Molly Bertz, we believe we took this vision to the next level. We are proud of the outcome, and we hope that this issue can serve as an example of ingenuity and innovation. This 80-page magazine is the biggest issue to date. The size of the magazine is a testament to the diligence of Ashley Fitzsimmons, advertising manager, and her student team that sold more than 19 pages of advertising. We are excited about the advertising designs created by our team and hope the advertisers are pleased as well. Our editorial goal was to showcase the incredible work of our student reporters. Guiding the editorial content was Chantelle Simon. As you will see, in keeping with the simplicity, we broke the magazine into four sections — Features, Global, Classroom and 4

Campus. In these sections, you will find stories about an alumna serving as Miss Rodeo Kansas, a wildlife and outdoor enterprise management student who worked for a hunting lodge in South Africa, the Horticulture 600 class’s unique basket project and the Willow Lakes Student Farm Club. As editors, we were amazed and inspired by our staff ’s creativity, work ethic and team approach to produce this magazine. Thanks to Samantha Albers, Kelsie Beaudoin, Chelsie Calliham, Leah Giess, Janelle Marney, Taylor Belle Matheny, Topanga McBride, Lauren Peterson and Brandi Peverley for their professionalism and openness to go in a new direction. We cannot celebrate our work without recognizing Lisa Moser, our adviser. She is our constant encourager and source of wisdom for just about everything. Our leadership team presented a lot of new ideas to her this semester, and she responded with suggestions to expand our thinking and affirming words. Thank you, Lisa, for your guidance in making us better at what we do. For you, the reader, we are honored to represent the College of Agriculture in this way and hope

that you enjoy our take on this time-honored publication. Go Cats! Sincerely, The Fall 2018 Leadership Team

IN EVERY ISSUE

A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

NEWS

ADVERTISING INDEX

AGRICULTURIST STAFF

DID YOU MISS?

Colophon: Volume 64, Number 2, of the Kansas State Agriculturist was produced by the Fall 2018 agricultural student magazine class and printed by Jostens. This 80-page magazine, plus covers, was created using Mac computers. Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator were used in layout and design. All images were obtained by the Agriculturist staff unless otherwise noted, and all pages were designed by the staff. Advertisements were designed by the Agriculturist staff or came from original artwork. Pat Hackenberg, of the IGP Institute, provided technical advice and assistance during production. Inquiries about this issue should be addressed to Lisa Moser, Kansas State University, Department of Communications and Agricultural Education, 301 Umberger Hall, Manhattan, Kansas 66506.

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The Leader in Grain Industry Training The IGP Institute provides courses and trainings within the following categories: Flour Milling and Grain Processing Feed Manufacturing and Grain Quality Management Grain Marketing and Risk Management

For more information, visit www.grains.ksu.edu/igp fall 2018

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Collegiate Cattlewomen

AT KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Monthly meetings every 2nd Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Call Hall 205 Fall Beef Meet: November 9, Stanley Stout Center Find us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/KStateCCW

Re-Connect 10.12.18

Join us for the 4th Annual Family & Friends Reunion as we celebrate K-State Animal Sciences and Industry’s family and friends.

Don L. Good Impact Award Help us recognize CattleFax on its contributions to the agricultural industry.

OCTOBER 12, 2018 • STANLEY STOUT CENTER, MANHATTAN, KS www.asi.k-state.edu/familyandfriends Bring the entire family and enjoy an evening of great food, good music, kids activities and catching up with friends and ASI faculty and staff. Plus, there’s no fundraising!

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The Other Side O ne student shares how ex per iences across campu s have shaped her college caree r. ed i to r i al b y C H A N T E L L E S I M O N

s an FFA member in high school, I frequented Kansas State University for various competitions and events. I remember being in awe of all of the limestone, the castle-like structures and how vast it seemed. I knew from then on that K-State was the only place for me. My first ever class at K-State was Introduction to Animal Science in Weber Hall at 8:05 a.m. As a resident of Moore Hall, I could walk over in about two minutes without problem, and I remember thinking about how spoiled I was to have my classes all on the north side of campus. As many of you know, the north side of campus boasts just about every College of Agriculture building. As it turned out, that dorm experience was much more meaningful than just a location of my agricultural classes. I have had the privilege of being a resident assistant in Moore Hall these last two years. I still feel fortunate to have many of my classes in Waters and Umberger halls, but dread the times I have to walk over to Kedzie or Nichols. If I speed-walk, I can get to Nichols in about eight minutes, seven if I jog a little when people are not looking. While almost running to the other side of campus for classes, I realized something. If I had not become a resident assistant or joined the organizations that I had throughout college, I would be confined to going to classes, and not much else. Of course, we should focus on getting our degrees; however, I argue that confining yourself to one experience or “one side of campus” for four years of your life can be, well, lackluster. fall 2018

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Let me explain. As a resident assistant, I have built deep relationships with people that I would have otherwise never spent time with. I am the “mom” of 70 young students who are experiencing life in different ways. I get to put myself in their shoes and process life as they do. Being a resident assistant for the past two years has been one of the most formative experiences of my entire college career. I have learned how to handle confrontation, to express empathy in tough situations and to really love people well. Through all of these experiences in the residence halls, I have stayed true to my agricultural roots. I cannot count the number of times that someone has asked me to get dinner with them at Chipotle, and I have had to tell them no. I do not eat at Chipotle because the company distributed several advertisements and commercials several years ago that, in my opinion, heavily criticized industrial farming practices and GMO’s. I have explained my stance about Chipotle many times to my residents, and convinced them to go to Qdoba. My challenge for you is to utilize the people, experiences and activities that are far from your side of campus, even if it takes you a while to get there. Do not limit yourself to something that is comfortable or familiar. Join a club that has nothing to do with your major. Get a few friends together and apply for a position in an organization that you are passionate about. Make friends with people who are very different from you. Let these four years be filled with new experiences and incredible people. Venture to the other side and see what opportunities arise. I promise it will be worth it. K 7

Wheat State Agronomy Club Kansas State University

Wheat State Agronomy Club

@KSUwsac

ksuwsac

Meetings are every second and fourth Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Throckmorton 2002 Agricultural Speakers, Delicious Snacks, Fun Times with Fun People! 8

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Capturing Memories Not Settings

The Wrenn Bird Nest Experience

Wrenn Bird Photography www.wrennbirdnest.com 785-410-3751

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK at Moreland Farms Matt and Lisa Moreland 110695 Noble Road Medford, Oklahoma 73759 580-363-8333

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legacy

Kan s a s State alumni wear the ir Mi ss Rodeo Kan s a s c row n s proudly. st or y by C H E L S I E C A L L I H A M

oise, grace and sparkle are a few things that make a queen special. Add in horsemanship skills, rodeo knowledge and agricultural advocacy, and you have a rodeo queen. Kansas State University has a continued legacy of alumni earning the title of Miss Rodeo Kansas, and the current queen, Mikhayla DeMott, is no different.

EARNING THE CROWN After competing in an intense four-day pageant, DeMott was crowned the 2018 Miss Rodeo Kansas in Dodge City, Kansas, in August 2017. During the pageant, the contestants are judged in the categories of horsemanship, personality and appearance throughout various events including interviews, speech, horsemanship patterns and modeling. “I felt like I had worked my whole life to run for Miss Rodeo Kansas and because of that, believing in myself and exuding confidence was the most challenging part,” DeMott says. Luckily, DeMott is seasoned in extemporaneous speaking and communicating about the industry she loves, agriculture. She credits this to her experiences as an undergraduate at K-State. DeMott graduated with a degree in agricultural communications and journalism with minors in mass communications and leadership studies from K-State in spring of 2017. “Being an agricultural communicator and an ambassador for the sport of rodeo really go hand-in-hand,” DeMott 10

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says. “Whether it’s a rodeo spectator or a consumer at the grocery store, you have to communicate in a way that the other person will understand. As Miss Rodeo Kansas, I work to bridge that gap.”

“I THINK BEING A N AG R I C U LT U R A L COMMUNICATOR AND AN AMBASSADOR FOR THE SPORT OF R O D E O R E A L LY G O HAND-IN-HAND” —Mikhayla DeMott Miss Rodeo Kansas 2018

BLEEDING PURPLE Her passion in rodeo and agriculture led DeMott to K-State where she knew the College of Agriculture was “the perfect fit for her” because of the exciting atmosphere in the department, the opportunity to continue to rodeo and the feeling of belonging to a family. “My mom is a K-State alumna, and my dad is from the state, so Kansas always felt like home,” DeMott says. “I wasn’t sure what career path I wanted, but when I stepped foot in Umberger to visit the agricultural communications and journalism department, I found my family.” While attending the university, she competed in barrel racing on the rodeo team and held officer positions in Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow and the Rodeo Club.

She also showcased her communication skills as a guest host and intern for the television program “That’s My Farm,” a weekly program featuring cutting-edge farms and ranches in Kansas and the people who operate them, which is broadcast from Topeka, Kansas. “Being a part of the “That’s My Farm” prepared me for impromptu in a pageant setting,” DeMott says. DeMott believes her previous rodeo experience combined with her communications background gave her the competitive edge when vying for the 2018 Miss Rodeo Kansas title and will set her apart from other state competitors in the Miss Rodeo America pageant in December in Las Vegas, Nevada.

K A N S A S R E I G N S AG A I N Similarly, Miss Rodeo Kansas 1979 and Miss Rodeo America 1980, Diana Putnam Friend, earned a degree in agricultural journalism and completed a minor in animal sciences and industry in 1979. Like DeMott, Friend was unsure of what major was for her. “This life changing aha! moment happened,” Friend says. “They explained to me a new major called agricultural journalism. It was right up my alley and truly everything they had promised it would be.” Growing up, riding horses and competing in rodeo were a part of her everyday life. Story continued on Page 12... K-STATE AGRICULTURIST

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Mikhayla DeMott, Miss Rodeo Kansas 2018 Photo courtesy of Circle A Photography

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She also was on the high school yearbook staff and held many positions in FFA and other organizations. “I naturally fell into those roles,” Friend says. “I was one of the few girls involved in agriculture activities and I liked being in front of people.” Her student involvement continued into her college career. “Rodeo was my first love and I wanted to continue being involved in college,” Friend says. “My parents wanted being a student to come as my first priority, so they sold my horse. However, I still could keep my rodeo roots alive by being in the club.” While Friend missed the rodeo action, she participated in the College of Agriculture through Student Council, obtained officer positions in the Rodeo Club and wrote for the Kansas State Agriculturist. “At K-State, you are challenged to be more than just students,” Friend says. These experiences led her to the Miss Rodeo Kansas pageant in 1979 in Strong City, Kansas.

EMPOWERING YOUNG WOMEN “Being Miss Rodeo Kansas and America wasn’t about wearing a crown or a banner for me,” Friend says. “It was going to be a professional asset.” Friend and DeMott agree that winning the crown is a rewarding experience, but more importantly, it helps mold young women into future leaders of the agriculture industry. “Girls who have an agriculture education, specifically an agricultural communications background, stand out in the state and national level pageants,” Friend says. “It definitely is an advantage because you don’t have to learn about the industry, you already know it.” DeMott looks forward to competing in the Miss Rodeo America pageant and hopes to bring home the crown to Kansas, just like Friend did in 1980. When asked for advice to the current queen about the national pageant, Friend keeps it simple. She says, “Enjoy every minute, keep your eye on the prize, and you’ve already won by wearing the sunflower crown proudly.” K

Photos courtesy of Diana Friend

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Student s and faculty come together to suppor t Hur r icane Mar ia v ic tims . s t or y b y C H E L S I E C A L L I H A M p h ot os c o u r te sy o f A N A D O L U AG E N C Y

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Home

remember turning on the news and seeing the large amounts of people who lost their homes and belongings due to Hurricane Maria in my home of Puerto Rico,” Carlos Flores, agricultural economics student, says. “I knew I had to help. Those are my people.” Flores was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The capital and largest city, which sits on the island’s Atlantic coast, was hit directly by the Category 5 hurricane. When tragedy struck his homeland, he knew action needed to be taken. Hurricane Maria is regarded as the worst natural disaster recorded in Puerto Rico, totaling an estimated $92 million in damages. More than 85 percent of the island’s houses were damaged, of which more than 25 percent were completely destroyed. Hurricane Maria also demolished supermarkets and the water supply system, leaving residents in dire need of food, water and shelter. “Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, but is often left out,” Flores says. “Puerto Ricans are American citizens too, and I wanted to provide relief to those suffering from the natural disaster.” Flores was not the only student who noticed fellow Americans suffering. Friends began contacting him, worried about his family, friends and home. Will Moreland, a third-year agricultural technology management student, was the first friend to reach out to Flores. “Will texted me and was concerned,” Flores says. “He asked if there was any way he could help, so we came up with a plan and strategy for a relief initiative.”

THE PROCESS Flores and Moreland created the Puerto Rico Disaster Relief Initiative. The goal of the project was to collect nonperishable food, first fall 2018

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aid kits and monetary donations to send to Flores’s home territory. A group of 23 students joined to distribute and check boxes at the drop-off locations on campus. The students advertised for the relief initiative by setting up a table in the Student Union explaining their efforts and also sharing on their personal social media platforms as much as possible. “The response and support on campus was amazing,” Moreland says. “Some of the locations, specifically the Union, were overflowing a couple of times when we collected in the few weeks we ran the initiative.”

supplies for the large amount of donations was extremely difficult. “Finally, Staples was able to help us out because it was such a large amount to ship. They helped us with packaging the boxes,” Moreland says. The donations were shipped to Flores’s cousin who lives in Maryland. She was conducting a similar relief initiative through her church and shipped their goods with the donations collected at Kansas State University directly to Puerto Rico. “She has connections in a rural area of Puerto Rico where people were going hungry and badly affected by the hurricane,” Flores says.

A CAMPUS UNITED

Carlos Flores, right, sits with his parents. The donations totaled more than 300 pounds of nonperishable goods and first aid kits, and $400 in monetary donations. “A lot of students got behind the relief initiative,” Moreland says. “It can be hard for students to take time out of their schedules to go to the grocery store and pick up cans, so most donations from students were monetary.”

SHIPPING THE GOODS After the donations were collected and loaded into Moreland’s pickup truck, the shipping process began. Moreland explained that finding a store that carried enough shipping

The tremendous response on campus and amount of donations is astounding to the group of peers who led the initiative. They feel that the experience truly captures what the K-State family is all about. “One of our close friends was too busy to go to the store and buy a can. We explained to him that even a dollar goes a long way to help the hurricane victims,” Flores says. “We were stunned when he pulled a $20 bill out of his pocket and told us he knew it would be worth it because we were helping people.” Flores and Moreland credit the success of the Puerto Rico Disaster Relief Initiative to the students and faculty. They believe acts of kindness just like this one are the reason they call K-State home. Flores says, “I am extremely thankful for all of the support Will and I received from the K-State family. Not only did the students donate, but faculty as well. I am very grateful because Puerto Rico needed the help.” K

Campus Calling T hree C olleg e of Ag r iculture students di s cu ss 2 0 1 8 -2 0 1 9 student gover nment elec tion. s t ory a nd p h o to s b y T O PA N G A M C B R I D E

tudent leadership and the College of Agriculture go hand-in-hand. More than 20 former Kansas State University student body presidents and vice presidents are College of Agriculture alumni. Today, that aspiration continues. In the 2018-2019 student body presidential election, three of the four presidential tickets included a student in the College of Agriculture. Candidates included Lacy Pitts and Karl Wilhelm, both agricultural economics students, and William Moreland, agricultural technology management student. The three began competing for leadership positions before coming to K-State. Moreland and Pitts both interviewed for FFA district offices, while Pitts and Wilhelm ran for Kansas FFA state offices. Wilhelm was elected state president. Since coming to campus, Wilhelm and Moreland both serve as Agriculture Ambassadors.

THE CALL TO SERVE During her freshman year, Pitts took pictures for a classmate’s agriculture senate campaign, never considering she would be involved in student government. Over time, her friends encouraged her to participate. Because of an internship with the campus Government Relations Office and after working with her running mate Jordan Kiehl during K-State orientation, Pitts and Kiehl decided to run for office. “Jordan and I had been having these conversations, ‘How can we improve K-State? How can we make K-State better for everyone?’” Pitts says. “Anytime we sat down for anything, that’s what we ended up talking about.”

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College of Agriculture students, Lacy Pitts, Will Moreland and Karl Wilhelm ran for 2018-2019 student government leadership. Pitts and her campaign partner won the student body president and vice-president seats with 1,994 votes.

Moreland wanted to represent all students, regardless of their involvement. “I had hopes of making all students realize they could have a voice on campus, even if they, like me, didn’t have a large amount of senate experience and weren’t Greek,” Moreland says. For Wilhelm, FFA opened his eyes. He sees himself as a completely different person from the quiet, reserved and uninvolved student he was in high school. Wilhelm believes that FFA introduced him to the opportunities that only getting involved in organizations can provide. His previous FFA state officer teammate, Kyler Langvardt, suggested he run for president. Wilhelm hoped to open students’ eyes to the opportunities K-State offers outside of a traditional education. He sees K-State as more than an educational system, but a way to grow as an individual. “Being involved in those different organizations, I really wanted to spur that movement where students, no matter where they come from, can try those new organizations and become more involved to grow their mindset,” Wilhelm says.

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE While running against close peers can complicate things, the candidates supported one another throughout the campaign. Moreland says they all share the same passion to make a change. “We have been unhappy with how senate has been functioning and wanted to make a change there,” Moreland says.

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Wilhelm agrees that each of them wanted to change the way K-State functions and saw that each campaign was able to shed light on important problems that had been overlooked. “That was the most difficult process because we’re competing with friends, too. A lot of our friends are voting for us or the other campaign,” Wilhelm says. Pitts felt the same pressure of sharing friends with her competitors. “I wasn’t comfortable bringing the election up around friends because I don’t want to put my friends in that position where they have to support someone else,” Pitts says. However, as a result, Pitts saw more of her peers involved in election dialogue. It was exciting for her to see friends encouraging others to vote. The involvement of her peers paid off. Pitts and Kiehl won the election with 57 percent of the vote.

C O L L E G E O F AG R I C U LT U R E C H A R M With a long history of agricultural students in office, some may wonder why the desire to serve is so strong. Pitts says the unique science-based aspect of agricultural degrees makes those students stand out. “That really makes us so versatile and such great future assets to the community,” Pitts says. Wilhelm says that students in the College of Agriculture have intense work ethics and are self-assured. “When we talk about the College of Ag in general, we’re not scared to do things that other people haven’t done before,” Wilhelm says. “We all three went out there and talked about different issues here on campus. That really shed light in different directions on how people can get involved and make a change on campus.” K

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NO DIRT NEEDED Food produc tion in hydroponic sy stems takes off for D epar tment of Hor ticulture and Natural Res ources .

sto r y an d p h o to s b y S A M A N T H A A L B E R S

s farmers routinely check sunlight, water levels and temperature, they also examine their crops from the root to the leaf to ensure plant health. Most know that soil, sunlight and water are three key ingredients to yield a hearty crop in a traditional field setting, but Kansas State University horticulturists are experimenting with successful plant growth in a soilless culture using hydroponic systems. With a springtime climate in the greenhouse year-round, there is opportunity to grow food crops, vegetables and several other diverse plants not regularly in season. These plants and food crops include lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and strawberries. Through the years, hydroponic culture has been studied and new technologies developed. Hydroponics eliminates some of the issues associated with conventional soil culture such as poor drainage, poor chemistry, weeds and soil-borne pathogens. Labor inputs are also lower with a hydroponic system operation because 18

of the computerized watering and fertilizer addition. Another benefit is the ability to grow crops in a controlled environment, while conserving water.

H Y D R O C U LT U R E E D U C AT I O N Researchers in the Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources are building a program focusing on hydroponic systems and operations for food crop production. The department now offers a hydroponic systems course that emerged from a module taught in the greenhouse management course. “I recognized the strong student interest and enthusiasm shown for information about hydroponic systems,” Kimberly Williams, professor in greenhouse management and course instructor, says. “It turns out that this new hydroponics course is also a tremendous way to teach certain concepts, like nutrient management, and expand on those concepts in the hands-on lab activities.” With water lines hooked up to channels that deliver a nutrient solution

and each plant set in a medium replacing the soil, the water flows across the roots of each plant and out the other side into a nutrient solution reservoir to pump the nutrients back through the system. Once the production begins for a six-week cropping cycle, the commercial-scale hydroponic system in the greenhouse will yield 144 heads of lettuce each week, at optimal growth, from 576 total plant sites. The other production systems generate herbs, leafy greens and strawberries in the spring season. On a national level, hydroponics is developing into a farming and food production method that, while more expensive than other commercial farming methods, is experiencing increasing interest within the agricultural industry.

MORE THAN V E G E TA B L E PRODUCTION New research focused on blueberry production is at the forefront for one hydroponic systems effort at K-State. K-STATE AGRICULTURIST

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3 Photo 1: Water is recycled through the hydroponic growing system. Photo 2: Strawberry plants growing in the hydroponic system. Photo 3: Kimberly Williams and Jacob Schwab examine roots of the blueberry plants used in Schwab’s research

Jacob Schwab, a graduate student in horticulture, raised blueberries in Maine and was interested in studying how to efficiently grow the fruit in a hydroponic system. He has chosen to focus his thesis research on this idea. “This research could potentially apply to the production of other berries and this could be a longer series of research trials to see what else could be grown hydroponically,” Schwab says. “Typically, woody species cannot be grown hydroponically, it’s mostly just herbs and vegetables. If this fruit can be grown hydroponically, then we will have to look further and see if the systems are economically feasible.” Schwab explains that woody species, such as blueberries, are not grown in hydroponic systems because they are typically reserved for herbaceous species like lettuce, tomatoes and basil. He describes that these crops, like blueberries, have a seasonal cooling requirement. This cooling requirement means holding the plants between zero and seven degrees Celsius for a short period of time. This would also fall 2018

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require a type of cooling chamber, that for blueberries would require up to 1,000 hours for cooling, which can be difficult to accomplish. “We hope that we can manage the environment in the greenhouse so that these plants can yield several flushes of fruit in a year,” Schwab says.

T H E G R E E N I N I T I AT I V E To complement the course and current research, other student-led initiatives are taking place within the department. A Green Action Fund grant, which provided funding for hydroponic systems equipment, was awarded during the fall 2017 semester. “Moving forward with this exciting initiative, as we have weekly lettuce crops, we are able to then give them back to students in the K-State community who are food insecure,” Williams says. With this equipment, students in the course build the hydroponic systems, grow the crops, harvest them and essentially give back produce from the production system to students who do not have enough to eat.

With this grant, the department is coordinating with Cats’ Cupboard, the food pantry on campus, to create a vegetable donation service for students. The hydroponics program in the horticulture and natural resources department has several components, including community outreach. Faculty and students are hopeful as these opportunities progress in the horticulture and environmental industries. “We’re identifying and tapping into an area where there’s a lot of interest and need for information about hydroponic production,” Williams says. She adds, “It’s exciting that there are so many students interested in learning more about all of these different components tying together our program, and students will be able to apply these experiences into their futures and in the greenhouse industry.” K

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Kansas Corn Presents: Career Conversations Making connections with industry professionals Coming to the K-State Campus on Sept 17, 2018 Collegiate Corn Academy Class 2 Now accepting applications through October 31, 2018 Available for any students still in school through Fall 2019 semester Next Generation Scholarships Applications due October 31, 2018, $1,000 scholarships, open to any major Available for sophomores through PhD still in school Spring 2019 semester For more information and resources, visit KSCorn.com/Collegiate, email collegiate@ksgrains.com, or follow us on social media. @KANSASCORN fall 2018

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“ T H R O U G H O U T M Y T I M E , T H E FA S C I N AT I N G W O R L D S H O W E D I T S E L F T O M E I N WAY S I H A D O N LY H O P E D F O R P R I O R T O T R AV E L I N G . ” —Sarah Moyer

Agricultural Communications and Journalism fall 2018

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A w ildlife and outdoor enter pr i s e manage me nt student, Marchant Star r, e x plores caree r oppor tunities in S outh Af r ica .

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ore than 90 percent of Kansas State University College of Agriculture undergraduate students have completed some form of a professional experience or internship. These experiences could be close to home or the next state over. For Marchant Starr, fourth-year wildlife and outdoor enterprise management student, her internship led to the plains of South Africa.

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While attending the National Wild Turkey Federation Convention and Sport Show, Starr met the Helbing family, who own the Wild Wildebeest Lodge in Thabazimbi, South Africa. The family had never hosted an intern, but agreed to hire Starr after she proposed the idea. “I was networking and searching for an internship at the conference. Many lodges do not bring on interns, but luckily, they gave me a shot,” Starr says. “I was excited for the experience, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into.” Before moving to South Africa, Starr met with the family twice to discuss what the summer internship entailed. They explained that Starr would live in a small house on the property and experience every aspect of operating the lodge. From hunting and cleaning animals to grocery shopping and laundry, she tried it all. “My main role at the lodge is to coordinate extra activities. A lot of our clients are women. If they do not want to participate in the hunt with their husbands, I take them into town,” Starr says. “We go shopping, ride elephants,

tour the lodge or take a photo safari and truly experience the culture.” Wild Wildebeest Lodge is a vacation spot for tourists that includes an outdoor pool, library, family-style dining room, lounge area and bar. The hunting season lasts from March through October and has no designated species to hunt. “It is similar to staying at an all-inclusive resort,” Starr says. “Most people who come to lodges in North America have experienced hunting before and have an idea of what they are doing. When tourists come to the lodge in South Africa, everything is new, different and exciting.” The lodge is owned and operated by an American family and supports a full staff. Each team member is an expert in his or her field. The staff ranges from professional guides to in-house chefs.

G I V I N G B AC K After each hunt, the animals are processed and the meat is then prepared for the hunters at meals during their stay. However, it is impossible to eat the large amount of meat that is harvested during hunters’ vacations. Wild Wildebeest Lodge is dedicated to ensuring no meat from the harvested animals ever goes to waste. Therefore, Wild Wildebeest Lodge created a partnership with a local school and a Children’s Center through the Wild Wildebeest Lodge Children’s Foundation Inc. to donate all of the meat not consumed at the lodge. In addition to the harvested wild game, they donate education, food assistance, school building and maintenance projects, and health initiatives. “I enjoy visiting the school and giving back. It is very rewarding,” Starr says. “Nothing is ever wasted.” 25

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ALL ABOUT WOEM K-State is the only university in the country with a WOEM program. It is offered through the Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources. The major averages 100 students annually and was created to train professional operational managers for hunting preserves and resorts, game bird production companies, fishing resorts and outdoor experience companies. While WOEM may seem specific, students are trained and take classes in multiple disciplines, including business, hospitality management, natural resources, and wildlife and fisheries management.

A H O M E AWAY F R O M H O M E After adjusting her taste buds to exotic meat, Starr easily transitioned into her role as lodge manager. “Since it was an American-owned lodge, moving was easy to get used to,” Starr says. “They welcomed me with open arms like family and made me feel right at home.” Starr is not a stranger to working at hunting lodges. In the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, her father opened the Chattokee Lodge in Cedar Bluff, Alabama, 10 years ago. “Unlike the full staff at Wild Wildebeest Lodge, my dad is a one-man show. I help out wherever I can,” Starr says.

A CAREER OPPORTUNITY ARISES Little did Starr know that a summer internship would turn into a career possibility. After completing her internship, Starr was offered a full-time lodge manager position upon graduation. She gladly accepted and plans to move back to South Africa in June. “Eventually I would like to work for both my dad’s lodge and in South Africa,” Starr says. “The hunting seasons are opposites. I would get the best of both worlds.” K 26

Marchant Starr, far right, learned every aspect of operating the Wild Wildebeest Lodge in Thabazimbi, South Africa, during her summer internship.

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Finding Forage Animal s cience res earchers study value chain livestock sy stems in Ethiopia. s t or y b y C H A N T E L L E S I M O N p h ot os c o u r te sy o f J E S S I E V I P H A M

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overty, hunger and political unrest exist in many countries across the world. In Ethiopia, the oldest independent country in Africa, approximately one-third of the population lives below the poverty line. In the 1990s, 75 percent of the population was malnourished. Over the years, Ethiopia has relied on agriculture to sustain economic growth and feed the country. After the adoption of agricultural technologies, the percentage of malnourished dropped to 35 in 2012. Since 2000, Ethiopia’s economic growth has averaged 10 percent annually. Though Ethiopia is across the globe, two Kansas State University animal scientists are doing their part to ensure that agriculture continues to grow and sustain the country.

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“We want to identify where the areas of improvement exist,” Vipham says. “We identify the gaps and bring in education, science and extension to support those gaps. One broken link in the chain makes the whole chain weak, and we want to support that chain.” To identify these gaps, Vipham has traveled to Ethiopia five times and Bradford three. During their trips, both researchers try to assume a humble attitude and an open mind. Vipham and Bradford both stressed that they are not there to tell the locals how to do the work that has been done the same way for hundreds of years. Rather, they bring their unique knowledge and skills about livestock systems to help the local farmers be more productive. “There’s really nothing in it for me except personal learning and a sense of giving back,” Bradford says. LINK

“O N E B R O K E N Barry Bradford and Jessie Vipham are studying how to improve livestock IN THE CHAIN MAKES PERSPEC TIVE SHIFT production chains in Ethiopia. To do T H E W H O L E C H A I N This personal learning has led this, they have partnered with Project W E A K , A N D W E W A N T Vipham and Bradford to have Mercy, Inc., an international nonprofit a collaborative mindset. organization that provides aid and TO SUPPORT THAT “It’s about having that participatory support to developing communities CHAIN.” atmosphere where you bring together in Ethiopia. One of Project Mercy’s —Jessie Vipham professionals, scientists and government major focuses is food security for the Assistant Professor in leaders from that country and say, families in the small communities in Animal Sciences and Industry ‘How can we engage with you in a way the regions of Oromia and Southern that is productive,’” Vipham says. Nations, Nationalities and Peoples. Vipham and Bradford say that supporting a country “One neat thing about working with Project Mercy is that in their journey of change is the most vital part of these are people that have resources, trust and science to the project, and must be driven by the country itself. try a bunch of different things,” Bradford says. “They have This shift in thinking has contributed to Vipham and a lot of respect in the area they were in, and have a lot more Bradford’s desire to connect with the local people. pull in helping the local farmers adopt new practices.” “I really appreciate the opportunity to get to know some The organization has a dairy improvement project in Ethiopians and see what their lives are like,” Bradford says. which two Ethiopian cattle breeds, the Forgera and the Boran, were mated with Jersey cows to create a sustainable G LO B A L C A M P U S herd. Local families can receive a pregnant heifer in a lottery hosted by Project Mercy. The goal is for Ethiopians to care These unique connections have only boosted Vipham’s for and raise the cattle to produce nutritious food for sale and Bradford’s potential impact, both at home and and for families in need. Project Mercy has provided these abroad. Bradford and his team are looking into using genetically improved heifers for more than 80 families. an Ethiopian grass called Teff to determine if it is a Bradford and Vipham are studying the link between suitable forage crop for dairies in the United States. cattle nutrition and human nutrition in relation to Teff is a drought-tolerant forage and can be used in the dairy herd. Specifically, Vipham and Bradford are areas that are experiencing groundwater depletion. looking into potential nutritious forages, or bulky food “For K-State to partner with Ethiopia is a great such as grass or hay, for the cattle in these regions. experience,” Vipham says. “I think the other K-State researchers on the project would agree that they JUST THE BEGINNING are different because of this experience.” The partnership has lead Vipham and Bradford Bradford and Vipham are in the first year of a four-year to understanding more about themselves and the project. They are trying to identify the correct forage world around them. It has taught both researchers seeds that are most suitable for the region. Once the that people from across the world have a lot more right seeds have been identified, growing, harvesting in common with them than they once thought. and feeding processes can begin. Vipham and Bradford Vipham says, “My favorite thing about agriculturalists expect the high-quality forage to improve overall nutrition is that they are all the same. They have the same concerns for cattle and make the cattle more productive, creating and constraints, but it’s in a different cultural setting.” K an effective livestock system for the community.

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AUSSIE Au stralia native shadow s class es at Kans a s State Unive rsit y.

st or y and photos by TAY L O R B E L L E M AT H E N Y

he crowd settled into the stands with their eyes fixed between a marked sale catalog and cattle entering the ring. Beef producers intently studied pedigrees and phenotypes in hopes of finding a future herd sire. A sharp yell ringside notifies the auctioneer a bid has been placed, but this one had an accent. At the K-State Legacy Sale, one particular ringman or, in this case, ringwoman was hard at work collecting bids. Samantha Neumann, Australia native, is shadowing animal sciences and industry classes at K-State for the spring semester and happened to be one of the students calling in bids for the livestock sales class.

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Angus Australia awards a variety of youth scholarships that offer an opportunity to study abroad in America and New Zealand. The 2018 Angus Australia Semex Kansas State University Scholarship was awarded to Samantha Neumann to study on campus during the spring 2018 semester. Neumann is the fifth recipient to attend K-State and enroll in courses in the animal science department. The scholarship is awarded to beef cattle enthusiasts and commends K-State as one of the best agricultural universities in America.

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Filling out the application, Neumann was doubtful she would be awarded this prestigious scholarship due to her minimal involvement with Angus cattle, but decided to apply. “I actually almost didn’t apply because I opened the written application and the first question was, “Tell us about your involvement with the Angus breed,” Neumann says. Growing up, Neumann was involved on her family’s sheep and wool property and only recently was in contact with Angus cattle through her job. At her current employment in Australia, Neumann works for Elders, an agribusiness company that provides products such as farm supplies, and grain and livestock marketing services to the farming community of Australia. Her current role focuses on designing and developing technology-based solutions for livestock marketing and sales. “I work in a business that sells livestock and I have a technical background in sheep and wool,” Neumann says. “But I cannot just build solutions for sheep and wool because we market over a million head of cattle a year.” Understanding her need for continued education in the beef industry, Neumann knew that being awarded this scholarship would be the best way to learn. “I knew that I had a gap in my knowledge in terms of beef production and this was the best educational opportunity available to me,” Neumann says. “K-State has some incredible professors and resources, and I am just really lucky that Angus Australia allowed me the opportunity to come here.”

to plan the semester. Nichols helps facilitate the exchange and ensures recipients are meeting their goals during their short time on campus. “When she got here in January we talked about which classes she was most interested in,” Nichols says. K-State professors were willing to help Neumann achieve what she envisioned for the duration of the semester. “There are so many opportunities available to learn and everyone is so accommodating and keen to pass knowledge on,” Neumann says. “They understand where I am from and what I came here to do and are here to help me achieve whatever learning outcomes I can identify.” The classes Neumann chose are centered around beef cattle and marketing. She enrolled in beef science, farm animal reproduction, nutrition, livestock sales, beef systems, livestock and meat evaluation and principles of feeding. “I love the classes, but I struggle with the imperial conversion because we work in the metric system,” Neumann says. K-State has a well-rounded group of faculty and staff who ensure students have the opportunity to learn, and in Neumann’s case, the ability to grasp a lot of material in a short amount of time. “They get to interact with our faculty, and we have leaders in all aspects of production,” Nichols says. “K-State’s reputation for having a strong beef team in all areas lends itself to giving her good exposure to genetics, reproduction, nutrition and meats.”

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Comparing and contrasting is something Neumann has consistently done since arriving in America. Neumann says hands down the peanut butter in America wins, but there are also some major agricultural differences between the countries. “Seeing what is available to feed here has been mind-blowing and the amount of cattle that are on feed,” Neumann says. When comparing scales of operations there are some major differences and similarities between America and Australia.

On her first impression of America, Neumann thought it was extremely cold, but upon closer inspection she was delighted at the resources available after stepping onto campus. “The resources both physical and teaching in terms of professors are incredible,” Neumann says. “If someone wants to learn at K-State, it is not hard.” Before arriving to America Neumann was in contact with David Nichols, professor and teaching coordinator, fall 2018

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“It is probably a lot like here, there are some big corporate farmers and there are smaller producers,” Neumann says. Putting the operation sizes into perspective helps to better understand how they compare to operations in Australia because of stocking rates. “Depending on the season we can have 600 to 800 breeding ewes and we are considered a small-size operation,” Neumann says. “As a stocking ratio comparison, in our pastoral areas, there is one sheep for every 42 acres, so stocking rate is significantly reduced from what you would see here.”

“THE RESOURCES BOTH PHYSICAL AND TEACHING IN TERMS OF PROFESSORS ARE INCREDIBLE.” —Samantha Neumann International Exchange Student Exploring market opportunities and understanding the American marketplace differences led Neumann to rank that as a high learning outcome. “In terms of the global marketplace, we compete in a lot of similar markets, and from my perspective I am interested in America being a slightly more mature market,” Neumann says. “I am interested in learning what has been achieved and how they have gained access to markets, and what has worked well and what has been a disaster.” Even though America and Australia have quirks between the English language and some sayings leave both parties hysterically laughing, this experience is one that has tremendous benefits Neumann will reflect on for years to come. Neumann says, “I am incredibly lucky to walk out of my life back home, and I think that says a lot about the perception and value of this scholarship. There is no way my business would let me get up and walk out of it and return six months later if they did not see an immense value in me being here and the opportunities that K-State can offer.” K

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AFA Leader Institutes Benefit from professional development coupled with information and interaction with a specific sector of agriculture, including food, technology, policy, animal health and crop science. Visit our website for information on applications, dates and locations. www.agfuture.org/institutes K-STATE AGRICULTURIST

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The Irish Spe nding a s emester abroad teaches one student life less on s about ag r iculture, the Ir i sh and hers elf. sto r y an d p h o to s b y S A R A H M O Y E R

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right yellow flower buds line the coastal hiking trail between Bray and Greystones, just south of Dublin, Ireland. The common shrub, named gorse, grows wild all over the country, and I noticed it during my time as a semester exchange student at University College Dublin or UCD for short. To understand the common thread of my story abroad, gorse should first be analyzed because its characteristics mimicked my own. For background, while beneficial for wildlife habitats, the bush can also be a challenge for farmers if it spreads too expansively and poses as a fire risk because of its flammability. Similar to one characteristic of gorse, I originally found myself difficult to uproot from Kansas State University. I desired a new environment, putting myself and my abilities to the test. Hopefully, like gorse after a fire, the impacts of my abroad experience will help me quickly regrow when future challenges approach.

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D E C I D I N G E A R LY This dream of studying abroad popped into my head during my first year at K-State. My father had participated in a nine-month, work-study program during college in Australia. He caught the travel bug early in life, and so had my grandfather as a young adult. Their indirect encouragement, along with others, helped me realize that studying abroad would be worth it. I cannot say I had supreme reasoning for my country choice. A well-established exchange program between UCD and K-State’s College of Agriculture contributed to it, I suppose. Maybe what pulled me toward Ireland was the culture, the history, the idea of a country witnessing more than enough rainfall, or that even a failing farmstead could look like a postcard. Strangely, the bits and pieces were enough to take me there.

LIVING LO CAL Many know the Irish to be optimistic, which matches gorse’s nature to be almost constantly in flower — optimistic that the sun will shine sooner or later. I was challenged to think this way before I even set foot on the Emerald Isle. The best way to feel welcome was to jump in. Between Irish traditions like live music in the pubs or a passion for their sports can’t be more unique. I celebrated alongside them as they won the annual Six Nations rugby tournament with a grand slam. With fish and chips, crepe-like pancakes on Fat Tuesday and tea appropriately drank from morning until night, I dined to their customs in their brick houses and my Dublin flat. If one aims to live like a local, riding the public transport, shopping at the local grocers and diving into student and community life are the quickest ways to do so. Casual conversations and observations build into a network of ideas about a place, and travel expands this to a more well-rounded bank of knowledge. Leaps and bounds of growth occur for students like me before, during and after an abroad experience. If students channel a learning attitude for not only the country as a tourist

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might view it but also for the people and everyday culture, those taking the risk can be empowered. Overall, small efforts amounted to steady growth as I integrated into a foreign society.

C R O S S I N G C U LT U R E S Different currency, conversions and simple greetings imprint themselves at birth; however, these cannot be picked up overnight by outsiders. When brought back to the basics, the farmers still labor to make a profit and talk about the weather, only with higher rainfalls. Some topics serve a universal role as common ground.

“ T H E B E S T WAY T O F E E L W E L C O M E WA S TO JUMP IN.” —Sarah Moyer Agricultural Communications and Journalism Student I learned that if I correctly incorporated their preferred vocabulary (craic, grand, proper or maize) as the Irish might, even working with my classmates became easier. I edged toward assimilating in this way and others because the stress of everyday activities became easier. I still carried some of my favorite and more easily mimicked tidbits of U.S. culture with me. I did not want to hide my nationality. For instance, a couple flatmates and I showed a Ukrainian our best Midwestern hospitality at a Super Bowl party. A French student and I compared our thoughts weekly on education systems. I also explained the deliciousness of biscuits and gravy to my Irish and international friends in the Horticulture Society as we sat in our student greenhouse, sipping on their favorite afternoon tea.

HITTING THE BOOKS Speaking of culture, I knew a course in Irish culture would help fill gaps that independent adventure left open. Whereas it would not cover all that I wanted to know, the module “Ireland Uncovered” sorted out the big questions anyway.

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My other classes included Genetics, International Food Marketing, Advanced Beef Production and Principles of Crop Science. I wish to point out a few contrasting content aspects in two of these classes compared to K-State classes. First, we discussed dairy cattle just as much as we did beef cattle, despite the name Advanced Beef Production. The two sectors are so heavily intertwined in Ireland, that it was impractical to separate them. Secondly, I never grew used to hearing about too much moisture on crops being more of an issue than not enough, and I wonder what my professor thought of my expression as she explained growing corn under film because it would not be warm enough to economically grow it otherwise. These adjustments in application to basic principles were fascinating and provided a new perspective about Irish and Kansas agriculture.

P E R F E C T I N G O N LY PICTURES Studying abroad often portrays an over-embellished view of reality. When I hold up the looking-glass and see what has changed in me, I notice an updated set of priorities, a shorter bucket list and a few more freckles despite the lack of sunshine in Ireland. Throughout my trip, the world showed itself to me in ways I had only hoped for. Aside from the photographs and a handful of particularly meaningful adventures though, little about my experience could climb to the high-reaching label of “perfect.” I made mistakes, which I learned from, and made friends, who do not replace my best friends at home, but whose friendships are beautifully wonderful. Overall, I feel empowered by my time in Ireland and understand my strengths and weaknesses a bit more. Somewhere between the familiar yellow brick road and the bright yellow gorse, I found another corner of the world to call home, even if only for a few special months. K

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tudents go to college to receive an education, but for some that includes stepping on a plane, getting their passport stamped and exploring new lands. With the chance to immerse themselves in unique cultures, it is not surprising that 118 College of Agriculture students studied abroad within the past year. Whether it is a semester or a 10-day experience, Kansas State University offers students the opportunity to get a glimpse into agricultural practices around the world.

A SEMESTER ABROAD There is no such thing as too much traveling for Christopher Reusz, bakery science, food science and Spanish student, who has participated in two semester abroad trips to Argentina and France. While in France, Reusz studied at Purpan University learning French agriculture and language. As a part of the program, Reusz also interned at a vineyard and stayed with a host family. “It was so cool to learn about wine in the capital of winemaking,” Reusz says. Reusz would wake up at 7 a.m. and have a baguette with Nutella before getting to work in the vineyard. He 36

learned how to train the vines to grow correctly and worked to position the grapes for easy harvesting. One goal Reusz had for his semester in Argentina was to expand his Spanish-speaking skills. “One of the most rewarding parts during my stay in Argentina was when someone asked for directions on the street and I was able to tell them exactly where to go,” Reusz says. During Reusz’s semester abroad, the program director took the students to Chile. One of Reusz’s favorite moments from the trip was learning Chilean slang. “It was so cool to feel like a local, get into a cab and be able to have a conversation with these people,” Reusz says. “Seeing how happy they were to share their culture with us was really uplifting.” Although Reusz’s interest in education abroad led him to Argentina and France, each student’s experience and interest in traveling is different.

S T E P S T O TA K E Deciding when and where to study abroad can be tricky, which is why the Education Abroad office offers advising

sessions daily to meet with student workers who have participated in education abroad programs in the past. Then students work with an education abroad adviser to discuss specific programs. Sara Boro, education abroad adviser for the College of Agriculture, helps students interested in international travel decide what experience is the best fit for them based on their interests in location and degree program. Students who participate in Education Abroad programs also have the opportunity to apply for financial assistance. There are specific scholarships available to College of Agriculture students through the college and the Education Abroad office. For semester-long programs, students participate in a pre-departure orientation where they can meet others going to the same location. Across campus, the College of Agriculture has the highest number of students who travel to University College Dublin (See story on page 33). This program only accepts agriculture and nutrition students. In addition to semester-long programs, the College of Agriculture K-STATE AGRICULTURIST

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A N U N PA R A L L E L E D EXPERIENCE The College of Agriculture provides education abroad programs to open up a world of new opportunities for students. Boro had her own study abroad experience while in college, and it changed her career direction to work in the Peace Corps, leading to her role as an education abroad adviser. Reusz hopes to one day become a taste analyst, but due to his study abroad experience, is looking into the Peace Corps as well, something he would never have done if he had not studied abroad. “Having the chance to live in another country really showed me it’s not as scary as it might seem, but is so rewarding and fulfilling,” Reusz says.

The College of Agriculture’s Associate Dean of Academic Programs Don Boggs has led multiple faculty-led programs. He has taken students to New Zealand, Brazil, Italy and South Africa. Planning these programs is no easy task and usually requires planning a year in advance. The planning process involves setting up a course where students meet once a week to prepare them for the upcoming program. Attending class, as well as the study abroad tour, allows students to gain credits for their degree. Professors work with travel agencies in their respective countries to create an itinerary for the program. The College of Agriculture utilizes the Agro Tours agency, which specializes in trips for the agricultural community. “The trips are the full package, and you go to places that you would never get into,” Boggs says. “With the farm visits we make, there’s just no way you would get those tours and the opportunity to

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meet with producers like that.” The College of Agriculture offers an education abroad information night during the fall semester where faculty give presentations on the study abroad tours for the upcoming year. Usually there are six to eight programs per year. “It’s fun for students to have a choice in where they want to go,” Boggs says.

also offers 10- to 12-day faculty-led programs during spring, summer, fall and winter breaks.

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The Education Abroad office also assists students with resume development and interview coaching. “They’ll remember you as, ‘oh hey, he was the kid who worked on a vineyard in France,’” Reusz says. Education Abroad encourages students to experience new cultures to ultimately open up opportunities for internships and jobs. “The skills built are desirable and transferable in a workplace,” Boro says. The College of Agriculture offers multiple opportunities for students to study abroad, but with so many opportunities students may be unsure about where to start. Boggs suggests a faculty-led program where students can experience another culture without having to live in another country. “Going on a faculty-led trip is a good starting point, see what the value is and if students have the interest and opportunity to go on a semester abroad later,” Boggs says. “It is better to start the study abroad experience sooner rather than later.” K

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T hing s to pack in your car r y-on f rom s eas oned students and staff.

STUDENT, ANIMAL SCIENCES AND INDUSTRY

RACHEL WAGGIE Waggie participated in a faculty-led trip to South Africa. “Immerse yourself in the new culture. Try new foods, participate in new activities and talk to locals. You’d be amazed at what you find right outside of your comfort zone.”

PROFESSOR, ANIMAL SCIENCES AND INDUSTRY

JOHN GONZALEZ Gonzalez served as a faculty leader for trips to both Japan and Spain. “Don’t get separated from your group while browsing in the gift shop. No matter how hard it is when you arrive at your destination, resist going to sleep until the proper time and always have that one person that will flag down cabs in the rain.”

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“Even if you don’t truly know what you’re eating, I encourage everyone to always dive into the culture and take a leap of faith. Who knows the ‘green stuff ’ or ‘the yellow’ may actually taste good, regardless of going home and still not knowing what you ate.”

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Clawson participated in two faculty-led study abroad trips to Ireland and India.

JACQUELINE CLAWSON

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KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Department of Animal Sciences and Industry Offering the Ultimate Undergraduate Research Experience

ASI’s undergraduate research program is an opportunity to perform in-depth study, gain transferable skills, develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, define academic and professional interests, and form relationships with mentors, professors, and other students. To learn more, contact Coordinator Dr. Cassie Jones at 785-532-5289 or jonesc@ksu.edu

232 Weber Hall 785-532-6533 asi@ksu.edu www.asi.kstate.edu

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Visit www.maxjantzexcavating.net to learn more about services.

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Braveheart Kansas City Strips with Lemon-Chimichurri and Charred Onions 2 Braveheart KC Strips 1 red onion 1⁄2 cup parsley, finely chopped 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 1⁄2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 pinch crushed red pepper Salt and pepper Light your grill. While your grill is heating combine the parsley, garlic, olive oil, red pepper, salt and pepper in mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Cut the red onion into 1⁄4 inch thick slices. Season the steaks and onions with salt and pepper. Grill the onions on the hottest part of your grill, until each side is lightly charred. Grill steaks to your desired temperature, about four or five minutes per side for medium rare. Top each steak with grilled onion and a large spoonful of chimichurri. Serve with grilled asparagus and a baguette.

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Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Kansas State University

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coNtact uS wheN PlaNNiNg Your Next Sale! Print Advertising . Personalized E-Mail Blasts E-Stock Exchange Newsletter . Marketing Consultation Experienced Ringmen

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IMAGERY IN F

or many, images are just special moments captured in time. For agricultural communications and journalism students, photography means much more after participating in a unique eight-week course focused on imagery in agriculture. The course was designed by instructor Audrey King, who developed the content and taught the class. Students in the course were given assignments each week that helped them learn more about their camera and how to take a strong photo. These assignments challenged students to manually adjust camera aperture, light and shutter speed as well as experiment with capturing images of the same subject from multiple different angles. As a part of the course, all students were required to attend a four-day photography class trip. Students stayed together near Strong City, Kansas, and traveled to new locations each day to capture photos of business clients, landscapes, livestock and other wildlife. At the end of the day, students would submit their best work from the photo treks and critique them as a group over dinner. At the conclusion of the course, students compiled their best photos into final portfolios, which were presented to department faculty and staff. The portfolio included at least one photo from various sectors of agriculture including grain, livestock, natural resources and even agribusiness. The students submitted their best photo from their portfolio to be displayed in the Department of Communications and Agricultural Educationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2019 calendar. K

PAG E 1 P H O T O G R A P H E R S 1: Emily Meinhardt, agricultural communications and journalism 2: Taylor Belle Matheny, agricultural communications and journalism 3: Emily Meinhardt, agricultural communications and journalism 4: Taylor Belle Matheny, agricultural communications and journalism 5: Emily Meinhardt, agricultural communications and journalism

PAG E 2 P H O T O G R A P H E R S

6: Emily Meinhardt, agricultural communications and journalism 7: Whitney Whitaker, animal sciences and industry 8: Leah Giess, agricultural communications and journalism 9: Emily Meinhardt, Aagricultural communications and journalism 10: Whitney Whitaker, animal sciences and industry 11: Molly Betz, agricultural communications and journalism 12: Leah Giess, agricultural communications and journalism 13: Chelsie Calliham, agricultural communications and journalism

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BE A BRO with Nikkel Bros Show Stock Raising, buying and selling quality club calves for the show ring.

Jake Nikkel | 316-573-6922 | Ben Nikkel | 620-504-2279 | McPherson, Kansas Created by Kjpargeter - Freepik.com

WHEAT GENETICS ARE EVOLVING The Kansas Wheat Alliance is proud to introduce these genetically superior varieties developed by K-State researchers to best meet the needs of Great Plains farmers. 1863 Danby Everest

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Monday - Friday: 8 A.M.- 6 P.M. Saturday: 10 A.M. -5 P.M. Over 35 ice Cream Flavors + Dairy & Meat Products!

785-532-1292

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Connecting

Colleges

Stude nt s s eek to better prepare the m s elves for their careers by choosing maj ors f rom t wo colleg es. st or y and photos by L E A H G I E S S

or most students choosing one major can be hard enough, but for Janae McKinney and Christian Calliham, a degree from multiple colleges at Kansas State University is just the ticket.

C H O O S I N G A C A R E E R PAT H Students in the College of Agriculture choose a double major to ensure they gain adequate experience for their desired career choice and to specialize in a certain field. “Deciding to double major came down to wanting to specialize in agricultural marketing, which combines my interest in brand marketing with agriculture,” Calliham, student in agribusiness and marketing, says. As a high school student, Calliham participated in entrepreneurship competitions, showed livestock and ran his own feed business. By majoring and being active both in the College of Agriculture and College of Business Administration, Calliham hopes to be his own boss or go into stock show administration one day. For McKinney, a student in agricultural communications and journalism and hospitality management, the goal is to use her two degrees as an event planner in the agricultural industry. “I would love to plan for a large corporation and only plan their events because you can do really cool things with the budget they provide,” McKinney says. McKinney, a self-defined people person, found her fit with both the College of Agriculture and College of Human Ecology.

L E A R N I N G A L O N G T H E WAY While both McKinney and Calliham agree the hardest part of double majoring is figuring out schedules and matching classes, they believe there are also limitless opportunities and benefits.

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Above: Agricultural communications and journalism, and hospitality management student Janae McKinney. Left: Agribusiness and marketing student Christian Calliham. “The family mentality in each college is similar, but double majoring has exposed me to a completely different atmosphere,” McKinney says. “The College of Human Ecology introduced me to the saying, ‘in a world focused on things, we focus first on people,’ which really translates into event planning.” In an ever-changing agricultural industry, both Calliham and McKinney felt the need to explore options outside the College of Agriculture. “I can go where I feel at home in the College of Agriculture, but also meet different people through the marketing degree, which really broadens my horizons,” Calliham says. Finding internships and clubs that match Calliham’s and McKinney’s career interests has helped both of them solidify their decision to double major and proceed with their career choices. At McKinney’s internship with the Kansas 4-H Foundation, she assisted in planning events for the organization, including events for youth recognition, scholarship and project winners. McKinney also helped host a full-day event at the Rock Springs 4-H Center, which recognized donors. “It was cool to see the events being planned from start to finish,” McKinney says. “I have attended both of the events before, but I never had a role in planning, setting up and taking down, so it was very beneficial to see that process.” fall 2018

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Getting involved with clubs in both colleges can be difficult, but Calliham has become actively involved in the National Agri-Marketing Association, which combines both of his interests of agriculture and marketing. Calliham is also a firm believer that K-State needs to create an agricultural marketing degree to best stay up-to-date with the changing agricultural industry. “Businesses need to really start pushing brand awareness and create relationships with consumers to have them best understand agricultural products and services and as an industry how we produce and put forth the best product,” Calliham says. For their part, Calliham and McKinney do not take for granted the opportunities they have been given at K-State to pursue their education in two separate colleges.

THE BEST OPTION Every person has an individual path through college, but when deciding to double major, Calliham and McKinney have some advice to share. “Just go head-first and try it out, even start with taking some classes and attending club events to see if you like it,” McKinney says. Calliham says if students want to specialize in a certain career, double majoring is a great option. “Just try not to get overwhelmed at first. Stick with it and let things take its course.” K 49

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TIPPING THE SCALES Animal s c ie nce student s complete a cla ss underg raduate res earch proj ec t. st or y and photo by TAY L O R B E L L E M AT H E N Y

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tepping on the scale is not a task most people would find joyful, especially on a Friday afternoon, but for a group of goats it has become their Friday ritual. One by one, the research goats at the Kansas State University Sheep and Meat Goat Center leave their K-State purple pens to walk the alley and reach the scales where students wait with anticipation for the updated weight of each goat.

RESEARCH HISTORY In the third semester following its initiation, the animal sciences and industry undergraduate research course, ASI 561, is focusing for the first time on a small ruminant animal, the goat. In previous semesters, the class has studied antimicrobial replacement in poultry broiler chicks and iron injections in nursery piglets. Leading the class is Cassie Jones, associate professor of animal science and undergraduate research coordinator. After joining the department, Jones spoke with current students to gain an understanding of potential research projects. “The first semester I was here, I surveyed the foundations class,” Jones says. “At that time, 78 percent of students said that sometime during their college career, they wanted to conduct undergraduate research.” The importance of undergraduate research projects has been shown through various studies and is something Jones believes helps students develop critical thinking skills.

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Cassie Jones, associate professor, and Darby Schmidt, undergraduate teaching assistant, led the undergraduate research course project focusing on meat goat performance when fed dried distillers grains as a replacement of soybean meal.

“We sometimes think the best way is always one-on-one research with a faculty member or mentor,” Jones says. “This class is showing greater critical thinking gains for a format like this one because students are much more intentional about the research process.” In the spring 2018 course, ASI 561 is capped at 20 students to provide a unique research experience each semester. “The goat project is looking at if we can replace soybean meal with dried distillers grains without impacting animal performance or carcass traits,” Jones says. Forty-eight meat goats that are approximately 70 days of age have been exposed randomly to rations containing soybean meal and dried distiller grains. Over the course of 56 days, students are participating in all aspects of the project.

opportunity because I am interested in a master’s program in nutrition.” Students enrolled in the course are required to ensure the daily tasks of the project are completed and the goats are cared for. “Each morning students assist in feeding, checking for fresh water, health checks and making sure every goat gets up to eat,” Sardella says. “On weigh days, we make sure to record accurate weights, weigh feeders and analyze the data.” Sardella hopes to complete more research projects during his time remaining at K-State. As a third-year student this is his first time helping with research. “I am fascinated by research and how it affects animals from a production standpoint,” Sardella says.

STUDENT LEARNING

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Curiosity and the desire to learn more about goats is the reason Clayton Sardella, animal science student, is participating in the course-based research project. Growing up in California on an almond farm and raising livestock led him to pursue a degree in agriculture. “I was curious about goat performance when they were fed dried distiller grains,” Sardella says. “I wanted to take the course as a learning

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The thought of graduate school loomed in the back of Darby Schmidt’s mind her second year of college. As an agribusiness student with a passion for the livestock industry, Schmidt added an animal science minor. The minimum requirement of 15 hours to fulfill her minor was quite simple with the ability to enroll in the undergraduate research class multiple times.

To be a successful candidate when applying to graduate school in the future, research was a component she had yet to discover. “I thought being in the undergraduate research class would be a good introduction to see if research was something I was interested in,” Schmidt says. Combining an interest to learn and the opportunity to use hands-on skills is the reason many students enroll in the undergraduate research class. “I enrolled in the course to learn about research and work with animals at the unit,” Schmidt says. “I have continued to take the class because I felt there was more I could learn and the diversity of the topics each semester.” Embarking on her third semester as a student in the course, Schmidt has a new role as an undergraduate teaching assistant. “Working as a teaching assistant is interesting because I have learned the research process in the past, but now I am in a leadership role where I am helping people apply the research method,” Schmidt says. The environment of the undergraduate research class is unique to students and professors alike, Schmidt says. Jones says, “I work with a small set of students who are much more engaged in their learning than in a traditional lecture. They know coming in that it is going to be a hands-on class.” K 51

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Profess ors are creating ne w teaching styles to keep up w ith the chang es in prefer red method s of lear ning. s t ory a nd p h o to s b y J A N E L L E M A R N E Y

istractions are all around, from phones buzzing to the attractive classmate sitting in the next row. With increasing distractions often comes a decreasing attention span. Some research has shown that the attention span of students since 2000 has decreased from 12 seconds to 8 seconds. This leaves teachers in a tough spot as they try to find ways to inspire their students. As a result, some College of Agriculture professors have implored a few non-traditional ways of grabbing attention with their teaching methods. Costumes, cakes and trees climbing are a few props used to gain in-class participation for what some may consider boring concepts.

M O T I VAT I N G F U T U R E M I L L E R S One teacher in the K-State grain science and industry department engages her students through fun costumes to show the layers and milling methods of different seeds. Frances Churchill, North American Millers Association instructor of milling, has been teaching for more than six years. In her time at K-State, she has used her creativity to teach milling lessons. “I’ve always thought of different ways in teaching a lesson to help them get excited about the subject,” Churchill says. She has an off-the-wall sense of humor that she likes to bring to the classroom. It not only helps engage her students, but makes class time more enjoyable. In one of her lectures, The Layers of Bran, she teaches the anatomy of bran with sweaters. “I’ll come in wearing the assortment of sweaters and say something along the lines of it being cold outside so the students don’t suspect anything. As I start teaching through each layer of the bran, I’ll take off a layer. Once I get to the 52

bottom layer, I am wearing a white sweater to represent the endosperm. By that time, I’ll explain to the students what I was representing with the sweaters, but they usually catch on once I get to the bottom layer,” Churchill says. Churchill adds that the students think it’s clever and laugh. It helps them realize the layers and gives them a one-of-a-kind way of remembering the different layers. She hopes these lessons will stick with them in the future. “I’m currently taking the Principles of Milling course with Ms. Churchill. She has come to class dressed in costumes to help teach her lectures and make more sense. I have an easier time remembering the methods she teaches us because of how she dresses up,” Jakob Beggs, student in agricultural economics, says. Churchill says the biggest challenge in planning creative teaching techniques is that it must be tasteful. “You have to make sure that it fits both personalities, yours and theirs. Coming up with unique teaching methods helps make the class livelier for the students,” Churchill says.

A R B O R I C U LT U R E I S N ’ T A B O R E Many times, students say they either prefer hands-on learning or visual learning. For arboriculture students, Cathie Lavis, professor in horticulture and natural resources, teaches a class where students can learn with both styles, even while climbing a tree. “In our educational system, so many students come to us and they have been taught to do things by step one, step two, step three and so on,” Lavis says. “I prefer to give them ideas and let them figure out the rest. It makes them take information from the class and put it to use.”

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Fran Churchill sports her class wig as she sifts through grains from the mill. She wears the wig during her “Layers of Bran” presentation. The trees can sometimes be challenging and intimidating for the students.The tree climbing lab is meant to teach the body thrust method and basic knots. As an arborist, it’s their duty to make sure that trees are staying healthy. “We get out to the trees and the students are scared. They are afraid of looking stupid, not tying the knots correctly and not being strong enough,” Lavis says. Lavis asks her students to write a lab report describing how they felt or thought going through the labs. She says some of her favorite student reports after the tree-climbing lab address how excited they were to complete the lab. “I’ll read their reports and it’s amazing to see their confidence grow. They were able to make it through without any issues,” Lavis says. “It’s exciting to see them learning and grow throughout the semester.” Lavis strives to keep her students engaged in nature, while another professor uses food to entice his students.

SWISS ECONOMICS Swiss Cake Rolls are not just a sweet snack for one K-State professor. For Jason Bergtold, professor in agricultural economics, the Little Debbie cakes are a teaching companion for a lesson on the diminishing law of marginal utility. Bergtold strongly believes in learning by doing. For this lesson, Bergtold uses the Swiss Cake Rolls to show his students that as a person consumes a product, the amount of satisfaction increases, but at a decreasing rate. fall 2018

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Traditionally, he uses Swiss Cake Rolls, since they are denser than other desert snacks. The task is to eat the Swiss Cake Rolls and to continue until the students cannot eat anymore, trying not to make the individuals sick. “We have two volunteers, and we watch them like they are on a game show and ask them how they are doing as they continue. We can physically see how it impacts them as they go. You can really see the disgust as they continue eating,” Bergtold says. This past fall, the volunteers ate about 12 Swiss Cake Rolls. The record high for Bergtold’s class is a total of 32. Students remember not only the activities, but they also remember what it was used for. “I like doing activities in the classroom to help them get involved and into the material instead of just sitting through lecture,” Bergtold says. Bergtold has many unique activities for his students to teach the different lessons. He says the lessons do not come without trial or error, and he makes sure to address what did not work so he can help the students retain the material. Bergtold says, “I use different activities because students learn best in different styles; they absorb information in different ways. By having different activities, they are bound to understand the information in one of the ways, and it helps me adapt the activities for the years to come.” K

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of the

palate Meat s cienti sts analy z e s e ns or y res earch through consumer e valuation. sto r y an d p h o to s b y S A M A N T H A A L B E R S

hen eating a juicy steak, not only do the savory flavors fill the palate, but the smell and the sight of the steak contribute to the eating experience. The ambition to learn how these senses correspond is the focus of the latest research being conducted through the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University. It is there that meat scientists conduct studies to evaluate the sensory stimulations of consumers when tasting the degrees of doneness of meat. This research is conducted in the Meat Cookery and Sensory Analysis Lab, located in Weber Hall. Within these research rooms, sensory evaluation studies are completed using a range of meats such as beef, chevon, or goat, lamb, pork and other processed meat products. This cooperative research is also conducted with other universities, outside companies and K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

TOP OF THE LIST The faculty, staff and students in the Meat Cookery and Sensory Analysis Lab primarily focus on how consumers’ eating experiences can be improved. Three main areas that researchers focus on for sensory evaluations are palatability, marbling and degrees of doneness. Researchers study how a person’s use of sight, smell and taste impact those three focus areas. 54

The department recognizes that consumer education and awareness is ever-present in the agricultural industry’s efforts to promote different sectors and assure consumers of their products being of high quality. Travis O’Quinn, assistant professor in animal science, shares his experience and knowledge of why sensory analysis research studies are conducted and their importance for the beef and agricultural industries. “The beef industry has to constantly improve the quality of the beef eating experience, which is why consumers will choose beef because it delivers a level of eating quality that other proteins just don’t,” O’Quinn says. “When we talk about eating quality, beef is at the top of the list.” In conducting these research projects, there are also sensory panels. O’Quinn explains that the lab typically has two panels: consumers who are part of a specific study or members who are trained in meat sensory analysis for the lab. “With having this type of panel, you eliminate a lot of variation and get some really good results that are refined,” O’Quinn says. In his research experience, he has conducted several studies focused in beef palatability and the factors that influence the traits of tenderness, juiciness and flavor.

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Since he became a K-State faculty member in 2014, O’Quinn has been involved with several meat research projects. These studies have provided students with research experience and a focus for them to contribute to the food and agricultural industries. “With my line of research, specifically in the world of beef eating quality, one of my goals is to make a better tasting steak tomorrow than today for consumers,” O’Quinn says.

C O L L A B O R AT I V E M E AT COOKERY TRAINING Like any other entity of the university, the Meat Cookery and Sensory Analysis Lab values education and training for students to take with them into the industry when they graduate from K-State. There are undergraduate and graduate students who help with and lead the sensory evaluation studies. O’Quinn says that from a graduate student standpoint, students are trained in their research focus areas

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as they are exposed to all of the meat cookery techniques and methods on their way to becoming experts. “Students then go work for various companies around the country and really become people who can make a difference,” O’Quinn says. This research also calls for assistance in these extensive studies. Sally Stroda, research assistant in the Meat Cookery and Sensory Analysis Lab, is part of the management staff who helps with the many studies in the lab. She says that the sensory lab has volunteer students from other groups, such as swine, reproduction or physiology students, or others who have not been exposed to meat science. “When these students become some of our panelists and learn how to evaluate meat, it’s something different that they are then able to put on their resume for any potential employers who might find that interesting,” Stroda says. Stroda says that one of the biggest research projects the team has done was for an EPD, or expected progeny differences, project. In this study,

they conducted a sire evaluation for tenderness genes in meat. The team looked at beef sires that would have progeny or offspring with tender meat traits in their genetics. This five-year project consisted of approximately 3,000 steaks for sensory evaluation, and took a lot of the team’s time, energy and organizational skills as they collaborated with other universities, as well. From the research being conducted and the training for students that is administered in the sensory lab, these researchers are able to educate consumers about degrees of doneness in beef or other meat products. The research completed and methods used in the sensory analysis evaluations are two of the ways that O’Quinn and his research team are trying to connect consumers to agriculture. O’Quinn says, “We can talk about the impact of our research and what it means to various groups, but the true and lasting impact of anything that any of us do in academics is the students that we are able to graduate and send into the world.” K

HER RESEARCH

degree of doneness they are eating. Then she turns on the lights of the room, turning off the red lights, to feed the second set of five samples, so the panel members can see what degree of doneness they are eating. For her research, she hopes to see how the panels’ perceptions of the meat color impacts their overall ratings of the steak samples. For these research panels, Prill says that she sends emails to different organizations in the regional area to request consumers of specific demographics. Her thesis for her graduate research focuses on the influence of degree of doneness on consumer and chef visual and palatability ratings. “In terms of making an impact on the industry, I don’t think you could ever have too much communication between researchers, chefs and consumers,” Prill says. “If we could just really align everything together and provide consumers with a higher level eating experience on a more consistent basis, then we can increase our beef consumption and increase the value of beef.”

One student, who focused her research in degrees of doneness of beef, shares her knowledge and experience that she has gained from her research. Lauren Prill, a graduate student in meat science, says that she wants to see the impact of consumers who may eat an inaccurate or incorrect degree of doneness of the steak than what they may have requested. She compares this topic to if someone would go to a steakhouse and order a medium rare steak, but it is served medium well, and how that factor impacts the consumer’s eating experience and perception of that steak. Prill says her research is unique because she first feeds five steak samples to her panel under a red light in the sensory panel room so the consumers cannot see the color of the steak and do not know the specific

Lauren Prill records data during a consumer panel for her research.

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Owner/Associate Broker

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Marlene A. Irvine

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Baskets of

Bounty Hor ticulture student s u s e their creativ ity to produce edible hang ing baskets. sto r y an d p h o to s b y L E A H G I E S S

green thumb describes someone who has a natural skill for gardening. At the Kansas State University greenhouses, students work with plants daily. Whether their green thumb is instinctive or developed, they put their growing expertise to use in Horticulture 600, Herbaceous Plant Production.

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A HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE Horticulture 600 gives students the opportunity to become completely responsible for their plants and act as the main caretakers. “This class allows you to take responsibility and ownership of the crops to experiment and take risks with,” Brooke Evans, horticulture student, says. Students care for plants in the greenhouses up to five days a week. “Within 24 hours, a plant can go from looking very healthy to being waterlogged or starting to rot,” Beth Cooper, student minoring in horticulture, says. As a lab-intensive class, Horticulture 600 challenges students to produce annual and herbaceous perennial plants. Kimberly Williams, professor and course instructor, has been teaching the class for 23 years and says the main goal is for students to leave the class feeling confident they can grow any crop anywhere at any time. “I love to empower students to make their ideas come to life,” Williams says. Along with hard work in the greenhouses, students must apply their horticulture skills to create and grow consumer-friendly products.

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F R O M S TA R T T O F I N I S H Williams encourages students to be inventive through the edible hanging basket project. Every student designs a themed basket and grows the edible plants from seeds and cuttings. Students come up with the basket concept that is alluring to customers. They take everything they have learned in Horticulture 600 and other horticulture classes and combine it to create an imaginative and consumer-friendly product. “The idea is to capture a customer’s eye for a hanging basket that’s useful by incorporating edible plants into an aesthetically pleasing hanging basket,” Williams says. This project idea came from Haley Burgett, horticulture student, during her first greenhouse job. She recommended the project to Williams so students could have the opportunity to design baskets. “I wanted to spread that love of gardening, but I found that most people didn’t have the space or time to be able to care for a garden,” Burgett says. “This concept was created for people living in small spaces such as apartments and those with very busy schedules.” Once the basket is complete, students must develop a marketing plan to target

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customers. This class project is beneficial because baskets similar to these can be sold for $100 or more in stores across the country. Students incorporate materials such as brochures, labels and recipes to their basket marketing plans.

A G A R D E N PA R T Y Students in this class participate in the Garden Gala, which is an annual fundraiser to support the Kansas State University Gardens. On June 1, friends of the Gardens gathered to enjoy live music, food and drinks during the theme-inspired event. Horticulture 600 students worked with the garden staff and donated 20 edible hanging baskets to be auctioned at this year’s event. The gala gives students the opportunity to have their baskets enjoyed and used by consumers. This event connects the students’ hard work in the greenhouse to engaging with the end customers. “The edible hanging basket project brings the marketing dimension into greenhouse production,” Williams says. “We can grow all kinds of stuff that we ourselves like. But unless we can sell it and people are interested in buying it, we will not be able to make a living.” K

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Taste the Rainbow INGREDIENTS: • • • • • • •

Aromatherapy INGREDIENTS: • • • • • •

Chamomile Cilantro Lavender Lemon balm Mint Rosemary

Created by Beth Cooper, agricultural communications and journalism student. Homemade essential oils recipe: Stir a half ounce of plant material into two cups olive oil. Cook in a slow cooker on low for about six hours. Strain the mixture with an unbleached cheesecloth, then store the liquid in a glass container. “An aromatherapy basket is a nice way to create a comfortable environment without having to light a candle,” Cooper says.

Cilantro Strawberries Pineberries Carrots Basil Thyme Swiss chard

Created by Dalton Dunn, horticulture student, this basket contains plants representing every color of the rainbow. “The point of my basket is to make growing plants fun and pleasing to the eye. This basket is very popular with children, and it gets children involved with plants and horticulture,” Dunn says.

Spice Up Your Salad INGREDIENTS: • • • • • •

Wasabi Arugula Garlic Chives Edible flowers Cilantro

Created by Brooke Evans, horticulture student, this basket can be used as salad additives. “The idea is that as you are preparing your salad, you could just cut a few ingredients off your hanging basket and throw them in,” Evans says.

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Scholarship

Leadership

DEDICATED TO SERVICE.

Cultivating Professional Women in Agriculture www.ksusigmaalpha.com

DEDICATED TO You. P.O. Box 204 Seneca, ks 66538 785-336-6153 www.ncca.coop

Fellowship

Service

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Department of Agricultural Economics FEATURES

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FIND YOUR PATH, BUILD YOUR FUTURE Agribusiness Options Agribusiness | International Agribusiness | Food and Industry

Agricultural Economics Options Specialty | Farm Management | Pre-Vet Pre-Law | Natural Resources | Quantitative

Cherie Hodgson Undergraduate Academic Program Coordinator 343 Waters Hall | 785-532-4559 chodgson@ksu.edu www.ageconomics.k-state.edu

KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY fall 2018

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T hree Sig ma Alpha si sters f ind their bond outside of the chapter on the s oil judg ing team. st or y by T O PA N G A M C B R I D E Pic t ured from left to ri g h t : TA R A W I L S O N , M E G A N O W E N S A N D T E S S A Z E E

SISTERHOOD OF

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oil, it’s the matter that allows things to grow. All of the nutrients required to sustain life are provided by it. Soil holds roots and allows the plant to stand tall above it, basking in the light. Kansas State University agronomy students Tessa Zee, Megan Owens and Tara Wilson know a thing or two about soil. Alongside their teammates on the K-State Soil Judging Team, they garnered countless awards, including second place in the 2017 national competition.

DIS COVERING S OIL Zee was the first of the three to join the team in 2014. Even though she did not have any experience in soil judging, her adviser Mickey Ransom suggested she give it a try. “At my first practice I was so lost, but by the time we went to my first regional contest in Ames, I got the hang of things,” Zee says. Wilson joined one year later, again thanks to a suggestion by Ransom. “I told Dr. Ransom I was interested in joining a judging team, and he suggested soil judging,” Wilson says. “I fell in love with soil judging during my first practice.” However, this wasn’t the first time Wilson and Zee had met. In their freshman year, the two rushed for Sigma Alpha, a professional agricultural sorority. “Tara and I joined Sigma Alpha at the same time and were always good friends, but we grew even closer once she joined the soil judging team a year after I did,” Zee says. In 2016, Owens joined both Sigma Alpha and the soil judging team, rounding out the trio. “Megan and I clicked during soil judging practice and our first competition together,” Zee says.

PLANTING ROOTS All three ladies are out-of-state students. Zee is from Erie, Colorado;

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Wilson is from Highland, Michigan; and Owens is from Harland, Iowa. Joining Sigma Alpha was a way for them to find a new home in Kansas. “I wanted to find more girls who were passionate about agriculture, especially since my department is mainly guys. Joining Sigma Alpha has been a good experience,” Owens says. Sigma Alpha has 62 members, and only Zee, Wilson and Owens are majoring in agronomy. Their time in the sorority has allowed them to create bonds with ladies from a variety of majors in the college. “My favorite memory of Sigma Alpha was the sisterhood retreats at the beginning of each semester,” Zee says. “It was always a great way to forget about school work, relax and get to know my sisters better.”

GROWING STRONG According to Owens, their sisterhood with each other grows stronger on the road with the team. “We have such close bonds and friendships on the team that every moment is one of my favorite memories,” Wilson says. Times spent in the hotels are some of her favorite memories. After a day of judging, the team goes down to the hot tub and holds life talks. It is the shared experiences in both Sigma Alpha and soil judging that have brought these sisters closer than ever. “Tara and Megan are definitely my best girl friends in Sigma Alpha and on the soil judging team. We always have so much fun together, and our shared love for soil is something I don’t have with my friends from other clubs,” Zee says. These sisters not only have a strong bond but also have seen personal growth through their shared experiences. “Tara and Tessa have made me get out of my comfort zone and from doing that I have learned that I am more confident than I was in high school. I can be brave and make conversation with new people,” Owens says.

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BASKING IN THE LIGHT Soil judging and Sigma Alpha have nurtured the girls’ personal and professional development. “My four years with the team using soil genesis and classification knowledge learned in the classroom in a competition setting has taught me to be driven and self-motivated,” Zee says. “My time in Sigma Alpha has reaffirmed my desire to maintain leadership roles in my career post-graduation whenever possible and shaped my professional development.” All three aspire to achieve great levels of success. Wilson plans to pursue a master’s degree at K-State in wheat genetics. Zee is applying for soil and environmental consulting jobs across the nation and plans to go back to school for a master’s degree in a soil-related discipline. Owens dreams of becoming a soil conservationist for the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service so she can help farmers with conserving and protecting their soil. “Our connection has helped us in both organizations because we are just so close. When you have people that mean so much to you, it is easy to accomplish anything and everything,” Wilson says. “I feel like we are each other’s support team.” K

Soil judging team member Sarah Zerger examines soil samples.

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Chores by Choice Unde rg raduates br ing the far m to s chool to work w ith their animal s. st or y and photos by L AU R E N P E T E R S O N

n any given day, a college student might have four assignments, two quizzes, a test, two papers, chores, and friends to see. Many students struggle to find time to take care of their own needs. Throw animals into the mix — daily chores for one restless horse or 13 hungry cows — and many students might feel overwhelmed. For Cara Wolverton, an agricultural education major, and Taylor Ohlde, an animal sciences and industry major, bringing animals to college was a welcomed commitment.

IT’S SHOW TIME For Wolverton, a Seward, Nebraska, native, keeping her horse Mason nearby was a necessity to train for upcoming horse shows. Wolverton brought Mason to school her second semester to prepare for the Nebraska State 4-H Show and the American Buckskin World Show that summer. “Those shows are big and pretty competitive, so I wanted to make sure my horse wasn’t sitting for four months before I jumped on and tried to show,” she says. Wolverton grew up with horses and began showing at the age of 5. Since then, Wolverton has competed in everything from 4-H shows and regional events to American Quarter Horse Association shows, the Paint Horse Congress, and the American Buckskin World Show. Across town, Ohlde has experienced the same type of show stress. In addition to showing his own stock, Ohlde works with clients to get their cattle ready for national shows. “Right now I only have two. Before Christmas I had 13 head go to the National Western Stock Show, and that was a little bit more than I anticipated,” Ohlde says. “I thought I was going to have five or six, but when the cattle came up from Arkansas there were nine,” he says, explaining that he simply worked with what he had. Ohlde’s hard work paid off. His competed well boasting a supreme overall, a reserve percentage heifer, numerous division winners and every animal placing in the top three of its class. 64

“IT WOULD BE A LOT EASIER IF THEY WERE AT HOME, BUT I FEEL BETTER THAT THEY’RE HERE.” —Taylor Ohlde Animal Sciences and Industry Student

BARN THERAPY Managing schoolwork, friends, part-time jobs and farm chores has been a learning experience. For Wolverton it’s all about finding a balance and getting home before dark. Although Mason is stabled at a local barn that takes care of feeding, Wolverton checks on him at least every other day to clean his stall and turn him out for exercise. Describing it as a part-time job, Wolverton spends a minimum of seven to 15 hours a week at the barn. “When I go out there, I usually plan to spend two or three hours. I just take my homework and sit out there, and he runs around the arena,” Wolverton says. K-STATE AGRICULTURIST

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“I JUST TAKE MY HOMEWORK AND SIT OUT THERE, AND HE RUNS AROUND THE ARENA.” —Cara Wolverton Agricultural Education Student

Even though Wolverton is done showing, she decided to bring Mason back this year as a fun way to escape from schoolwork. “After I have three or four tests in one day, I can just throw my backpack in my truck and just go hang out and forget about it for a little bit,” Wolverton says. For Ohlde, it was only natural that he brought his cattle to college. A showman since he was 6 years old, Ohlde has enjoyed working with cattle his entire life. “I wouldn’t really want to go do anything else,” Ohlde says. He keeps his cattle at a friend’s farm, but tries to stop by the barn at least twice a day.

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“It was easy to stay at the barn all day long when there were 13 out there. Now I pretty much work with one or two head and just try to find other things to do,” says Ohlde. Barn trips can last from 10 minutes to three hours. While Ohlde has had to sacrifice plans with friends and missed class occasionally to receive shipments of cattle or visit with veterinarians, most problems can be avoided through time management. “It would be a lot easier if they were at home, but I feel better that they’re here,” Ohlde says. “I’m either going to sit back and worry about how it’s being done at home, or I can just have them here and be confident they’re getting fed and taken care of.” K 65

Serving Agriculture: FEATURES

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the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest industry

Offering year-round student internships, part-time jobs and full-time careers. Please visit www.agriculture.ks.gov/jobs for more information.

1320 Research Park Drive Manhattan, Kansas

www.agriculture.ks.gov 66

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Industry Lessons

Students s eek to broaden their skill s through community inter nships . s to r y b y B R A N D I P E V E R LY p h o to b y S A M A N T H A A L B E R S

nternships are vital to Wildcat Country for both students and employers. Students are given the opportunity to gainvaluable work experience for the future, while making money. There are vast internship opportunities offered across the country for College of Agriculture students; however, some are able to find internships in Manhattan that fit nearly every major or field of interest.

FILLING THE BREAD BASKET The Kansas Wheat Innovation Center annually employs a communications and business intern. The center is recognized as the single largest investment by wheat farmers in the nation, and provides excellent hands-on experience for students interested in the wheat industry. Mallory Shinliver, a third-year agribusiness student at Kansas State University, has interned with Kansas Wheat for more than a year. She works as the business intern and has a close connection to the wheat industry with her family’s farm in Nashville, Kansas. Shinliver spends a majority of her time dealing with public relations but has a new experience every day. “I really enjoy this position because I never know what the day will bring. One day I’m working in the greenhouse and the next on a wheat farm,” Shinliver says. During the summer, she works as the agronomy sales intern for Helena Chemical. They hire around 30 interns every summer, and Shinliver hopes to obtain a full-time position with Helena after graduation. fall 2018

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“People within the companies I intern for provide a family atmosphere, just like the experience at Kansas State,” Shinliver says.

S E R V I N G T H E S TAT E ’ S LARGEST INDUSTRY The Kansas Department of Agriculture has had many student interns, both during the school year and over the summer. They have about 15 interns at any given time, along with a handful of student workers. Karl Wilhelm, a third-year student at K-State studying agricultural economics, has found himself in both of these roles over the years. He began his position as international business development intern last fall. This Holton, Kansas, native comes from a small hobby farm and finds his passion with success stories. “I get to feature families and companies who have been successful in the foreign market. Kansas producers provide a load of diversity and interesting products. It’s awesome to watch them do well,” Wilhelm says. KDA finds a way to incorporate students in nearly every department. “It’s not just sitting behind a desk or answering phones. We get to travel, build connections and network with companies across the globe,” Wilhelm says. Wilhelm plans to pursue a career in international business. Gaining market shares and networking with different markets across the world drives Wilhelm to succeed. K 67

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Competitive

2017 Livestock Judging Team

T he livestock judg ing team lead s me mbe rs to a successf ul f uture. st or y by K E L S I E B E A D O U I N ph o tos courtes y of D E PA R T M E N T O F A N I M A L S C I E N C E S A N D I N D U S T R Y

n Weber Hall, students see pictures of the livestock judging teams dating back to 1903 along the hallways. From the beginning, there has been a standard set for young people who take part in the program to become valuable voices for the agricultural industry. Chris Mullinex, livestock judging team coach, hopes to carry on this standard by helping students become well-rounded and successful leaders in the industry.

THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS According to Mullinex, the judging team consists of students who have good communication skills, can multi-task, manage their time wisely and work well on a team. Most of the students 68

on the team maintain a 3.5 GPA or better, though it is not a requirement. Given the skill set that comes from judging, Mullinex looks for students who embrace the opportunity and are willing to challenge themselves and others to be better every day. He also wants to find students who understand the importance of representing the institution while on the road. Many of the team members have previously competed at 20 to 25 regional and national contests during their first and second years at a community college. At the university level, students have only one year of eligibility. “I am a strong believer that we have a full year to accomplish our goals, too, and that there are many four-year students who need to be given the opportunity themselves,” Mullinex says.

Combining transfer students and four-year students on a team allows them to challenge and benefit each other. “Overall I look for students with intellect, great character and young people who are competitive, not only to win the contest but internally competitive to become better daily,” Mullinex says.

FINDING BALANCE When asked how they balance college and the judging team, most students say their life revolves around eating, sleeping and judging. Spending a lot of time on the road can make it challenging to have time for friends and studying; however, former team member, Leah Scholz, transferred her third year and was able to find the ideal balance.

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“Going from a small town junior college to one of the best colleges in the country was a scary thought at first. However, I was quick to learn that the family atmosphere everyone described Kansas State University as was very accurate,” Scholz says. Mullinex says when it comes down to it, students have to be able to manage their time and priorities. Dean Klahr, fourth-year student in animal sciences and industry, plans out his schedule several months in advance. He says this allows him to be prepared for exams early and anything else that might unexpectedly pop up. Many compare the extracurricular competition team to having a full-time job. With practices taking 30 to 40 hours a week of their time, having outside employment is nearly impossible. At a competition, members judge 12 different classes and are given 12 minutes for each class. During the contest there are eight designated classes where members will have to give oral reasons, so during each judging class it is important to take very detailed notes. Students who want to judge are required to enroll in the “pre-judging” course before they can compete on the team. In the class they learn how to judge cattle, sheep, hogs, goats and horses. They also learn how to give reasons about their placement choices of best to least desirable. “Little did we know, we were going to be missing class more than we would be in attendance, be on the road more than we would be stationary and give endless sets of reasons anywhere along the way,” Scholz says. It takes a special person to be able to handle all of the demands of school, a social life and the judging team. “These students define multitasking. Their ability to juggle their demands as a student and what we ask of them to do as part of the judging team is a challenge in the moment, but it is a skill they will carry on later in life,” Mullinex says. The overall balance of transfer and four-year students differs each year. For Scholz and Klahr, it did not take long to realize they could benefit from their teammates.

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“Being new to campus can be overwhelming sometimes, and I believe I have been able to assist the transfer students in various classes and other activities at the university,” Klahr says. Though it can be nerve-racking to try something new, it does not take long to make new friends if you put yourself out there. “In this class were complete strangers, past competitors from other junior colleges and kids who had gone to K-State all four years. It was only a matter of workouts that we became a family and knew more about each other than ourselves,” Scholz says.

LIVING THE DREAM Hyatt Frobose, former assistant coach and K-State alumni, has used his judging and coaching experiences in his job. Today, he works as a nutritionist and U.S. business director for JYGA Technologies, a Quebec-based company that markets precision feeding systems for swine operations. The experiences Frobose had on judging teams gave him the ability to quickly adapt to different situations and communicate on different levels. Frobose says being an assistant judging coach taught him how to recruit, lead and ways to work best with different personalities, which he now applies to his career at JYGA Technologies.

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“Decision-making, public speaking and critical thinking are soft skills that are harder to find in the workplace today, and they don’t come from time spent in a classroom,” Frobose says. Scholz plans to continue judging by evaluating shows and helping young 4-H’ers develop their skills, while contributing to the country by producing sound, quality animals for the livestock industry. As for Klahr, he plans to attend graduate school and study agricultural economics. Following graduation Klahr hopes to find a career in agricultural finance. “Each judging team is different yet the skills gained are similar as they become crucial to building career success and can set individuals apart from others. The memories and friendships made will last a lifetime for these students,” Mullinex says. The team members agree that judging has positively impacted their lives, and they are thankful for their experiences. Scholz says, “Spending hours in a 15-passenger van with a bunch of rowdy boys and a couple of girls traveling all over the United States evaluating stock is something I will forever cherish. The stories, the memories and the people we met made all the long days worth it.” K

Judging team members work diligently during practice by evaluating a pen of ewes.

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WILLOW LAKE FARM

Willow L ake Student Far m Club plants the s eed s of lear ning and f r iend ship. st or y by L AU R E N P E T E R S O N ph o tos courtes y of W I L L O W L A K E FA R M C L U B

f the hundreds of clubs offered at Kansas State University, one remains relatively hidden from the student body. Tucked away in Throckmorton Hall, the Willow Lake Student Farm Club meets to begin voting on the diverse array of specialty crops to be planted the coming season. The club works to plan and care for the K-State Student Farm, a 3-acre lot inside Tuttle Creek State Park on land owned by the Tuttle Forestry Research Center. Started as an undergraduate research project in 2008, the diversified organic farm is an offshoot of the Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources and is currently managed by two graduate research assistants. “The mission of the student farm is to provide an educational model that promotes the knowledge of sustainable agriculture, but also provides the campus community with fresh, local produce,” Erin Bailey, a graduate student working on her master’s in urban food systems, says. The club itself does not stress organizational procedures. Instead, the group strives to maintain close relationships and focuses on hands-on

learning. Members do not pay monetary dues, but they put in work in the greenhouse or on the farm when they are able. With roughly 15 students regularly volunteering at the farm, online polls are used to determine working hours at the farm to fit around busy schedules. “It’s as hard or as light of work as you want it to be, so I try to do the stuff they don’t want to do,” Bailey says. “Anybody can come out and get their hands dirty and sort of learn by just doing what needs to be done on the farm, or participating in some of the workshops we’ve done and coming out to the farmer’s markets.” A self-described city girl, Emma Brooks, horticulture major and the club’s public relations coordinator, was not initially enthusiastic about joining the club until a friend brought her to a meeting.

“They made salsa from the tomatoes at the farm, they were making Kombucha and talking about Thomas Jefferson and how he wanted an agrarian society,” Brooks says, explaining that although her friend didn’t return for future meetings, she had fallen in love with the club and kept going.

GROWING EXPERIENCES The diversity of the farm enables students to learn about raising various specialty crops and gives them the opportunity to grow crops that interest them. “We try to do a diverse array of crops, so whatever anybody wants to learn about,” Bailey says, explaining that students are encouraged to pursue growing crops that they are interested in. “You want people K-STATE AGRICULTURIST

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Club members work to produce fresh food as well as educate consumers and clients who purchase their product or visit the farm. to be able to experiment in a way that they can really learn from and take with them in a career path.” The farm is home to everything from pumpkins to potatoes, in addition to perennial crops such as asparagus, herbs and various brambleberries. Recently, the farm received funding to start an orchard of cherry, apple, pear and peach trees. The land is also used for undergraduate and graduate research. A notable trial includes studying the yields of tomatoes and peppers that have been successfully grafted with the roots of vigorous and disease resistant wild rootstock. “I like to tell people it’s risk-free farming,” Bailey says. “You’re going to learn as a student in a place that you don’t have to put a lot of your own finances in, you don’t have to have land. You can just learn with this wonderful entity that exists for the sake of learning.”

PRODUCING PA R T N E R S H I P S Both food and agriculture have a way of bringing people together. For the fall 2018

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student farm club, making connections and using available resources at K-State have led to opportunities for learning. When it comes to pest identification and control, the student farm club enlists the help of the Popenoe Entomology Club, and last year they teamed up with the Food Science Club to put on a canning workshop. When it comes to moving produce, the club helps provide goods to a number of area outlets. The club members attend two farmers markets each semester and set up a food stand near Throckmorton occassionaly. The club members also supply fresh produce to Green Tree Smoothies, Arrow Coffee, the People’s Grocery and Eastside and Westside markets. Additional food is currently donated to a student ministry group and the Flint Hills Bread Basket, with hopes to provide for the Food Recovery Network and Cat’s Cupboard in the future. “We actually planted half of our plot for a farm-to-table style Thanksgiving line,” Bailey says of providing for Derby Dining Center’s feast in 2016. “They used as much of what we grew on the farm as possible. Their chef has been really good at trying

to coordinate with us to put our produce into the dining centers.”

A L L I N T H E ‘ FA R M I LY ’ “It’s not exclusive at all. Any major is welcome. The more majors there are the cooler the club gets; diversity makes the club better,” Brooks says. “You don’t need to know anything about plants, I swear you’ll fit in.” The close-knit club does a number of bonding activities from campouts to potlucks. In the end, it all comes down spending time with great people and enjoying what they do. “I got into farm club mostly because of the people. I found a group of people that were the kind of people that I wanted to be around and they also loved plants. I was like, there’s something here,” Brooks says. Bailey adds, “We’re not just out there working; we’re joking around with each other. It’s a fun learning environment that also involves, you know, pulling weeds.” K

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Members enjoy an annual, festive Christmas dinner

FarmHouse Fraternity is a “Builder of Men.” Since 1921, we have offered K-State men the opportunity to develop intellectually, spiritually, socially, and physically. 72

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Members accept honors at the Fraternal Excellence Awards: Jeff Hadechek—Chapter Member of the Year Daniel Laverentz—2017 Dean’s Award Jonathan Peuchen—Greek Chapter President of the Year

Recruitment Co-Chairs and the President spread the word about FarmHouse Fraternity at K-State’s Greek Experience Day

Six members attend FarmHouse Leadership Institute in Kansas City to learn more about effective leadership and how to execute in their respective offices.

1830 College Heights Road, Manhattan, KS 66502 | ksfarmhouse.com | (785) 320-7920 K-STATE AGRICULTURIST

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Collegiate Farm Bureau meets twice a month in Weber 146 at 5:30 p.m Activities include: — Young Farmers and Ranchers Conference — Collegiate Quiz Bowl — State Discussion Meet — Networking with Local Producers — Agricultural Education

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Student Council

Here to serve the best interests of all students in the College, sponsor and support student activities, communicate with and unite agricultural student organizations, and foster relationships between: student, faculty and administration.

Advocate • Educate • Connect Find us on Facebook for more info!

https://www.facebook.com/ksucollegiatefarmbureau/

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THE K-STATE

Fall 2018

College of Ag

K-State Students Selected as st or y by L E A H G I E S S ph o to courtesy of K A N S A S C O R N

he Kansas Corn Growers Association provides opportunities for Kansas students to become more involved in the corn industry through the Collegiate Corn Academy. This year, six of the seven delegates have been selected from Kansas State University: Tarra Rotstein, agricultural communications and journalism; Trent Frye, agronomy; Keren Duerksen, agronomy; Gracie Danner, agricultural economics; and Tyler Cloud, agribusiness, have

2018 Kansas Corn delegates attend the Collegiate Corn Academy.

Kansas State University Students win CME Group Trading Competition

sto r y b y TAY L O R B E L L E M AT H E N Y p h o to c o u r te sy o f D E L A D C O C K

n a global trading competition hosted by CME Group, K-State Center for Risk Management Education and Research students brought home a second-place finish. Del Adcock, agricultural economics student, led the team, which included Nils Bergsten, agribusiness; Trenton Covington, agribusiness; and Kyle Rogers, finance. Participants simulate trading 10 commodities on a professional platform in a group setting. Over the last 15 years, the competition has grown from a few local Chicago schools participating to more than 2,100 students from 264 universities and 37 counties competing in this year’s event.

In the preliminary round, all 530 teams simulated trading commodities with a starting budget of $100,000, and at the 10-day analysis, the top 10 percent of teams advanced to the final round. The final round was a two-week period, and the team started with $250,000 to use in the trade simulation. “We were trading live data on a real exchange and interpreting information to make live decisions to capitalize on any market movement,” Adcock says. “The only thing that wasn’t real about the contest was the dollars.” The group had a 27 percent return in the preliminary round and a 113 percent return in the final round bringing them to a second place finish. K

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Kansas Corn Delegates all been selected to represent Kansas Corn and extend their knowledge on the corn industry in Kansas. As part of this program, students are required to create a capstone project that relates the information they have learned back to their area of study. Director of Industry Relations Stacy Mayo Martinez works with the students to plan a project that connects with the student’s interests and goals. The delegates are taken to sessions around Kansas where they learn about ethanol, water conservation, policy and the livestock industry’s relationship to corn.

They also learn ways to engage with consumers and gain an understanding of domestic corn markets. One session gives students the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., to learn more about policy and trade in the corn industry. In addition, the group does local tours. This spring, they toured Dairy Farmers of America Headquarters in Kansas City, Kansas. “I really gained perspective of all the industries that the corn industry can affect,” Rotstein says. “I have learned a lot about the policy side of corn and how to have those conversations surrounding the food and agricultural industry.” K

Del Adcock, second from left, stands with representatives from competition sponsors CME Group and CQG to accept his award.

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THE K-STATE

Fall 2018

College of Ag

Ellis named Communications and Agricultural Education Department Head s t ory b y L AU R E N P E T E R S O N p h ot o co u r te sy o f K - S TAT E R E S E A R C H A N D E X T E N S I O N

fter a nationwide search, Jason Ellis has been named the head of the Department of Communications and Agricultural Education. Following the departure of previous department head Kris Boone, Ellis has been serving as interim department head since March of 2017.

Ellis received his undergraduate degree from K-State in 1998, dual majoring in agricultural journalism and animal sciences and industry. He then traveled to Iowa State where he earned his master’s degree in meat science in 2003, and a doctorate in agricultural education and studies in 2006. Finding his way back to K-State in 2011, Ellis has been teaching within the department ever since. In speaking about the transition from faculty member to department head, Ellis says, “It’s definitely a challenge, part of it’s the learning curve, part of it is that it’s just a different part of work than I’ve been doing.”

Having dropped his course load and finishing up his advising and research projects, Ellis is focused on looking at the bigger picture for the department. One project he is working towards is creating an advisory board for the department. This would provide an objective, external perspective on what the department is doing and how it can better accomplish its goals. Setting his sights on the long term plan, Ellis aims to continue moving forward and reevaluating approaches to adapt to an ever changing industry and help the College of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension advance their programs. K

Call Hall Dairy Bar sto r y b y S A M A N T H A A L B E R S p h o to c o u r te sy o f K - S TAT E C O L L E G I A N

any students agree there is nothing like an ice cream cone from Call Hall Dairy Bar. While this is a K-State tradition for many, behind the scenes the dairy bar team has been making upgrades to enhance the Call Hall Dairy Bar experience.

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Meat Science Association Hosts Barbecue Contest st ory by J A N E L L E M A R N E Y

here is nothing like having a juicy piece of meat off the grill, and grilling it to perfection takes skill. This spring grill masters across campus put their skills to the test in the 5th annual student barbecue contest sponsored by the Kansas Meat Science Association. Teams of three to six people featured university students across all majors. This year’s the competition featured three cuts of required meats, pork loin, beef tri-tip and chicken drumsticks or wings. “Barbecueing is a perfect science between food and art. It’s fun to come together with the science of food and the presentation of making good barbecue to then put together for this contest. We learn a lot and grow as friends while doing so,” Conrad Kabus, one of the competitors and food science student, says. Competition winners received trophies and other prizes. One first-year team, led by food science and industry student Bethany Herl, dominated the competition and won several successful placings. K

Upgrades

“We want to keep the traditions of the dairy bar in place, so we’re not going to revamp the entire unit,” John Kessler, food service supervisor at the Call Hall Dairy Bar, says. “We want to keep the traditional K-State Dairy Bar as we’ve always known it, but we are trying to make updates to cater to all of our clientele.” In addition to the surface updates, the Call Hall Dairy Bar has also updated a few production systems and

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equipment. The upgrades made thus far include the electronic screens that now display the menu for customers, the point of sales system, a new tempering freezer and a faster malt and shake machine. These updates will improve the efficiency of serving ice cream and the other menu items offered. Kessler explains that with the purchase of the tempering freezer, the dairy bar is now able to serve large amounts of ice cream on heavy-traffic

days, such as All-University Open House, that is customer-ready at a much faster rate than before. He says that the dairy bar will invest in a ventilation hood, which will allow them to cook or grill more menu items while meeting the state’s regulatory codes. Kessler says, “We will always be a well-kept gem for the college, but what we’re trying to do now is polish it by bringing it up-to-date and keeping up with the changes in society.” K

Thank you to our sponsors:

C OLLEGE OF AGR ICULTUR E, ALP H A G AM M A RHO, KA N S AS 4- H FOUNDATION, KANSAS FAR M BU R EA U

Communications and Agricultural Education......73 Agriculture Future of America..............................32 Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow...........41 Agricultural Economics.........................................61 Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity ................................1 Animal Sciences and Industry...............................39 Animal Science Family and Friends Reunion.........6 Bendena State Bank .............................................. 20 Call Hall Dairy Bar.................................................47 Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement..............39 Central Valley Ag ...................................................20 College of Agriculture.................Inside Front Cover College of Agriculture Student Council................73 Collegiate Cattlewomen ..........................................6 Collegiate Farm Bureau .........................................73 FarmHouse Fraternity............................................72 Fink Beef Genetics..................................................27 Horticulture and Natural Resources......................60 IGP Institute.............................................................5 Irvine Real Estate................................................... 56 Kansas 4-H Foundation...............Inside Back Cover Kansas Corn............................................................21 78

Kansas Department of Agriculture.....................66 Kansas Farm Bureau.............................Back Cover Kansas Livestock Association.............................32 Kansas Soybean Commission.............................47 Kansas State University Global Campus............22 Kansas Wheat Alliance.......................................47 Kansas Wheat .....................................................22 KFocus Photography...........................................20 Manhattan Meat Market.....................................40 Melissa Photography.............................................6 MJE......................................................................39 Moreland Farms....................................................9 Nemaha County Co-op ......................................60 Nikkel Bros......................................................... 46 Richert Agency Inc ........................................... 32 Sigma Alpha Professional Sorority.....................60 The Stock Exchange............................................41 University Printing.............................................22 Vanderbiltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s..........................................................13 Wheat State Agronomy Club................................8 Windy Prairie Show Cattle.................................32 Wrenn Bird Photography......................................9 K-STATE AGRICULTURIST

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E DITO R IA L S TA FF

Guest Contributor: Sarah Moyer-,Emporia, KS

SAMANTHA ALBERS Bendena, KS

LEAH GIESS Pierz, MN

CHELSIE CALLIHAM Colby, KS

TOPANGA MCBRIDE Severance, CO

LAUREN PETERSON Wyanet, IL

KELSIE BEAUDOIN Ulysses, KS

A DV ER T IS ING S TA FF

Not pictured: Brandi Peverly,Wamego, KS

TAYLOR BELLE MATHENY Mays Lick, KY

JANELLE MARNEY Mayetta, KS

L EA D ER S H IP T E A M

MOLLY BERTZ Mayview, MO Editor fall 2018

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CHANTELLE SIMON Morland, KS Associate Editor

ASHLEY FITZSIMMONS Cunningham, KS Advertising Manager 79

DID YOU MISS? 14

HITTING H OM E

Hurricane Maria is regarded as the worst natural disaster recorded in Puerto Rico, totaling an estimated $92 million in damages.

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NO DIR T NEEDE D

On a six-week cropping cycle, the greenhouse management courseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commercial-scale hydroponic system will yield 144 heads of lettuce each week from 576 total plant sites.

ON THE H U NT

More than 90 percent of Kansas State University College of Agriculture undergraduate students have completed some form of a professional experience or internship.

NOW BOAR DING

There were 118 College of Agriculture students who studied abroad within the past year.

TIP P ING THE SC A L ES

The undergraduate research course, ASI 561, is studying how dried distillers grains impacts performance in 48 meat goats.

WILLOW LAKE FA R M

The Willow Lake Student Farm Club plans and cares for the K-State Student Farm, a 3-acre lot inside Tuttle Creek State Park on land owned by the Tuttle Forestry Research Center.

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Go to kansas4hfoundation.org/give and help grow true leaders in Kansas 4-H.

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KANSAS 4-H FOUNDATION 116 Umberger Hall, KSU 1612 Claflin Road Manhattan, KS 66506 785.532.5881 kansas4hfoundation.org 81

Scholarships Help Young People Making Their Way in Agriculture

Scholarships are a visible, tangible way to express support for young people pursuing post-secondary education and you can directly impact a student’s life.

Provide a major gift to establish an endowed fund or offer a smaller donation to support KFB’s ongoing scholarship efforts.

Join Farm Bureau’s efforts today. We have decades of success awarding scholarships to young people pursuing higher education, and you can join us.

No matter what you give, you’ll ensure the future generation of ag leaders is well equipped.

“ I am passionate about agriculture and strongly believe in what Farm Bureau does. Because of these scholarships, we can become stronger communicators and one day help Farm Bureau carry out its mission as advocates for those in agriculture.”

Mary Marsh

Major: Ag Communications & Journalism Year: Sophomore Hometown: Arbuckle, CA

“People should contribute to a fund like this because it encourages students to strive to achieve their academic goals, represent the College of Agriculture and helps them attain their personal and professional goals for their careers in the agricultural industry.”

Samantha Albers

You Can Help Make a Difference Your $25,000 gift can establish an endowed fund to honor the memory of others. Gifts up to $25,000 support KFB’s ongoing efforts and increase per-scholarship amounts.

Major: Ag Communications & Journalism Year: Senior Hometown: Bendena, KS R

KANSAS FARM BUREAU Foundation for Agriculture

To donate today, call 785-587-6106 or visit www.kfb.org/foundationforagriculture.