Volume 26, Number 2 - Summer/Fall 2024

OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture

Volume 26 Number 2 • Summer/Fall 2024

COWBOY JOURNAL

Summer/Fall 2024 | Vol. 26 No. 2

EDITORS

KEONA MASON

LANEY REASNER

BAILEE SCHIEFELBEIN

MANAGING EDITOR

SHELLY PEPER LEGG, PH.D.

ASSISTANT

MANAGING EDITORS

DWAYNE CARTMELL, PH.D.

AUDREY KING, PH.D.

ANGEL RIGGS, PH.D.

KENNA SANDBERG, M.S.

QUISTO SETTLE, PH.D.

KAYLEE TRAVIS, M.S.

GRAPHIC COORDINATOR

HANNAH WILCOCKS

ONLINE MEDIA COORDINATOR

PAIGE VAN DYKE

PHOTO COORDINATOR

KATE JACKSON

SPONSORSHIP COORDINATOR

MOLLY MOODY STAFF

VICTORIA ALLEN

ADISYN AULD

BLAYKE BREEDING

JADEN BRUNNEMER

LARAMIE COFFEY

KATHRYN COLEMAN

KATI COLLINS

CAMPBELL EDSTROM

HADLEY GREGORY

ANDREA HANSON

CHEYENNE LEACH

CARMAN MONTGOMERY

FAITH RICHARDSON

PAISLEY STURGILL

CHANDLER TRANTHAM

SYDNEY VIEIRA

KYLIE WATERS

ALLISON WHEELER

STACIE WINNER

ANNABELLE ZELLERS

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORS

As the last class to curate Cowboy Journal in 404 Agricultural Hall, we are excited to also produce the largest Cowboy Journal to date. This issue is not only a testament to the talent of this staff but also the growth of the program as a whole. We would like to express our gratitude to our staff and those who helped us: Holly Blakey, Braeden Coon, Mandy Gross, Kristin Knight, John Legg, Jami Mattox, Macy Shoulders, Bree Snowden and Sydney Trainor.

Thank you also to Dwayne Cartmell, Shelly Legg, Audrey King, Angel Riggs, Kenna Sandberg, Quisto Settle and Kaylee Travis for their hard work and dedication to OSU agricultural communications students. We are proud to share the compelling stories of our Cowboy Family, and we hope you enjoy.

Forever Loyal and True,

FEATURED STORIES

40

54

96

Oklahoma State University as an equal opportunity employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Oklahoma State University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all individuals and does not discriminate based on race, religion, age, sex, color, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, or veteran status with regard to employment, educational programs and activities, and/or admissions. For more information, visit eeo.okstate.edu. This publication is printed and issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the vice president for agricultural programs and has been prepared and distributed at no cost to the taxpayers of Oklahoma.

— SAVANNAH

Mylifehasbeenforeverchangedforthe betterbecauseofAgHallandOSU,getting tofindmypurposeinlifeandmeetsome ofthemostamazingfriendsturnedfamily.

HOPKINS Class of 2022

Top: Randall Jones (left), associate dean of resident instruction; Robert B. Kamm, OSU president; James Whatley, dean; and Fred LeCrone, assistant dean of agriculture, break a 12-foot loaf of bread at the grand opening ceremony of Agricutural Hall. Bottom: Much has changed on the east side of Agricultural Hall since the 1970s. Photos courtesy of OSU Archives.

the BRICKS Beyond

UNVEILING THE PAST AND FUTURE OF AGRICULTURAL HALL

Sharing Ag Finance with John Smithson is where our story began. Thirty-three years later, we have a son who is an alumnus in agribusiness and a daughter who will receive her agribusiness degree in May. — JENNY OVERTONClassSMITHSON of 1992

Brick walls, weathered by the years, echo whispers of stories from the past. From its humble beginnings to its current state, Agricultural Hall will continue to stand on the southwest corner of Monroe Street and Farm Road on the Oklahoma State University campus.

attended classes there from 1961 to 1963 as a graduate student.

“The space where Ag Hall south and Ag Hall east stand now was a parking lot before the building construction began,” Nelson said. “I left, and when I came back in September 1965, Ag Hall south had been built.”

For me, Ag Hall is synonymous with community. I loved spending three years with the amazing MANRRS team and teaching at Study and Snacks with some very talented and hilarious people. — SERAIAH COE Class of 2021

Agricultural Hall was the first major building for the Division of Agriculture after World War II. Construction began in the early 1950s and took more than 10 years to complete, according to the OSU Board of Regents.

“Going back to the late ’50s, there was a distinct need for a building like Ag Hall that would bring all portions of the agricultural campus together,” said Randy Raper, OSU Agriculture assistant vice president of facilities.

The north wing of Agricultural Hall was completed in early 1958, and Ted Nelson, OSU Department of Agricultural Economics retiree,

The south hall construction was completed in 1964 followed by the east facing building’s completion in March 1969. This final building connected the two wings.

Nelson worked in farm management extension, he said, and his program was officed on the fourth floor of Agricultural Hall south until Agricultural Hall east was finished.

The grand opening for the complete building was not a traditional one, Raper said. In place of a ribbon cutting, dignitaries broke a 12-foot loaf of bread. The loaf was made by bakers at the Consumers IGA grocery store.

I worked in the same office in Ag Hall for 34 years. The best part was getting to know the students and see them when they returned with their kids to Ag Hall or to see them get a job.

— DEBRA KAY PORTER Former PaSS Secretary

My wife and I first met in Kim Anderson’s agricultural economics class in 2013. We talked all summer, then life took us to different places for six years. I married my best friend Kaylee McGovney in 2021, and it all started when we sat two seats apart. — MILESClassMcGOVNEY of 2014

Those steps! Before cell phones, that is where we all connected. Plans were made for the evening, exams were discussed, friendships started, study plans were made, etc.

— KAREN EIFERT JONES Class of 1985

This gesture was used to symbolize the college’s responsibility to aid in feeding a “hungry world,” according to an Ag Spotlight newsletter article published at the time of the opening.

Agricultural Hall has played a major role in the lives of thousands of students and staff, including associate vice president of OSU Extension, Damona Doye, who has been a faculty member since 1986.

Doye attended OSU as an agricultural economics undergraduate student from 1976 to 1980 and obtained her master’s degree in 1981. While pursuing these degrees at OSU, most of her time was spent in Agricultural Hall, she said.

“During undergrad, I spent almost as much time in Agricultural Hall as I did in my own dorm room,” Doye said. “The office I am in now was the dean’s office when I was in school.”

The $3 million Agricultural Hall building was considered one of the

nation’s most modern buildings at the time, according to the Ag Spotlight newsletter, and the entire complex was air-conditioned.

The hall was funded by state building bond issues and federal grants, which differs from New Frontiers Agricultural Hall, which was funded mostly by donations.

Agricultural Hall is efficient from a space perspective with a lot of assignable space in the building, Raper said. However, the penalty for that efficiency is narrow hallways as well as a lack of handicap restrooms and restrooms for males and females on every floor, he said.

“When we were students, the front steps of Agricultural Hall were the hangout place for ag majors to wait for class or just sit around and talk,” said Rob Terry, head of the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership. “Things have changed over the years,

and students don’t hang out in front of the building today.”

Kim Anderson, emeritus faculty member in the agricultural economics department, obtained a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education and a doctorate in agricultural economics from OSU. Anderson said the building itself has not changed much throughout the years.

“I have been in the same office since 1982,” Anderson said. “I am only the third faculty member to ever be in this fifth floor, Room 517 office, and up until 2010, I had the original furniture in my office.”

The building has served the college well, Terry said, and the space will be a blessing to others when the teaching functions move to New Frontiers Agricultural Hall.

Many years ago, Nelson had the same feeling current students are experiencing with the New Frontiers Agricultural Hall building, he said. One

The west side of Agricultural Hall in 1960, as viewed from Farm Road, is similar to today. Photo courtesy of OSU Archives.

of his favorite memories was getting to move into the new building, he added.

“Once the college is in New Frontiers Agricultural Hall, we are still going to have a strong presence in Agricultural Hall with about 50% of the space being used by OSU Agriculture,” Raper said. “The other 50% will be used for other entities.”

Informational technology, finance, and some administrative offices will remain in the current building.

As the move to New Frontiers Agricultural Hall nears, the fond memories of classes, lifelong friendships, the front steps, time in the fishbowl or involvement within the college remains.

MAKING THE FINAL TOUCHES

New Frontiers Agricultural Hall Timeline May 2024 to October 2024

Furnishing May and June

Occupancy July and August

Classes Begin August 19

Celebration Week Sept. 9-13

Grand Opening — Oct. 4-5

In 2023-24, Agricultural Hall was home to the Ferguson College of Agriculture’s 3,313 students. Photo by Morgan Gravatt.

ADISYN AULD PRAGUE, OKLAHOMA

Kyle Hilbert represents House District 29 and serves as Speaker Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma House of Representatives for the 59th Oklahoma Legislature. Photo by Kate Jackson.

Speaking FOR A Better Oklahoma

Kyle Hilbert slid a white pin across the table. Alongside his name appear the words “passion, integrity, progress.” Hilbert used these three principles during his 2015 campaign for president of the Oklahoma State University Student Government Association. In 2017, Hilbert took these same principles with him to the Oklahoma Legislature.

Hilbert grew up in Depew, Oklahoma, and was involved in the Depew FFA Chapter. He served as the Northeast District Vice President for Oklahoma FFA as a freshman at OSU.

Hilbert decided to run for House District 29 representative as a 21-yearold senior at OSU. James Leewright, the incumbent representative, was running for the state senate, leaving the seat open. Hilbert’s father told his son he would make a great candidate.

“I kind of laughed, said ‘OK, Dad, whatever,’” Hilbert said. “I called my wife, girlfriend at the time, Alexis, and told her about my dad’s phone call. She took it more seriously from the start and said I should do it.”

The second person to call Hilbert was Brian Campbell, who was his high school agricultural education teacher, Hilbert said.

“I was undecided, but my ag teacher called me, and I started taking it a little

more seriously,” Hilbert said. “My dad, my agricultural education teacher and then Leewright himself called me. They all three said the same thing — ‘Kyle, you’d make a great candidate.’”

Hilbert’s wife, Alexis, said she supported him immediately, despite it shifting their plans to move to Washington, D.C.

“He was going to go to law school, and I was going to work on Capitol Hill and get a job as a staffer,” Alexis Hilbert said. “Instead, when he got the calls from his dad and then his ag teacher encouraging him to run, I said, ‘If it’s something you feel you’re led and called to do, let’s do it!’”

Kyle Hilbert filed to run for office in October 2015 and was 22 years old when he was elected in 2016.

His experiences in FFA through high school and then as an FFA state officer have been the most beneficial things to him as a legislator, Kyle Hilbert said.

“I would not be a legislator but for that and then going up through the Ferguson College of Agriculture,” Kyle Hilbert said.

Kyle Hilbert was an agribusiness major and graduated in 2017. He served as SGA president, was an ambassador for the college, and was an active member in FarmHouse.

His involvement on campus and in the college helped prepare him for office, Kyle Hilbert said, in addition to the importance of having people skills.

“Just because you disagree with somebody one day doesn’t mean you should disagree with them forever,” Kyle Hilbert said. “The State Capitol is about relationships. You can’t do anything by yourself.”

Mark Lawson, state representative for House District 30, said Kyle Hilbert is diligent and is always looking for ways to improve and solve problems for other members.

“He takes seriously serving constituents first and taking care of people back home,” Lawson said. “But, I also appreciate that it is not his only goal in the House chamber. He also wants policy that is going to be good across the state.”

People see him on the news or in the headlines with cool one-liners, Alexis Hilbert said, but seeing his dedication behind the scenes is one of her favorite parts of his role.

“In my first legislation session, I studied every spreadsheet, went to everything I could, and acquired all of the knowledge and background information I could,” Kyle Hilbert said.

“When my bills came up for vote in committee, I would talk to every

member in the committee before it got presented, which I assumed everyone did,” he added. “Turns out, they don’t.”

In 2019, Kyle Hilbert served as vice chair of the appropriations and budget committee. He said his age may have caused people to doubt him, which only motivated him more.

“Because of age being a weakness, it forced me to work harder, which

actually turned it into a strength,” Kyle Hilbert said.

“I’ve been able to be a part of many of our budgets over the past seven fiscal years,” Kyle Hilbert said. “When I got here, we were looking under every couch cushion that existed for pennies to keep the government running, and now we’re in a position as a state where we have $4.6 billion in surplus.”

There are few things more gratifying than bridging people together and resolving a complex issue. KYLE HILBERT

This feat is truly impressive, Kyle Hilbert added, because the surplus is double the amount Gov. Kevin Stitt wanted Oklahoma to have.

“At the end of the day, being effective comes down to finding your area you care about and focusing on that, being a person of integrity, and working hard,” Kyle Hilbert said. “Without all three of those things, it won’t work.”

Many issues face the state, Kyle Hilbert said, and the important part is finding ones to focus on.

“You can’t be ‘inch deep, mile wide’ in everything,” Kyle Hilbert said.

In addition to fiscal policy, one of the important issues for Kyle Hilbert has been education. The Hilberts have two daughters, 4-year-old Addison and 1-year-old Dorothy. His daughters have shaped his perspective on public education, he said.

“I’ve always cared about common education, particularly early childhood education,” Kyle Hilbert said. “Now, it’s something I think about a lot more than I used to.”

Children’s formative years are important to the future education of students, he added.

“If a kid is behind in first and second grade, they’re way more likely to be behind in eighth or ninth grade and never catch up,” Kyle Hilbert said. “We have to be laser-focused on improving our outcomes in early childhood if we want to do anything to fix our education system long term.”

Decisions made at the state level impact children’s education, Alexis Hilbert said. This has framed how the Hilberts think about making Oklahoma a better place for their girls and other children in the state, she added.

“I graduated from Depew High School with 33 people in my graduating class,” Kyle Hilbert said. “Then, I graduated from OSU and spoke at commencement. That’s a testament to the strength of small schools.”

Kyle Hilbert wants to ensure students have personal development opportunities and a strong education system across the board, he said. Opportunities through FFA programs

Kyle Hilbert (back right) and his wife, Alexis, enjoy spending quality time with their two daughters, Addison (front left) and Dorothy. Photo courtesy of Brittney Jo Photography.

are important, he added, which is why he advocates for FFA in the legislature to ensure it receives strong funding.

“I really can see in his thought process of decision making he wants to create a state that is good for our kids,” Lawson said. “He approaches it with a very humble attitude and wants to help members succeed and resolve issues in their districts.”

Having kids is the experience that has shaped him the most, Kyle Hilbert said, and is a driving factor for improving the state.

“I want to make this state better and leave it a better place for the next generation,” he said. “For me, that’s really my main focus on all things is that one word — better.”

Kyle Hilbert tries to make the state better for every constituent in House District 29 and every person he comes into contact with, Alexis Hilbert said.

“Wherever we are, somebody comes up to him because they recognize him,” Alexis Hilbert said. “He’ll get stopped way out in the middle of Oklahoma,

and he just stops and listens. He’s like ‘How can I help?’”

Alexis Hilbert said she enjoys seeing her husband’s interactions with people in everyday life because he takes those moments to see how the state can improve.

As for issues Oklahoma may have, Kyle Hilbert strives to make things better tomorrow than they were yesterday, he said.

“Every individual constituent you’re helping has a unique challenge,” Kyle Hilbert said. “You get to figure out the puzzle pieces and put the puzzle together. Being a state representative is more than just pressing a green or red button. It encompasses a lot of things.”

Now in his eighth year in the Oklahoma legislature, Kyle Hilbert said he loves how no two days are the same. Getting to solve hard problems is his favorite part, he added.

“Sometimes that’s helping a single constituent navigate the complexities of government bureaucracy,” Kyle Hilbert said. “Sometimes it’s passing

legislation that moves the needle for our state.

“But, there are few things more gratifying than bridging people together and resolving a complex issue,” he said.

Kyle Hilbert served as Speaker Pro Tempore for the 58th and 59th legislatures, and his colleagues want his leadership to continue.

“We’re going to elect him as the next Speaker of the House,” Lawson said. “That’s because he’s made that reputation for himself as a hard worker, kind man, smart and helpful. A lot of people see the same things in him as I do and trust he’s got what it takes to lead this chamber and lead the state.”

SYDNEY VIEIRA RIPON, CALIFORNIA

Headway for

OSU EXTENSION EDUCATOR TEACHES YOUTH ABOUT HEALTHY COPING SKILLS

Headspace

Growing up near Birmingham, Alabama, Danyelle Kuss played board games and read during her alone time.

Although a neighbor’s cattle grazed outside her kitchen window and tractors drove through her rural community, she had never heard of the Cooperative Extension System or 4-H until she interviewed for the youth mental health specialist position with Oklahoma State University Extension.

Kuss has a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from the University of Southern Mississippi and served as a therapist in Mississippi before coming to OSU.

She worked with families, adults, and youth and spent several years working with inpatient substance-abuse treatment and cooccurring disorders.

“I was looking for a step back from direct patients, so I started thinking how I can still have an impact in mental health,” Kuss said. “I was looking for educational ways to do some advocacy and found this position with 4-H.”

Kuss serves as an OSU Extension specialist and 4-H educator, teaching mental health-related workshops to fellow OSU Extension educators, adult volunteers and 4-H’ers.

“The goal of OSU Extension is to meet the needs of the local community, and 4-H fosters positive youth development to help youth acquire the skills

to be successful,” said Steve Beck, Oklahoma 4-H program leader.

Kuss is certified in youth mental health first aid and can teach educators, volunteers, and teens how to look for signs of a friend in crisis, Beck said.

“I appreciate how Danyelle has a real heart to look at our program and see where we can provide more effective processes,” he said.

Beck and others saw the need for positive youth mental health within the 4-H program in 2020, he said.

“I remember years ago at a 4-H event we were talking about needs in communities,” Beck said. “I was surprised to see how many 4-H members wrote or listed mental health as a need for their community.”

Kuss has worked with Cathy Allen, OSU Extension senior specialist in 4-H Healthy Living and curriculum, to incorporate their two areas of 4-H to benefit the youth and education of volunteers and educators.

The Healthy Living program in 4-H provides social, emotional and physical activities, such as Food, Fun, 4-H and 4-H Yoga For Kids, to encourage healthy habits in youth.

“Mental health is an essential part of health education,” Allen said. “We have always pledged our heads to clearer thinking, and even addressing things such as stress can be critical.”

Kuss has worked with Ty Gregson, OSU Extension assistant state

specialist in opioid and substance misuse prevention, to create curriculum and a card game for children to learn how to have healthy coping skills.

“Danyelle and I both have a background in marriage and family therapy, so we were able to relate to each other,” Gregson said. “Our backgrounds 100% influenced the game because it specifically talks about therapeutic patterns.”

The four-week curriculum teaches youth the differences of positive and negative coping skills and gives them new skills to use in their futures. At the end, youth create and keep their own coping plans.

Gregson and Kuss wanted to create something engaging and hands-on, rather than a presentation, he said. They developed the card game and called it “Cope-Able.”

The card game contains two different decks of cards. One deck has various life events, such as receiving a driver’s license or graduating high school. A player chooses a card from that deck and places it on the table in the middle of the participants, each of whom have their own set of cards with coping mechanisms.

“All students have to use the coping skills in their hands to overcome whatever life event has been shown,” Kuss said.

Each card is numbered in the upper right-hand corner with either a negative or a positive number. These

Danyelle Kuss works in the Oklahoma County OSU Extension office and will complete her first full year in July 2024. Photo by Keona Mason.

numbers show the difference between a positive coping skill and a negative coping skill, Kuss said.

Some of the positive coping skills written on the cards include spending

time with family or partaking in personal hobbies, Kuss said. A negative coping skill includes self-isolation, which is a common coping mechanism, but is not always positive, she said.

“You’re trying to play coping skills that get you to a zero or a positive score,” she said.

Kuss and Gregson piloted the curriculum and card game to two schools during March and April 2024.

Kuss’s love for gameplay allows her to be creative in her position, she said.

“One of my biggest challenges in this position is making the information engaging, especially with youth,” Kuss said. “I always think about how to make mental health experiential, so kids can get their hands dirty and feel like they have touched the topic.”

Gameplay helped Kuss gain more social skills growing up, she said.

“Part of my personality that draws me toward working with youth is that you get to be enthusiastic about things,” Kuss said. “I played a lot of games that helped me socially, but I think those are tools we sometimes overlook for youth.”

Even though Kuss was unfamiliar with OSU Extension and 4-H, she has learned more about the missions and roles of both programs, she said.

“It’s fun when I meet people and I say, ‘I’m from OSU Extension,’” Kuss said. “I get to tell them, ‘Oh, we do so much more than that now,’ because we still do things like gardening or working with livestock, but it’s more than those specific areas.”

As Kuss approaches her one-year mark with OSU Extension and 4-H, she hopes her voice helps make progress in Oklahoma, she said.

“I feel like the projects I am doing will have a broad impact,” Kuss said. “4-H is all about making leaders to go out and make better communities, and my goal and hope is to make these youth feel more confident and empowered on this topic.”

Daneyelle Kuss teaching fifth grade students at the Blaine County and Major County Wellness Day. Photo courtesy of Danyelle Kuss.

“Cope-Able” cards list life events a student can encounter and actions the student can take to cope with that life event in a healthy manner. Photo by Keona Mason.

KEONA MASON TISHOMINGO, OKLAHOMA

Glade Presnal (left) and Faye Ann Presnal retired from OSU and reside in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The couple continues to support the university, especially through the New Frontiers capital campaign. Photo by Sydney Vieira.

LOVE LOSS beyond

An unexpected loss and a weary heart were not enough to keep a widowed father of two young children from fighting for hope and happiness for his family.

In 1975, Glade Presnal lost his first wife and the mother of his two children. After the loss, the soldier took his things and relocated from West Berlin, Germany, to Fort Riley near Manhattan, Kansas, to be closer to his family, he said.

Raising two children on his own, Presnal felt he was ready to re-enter the dating scene, he said.

“It had been two years since losing my wife,” Presnal said. “I knew I had to get on with my life.”

Presnal asked his boss at the time if he or his wife knew of anyone who would be a good match for him, he said.

His boss’s wife connected him with one of her co-workers at Kansas State University, Faye Ann Price.

“I was shocked when Faye Ann first opened the door,” Presnal said. “Back then, if a woman was not married by 32, you might wonder what she would be like. When she opened the door, she was very pretty and put me at ease.”

As the daughter of Robert Price, former head of the Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Education, Faye Ann Price Presnal learned to believe in the importance of education from her father, she said.

She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from OSU and taught in public schools, teaching underserved children from low-income

neighborhoods in Kansas City and New Jersey before making her way to Manhattan, Kansas. After 32 years of investing in herself and her career, she decided she was ready to go on a date, she said.

“Glade took me to the Kansas State versus Oklahoma State basketball game,” Faye Ann Presnal said. “It showed me that he was being considerate and thinking about what I might like to do.”

Although the couple continued to go on dates, Glade Presnal waited six weeks to introduce Faye Ann Presnal to his children.

“I had the two cutest children,” Glade Presnal said as Faye Ann Presnal shook her head in agreement. “I didn’t want Faye Ann to meet them and decide she wanted me because of the kids.”

Glade Presnal’s concerns did not seem to be an issue, he said. However, being an early childhood specialist, Faye Ann Presnal knew how to be sensitive to the children’s needs after losing their mother, she said.

“It turned out to be something that maybe was divinely planned,” Faye Ann Presnal said.

The couple quickly knew they wanted to be together, Glade Presnal said. Three months following the couple’s first date, he asked her to be his wife.

“She teases that I just wanted someone to watch the kids, but that’s not true at all,” Glade Presnal said with a smirk. “The fact that she worked in early education certainly helped with

the kids, but I wanted to marry her because I loved her.”

On July 23, 1977, the couple exchanged vows and got married.

After getting married, Glade Presnal taught ROTC at KSU and later felt called to pursue his doctorate in international education, he said.

On a trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to visit Faye Ann Presnal’s family, Glade Presnal inquired with Bob Terry about furthering his education but discovered OSU did not have an international education program. Terry, who at the time was the agricultural education department head, told Glade Presnal he would put together a program, Glade Presnal said.

“When Dr. Terry offered that to me, I knew OSU was where I would want to be,” Glade Presnal said.

The couple packed up their things and moved to Stillwater where Glade Presnal earned his doctorate.

“We thought we would be leaving once he got his degree,” Faye Ann Presnal said. “Then, I was offered a position at OSU.”

The couple stayed in Stillwater, both working in education at OSU and following in the footsteps of Robert Price, she said, who was one of the couple’s greatest inspirations. Price believed in supporting students, modernizing education and was far ahead of his time, Faye Ann Presnal said.

“Robert was interested in the future of education,” Glade Presnal said. “He would be thrilled about the New Frontiers building and what it allows.”

Heidi Williams, senior associate vice president of principal gifts at the OSU Foundation, helped the couple find a way to honor Price.

“Faye Ann and Glade had an interest in naming the office of the agricultural education, communications and leadership department head after Price,” Williams said. “However, someone had already named it at the time.”

Knowing how important the naming opportunity was to the Presnals, Williams checked back on the status of the room, she said.

“The original donors ended up changing their space,” Williams said. “It felt like the best news ever to deliver to Faye Ann and Glade.”

After the couple decided to contribute to the New Frontiers capital campaign to support a new home for the Ferguson College of Agriculture, they invited their family members to donate toward the named space to honor Price, Williams said.

“Decades from now, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren and my

father’s former students will be able to come in and see his name on the wall and will see a building that exemplifies everything he believed in,” Faye Ann Presnal said.

The couple provide a perfect example of the Cowboy spirit, Williams said. They are dedicated and devoted to their family and making OSU a stronger university by enhancing the Cowboy experience, she added.

With loyal hearts and giving souls, the couple has navigated life with a specific quote, Glade Presnal said: “You are going to have some highs and lows. You should be prepared to enjoy the highs, get through the lows, and never give up.”

FAITH RICHARDSON GLENPOOL, OKLAHOMA

Faye Ann (left), Patrick and Glade Presnal tour New Frontiers Agricultural Hall to see the office that will honor Bob Price. Photo by Bryanna Birdsong.

SUCCESS Sweet

RESEARCHERS TAP INTO OKLAHOMA MAPLE SYRUP PRODUCTION

In a land known for its prairies and plains, a new chapter is unfolding — one that promises to add a touch of sweetness to Oklahoma’s agricultural heritage.

A team of scientists are rewriting the narrative of maple syrup production — not in Vermont or Quebec — but in Oklahoma. The potential of its native maples is about to be revealed. Native Americans in Oklahoma collected maple sap for years, said Lu Zhang, Oklahoma State University

horticulture and landscape architecture assistant professor.

“Traditionally, they use maple sap in ceremonies,” Zhang said. “It’s not for commercial use.”

While the Indigenous people capitalized on Oklahoma’s trees for decades, the rest of the population has no idea what has been under these trees’ bark, Zhang added.

Mike Schnelle, OSU Extension ornamental floriculture specialist, discovered Oklahoma’s Native American

families had explored this production for many years.

“I had a chance to go over to the OSU Center for Sovereign Nations and learn from some of the undergraduates,” Schnelle said. “All of a sudden, I started hearing, ‘Oh, yes, our family has done maple syrup for X number of years, also maple candy.’ All of these spin-off possibilities got me thinking.”

Along with learning about the Native Americans’ production, Zhang and Schnelle’s colleague, Youping Sun

SUCCESS

During the springtime awakening, maple trees release their sap and utilize the stored starch produced through photosynthesis during the summer.

Photo by Kathryn Coleman.

at Utah State University, encouraged them to try this research, he added.

“The first question we asked was if we could attempt to gather the maple sap in Oklahoma,” Zhang said. “The next questions were ‘what is the volume, how much production, and what is the tapping window?’”

An opportunity arose to submit a grant proposal for the research through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Schnelle said.

“As a forester, we never thought we’d ever be doing maple syrup in Oklahoma,” said Bob Heinemann, senior superintendent of Kiamichi Forestry Research Station. “I initially solicited letters of support with the Choctaw Nation, the U.S. Forest Service, Oklahoma Forestry Services and Little River Conservation Commission for the grant.

“With a solid application including the support letters, OSU scored a $500,000 grant,” he said. “The next thing I knew, they called and said, ‘Hey, Bob, can you help us tap trees?’”

Heinemann and his team set out across eastern and southeastern Oklahoma to identify large groups of maple trees to sample, he said.

“From winter 2022 to spring 2023, we worked on the site selection,” said Lu Zhai, natural resource ecology and management assistant professor.

Landowners must have control over their land to be eligible for the study, Schnelle said.

“They must have one of the four native maples that we’re hunting for,” Schnelle added. “Not only are the traditional sugar maples going to get us maple syrup, but so are box elders, red maples and silver maples.”

These four species of maple trees are being researched at three Oklahoma locations.

“We’re working near Idabel, Talihina and Miami,” Zhang said. “That covers the southeast, east central and northeast parts of Oklahoma.”

Part of the USDA grant looks at what smaller trees versus larger trees produce, Heinemann said.

“The volume of sap produced varies by the size of the tree,” Heinemann said. “We have a sample range from small trees to big trees. We have 10 trees per species per site per tap type.”

Climate and temperature play a large part in maple syrup production, said Niels Maness, horticulture and landscape architecture professor.

“The sap flow season is driven by not cold, not hot, but by freezing nights and non-freezing days,” Maness said. “That’s what pushes the sap flow up through the tree.”

The window of opportunity for sap collection in Oklahoma will be late December to early February with the best production in January, Heinemann said.

“In New York, the season normally would start at the end of February and run through mid-March,” Heinemann said. “You’re looking at a temperature differential as you are moving into spring. If you think about that here in Oklahoma, you’ve got to move the timeline forward.”

Casey Meek uses a drill to tap a tree. For tapping, ideal maple trees have a 10-inch diameter at 4.5 feet above the ground. Smaller trees can be tapped; however, the amount of sap obtained may be limited. Photo by Kathryn Coleman.

Once a tree begins growing its leaves, you can no longer collect sap, Maness said.

In January 2024, the trees tapped by the Kiamichi Forestry Research Center staff were averaging a gallon and a half of sap per tree while using a vacuum collecting system, Heinemann said. Other trees produced a gallon of sap with the gravity flow system or around half a gallon with the bucket system, he added.

“The active vacuum system has a pump on it, and it keeps the trees at a -25 psi,” Heinemann said. “They’re constantly under a vacuum pull, and they’re definitely producing the most.”

The gravity flow system relies on gravity to provide the vacuum in the tubes, Heinemann said. Unlike the active vacuum, this passive system does not need an active power source, he added.

“The gravity flow systems self-start every day as the temperature rises and the trees begin to drip,” Heinemann said. “If there are no leaks in the system, the sap will be pulled to the collection container downhill.”

Heinemann described the bucket system as the traditional method. A spile is tapped into the tree, and a bucket is hung underneath it to collect the dripping sap.

“The advantage of the maple project is maple syrup has been made for a long time, just not here,” Maness said. “We have a lot of technologies we can bring over to Oklahoma and compare what we produce here to what is produced in the more common states, like Vermont, and up into Canada.”

In the field, researchers look at the sap in terms of brix, Maness said. Brix is the refraction of light that roughly tells them what the soluble solid contents are, Maness added.

“Most of those soluble solids are sugars,” Maness said. “We bring the sap back into the lab, and we look at the actual sugars that are present.”

Sap is conventionally turned into syrup by manually boiling the water away and evaporating it to have a higher sugar content, Heinemann said.

The evaporator boils 10 to 12 gallons of sap per hour. When sap reaches 217°F, enough water has dissipated, the sugars thicken, and syrup is made. Photo by Kathryn Coleman.

Sap begins with a 2% sugar content. To be considered a syrup, a product must contain 66% to 68% sugar.

“At that point, the product becomes shelf stable,” Maness said. “There’s so much sugar that microorganisms don’t like to grow. If you go over 68%, that sugar begins to granulate and fall out of the solution.”

With the large amount of water to be removed from the sap, researchers are considering reverse osmosis to take the 2% up to approximately 6% sugar, Maness said.

“That doesn’t sound like much,” Maness said. “But, that’s about 75% less water to deal with, so it becomes a lot more efficient.

“Reverse osmosis just uses membranes,” he said. “Water will flow through the membranes. Sugars are more or less filtered out by the membrane, and you concentrate it.”

The project to test sap quality is funded at the state level by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.

“I put in an ODAFF proposal to look at sap quality, trying to differentiate

the different maple species,” Maness said. “Then, we make lab batches of syrups and look at the quality of it.”

The Oklahoma product will be compared in the lab to sap and syrup from the Northeast, Maness said.

“The general idea was we can determine how much sap we can produce in Oklahoma,” Maness said. “But, what difference does it make until we know the quality of the product?”

To find the quality of the syrups’ taste, Maness is looking at the organic acid content, he said. Imagine a bland tasting strawberry versus one you take a bite out of and the flavor hits you, Maness said.

“The difference is the sugar to organic acid ratio,” Maness said. “Higher organic acids give you more of a punch from the product.”

One of the things that sets maple syrup apart is the aroma, Maness said, so researchers also explore the aromatic quality of the syrup in the lab.

“If the syrup has a high quality, we could develop an industry here,” Zhang said. “Our product could be a fresh and unique syrup.”

Oklahoma maple syrup could have a different flavor from the Northeast because of more sunshine, Zhang said. The ongoing testing will investigate this theory, she added.

“I’m pretty excited about maple syrup production as a supplemental income,” Schnelle said. “It is a no-brainer for landowners. They have maples on their land. The trees are there for the tapping.”

Collecting maple syrup is easy for landowners to begin, Heinemann said. All the supplies can be found online.

“It’s just a matter of identifying your trees, figuring out how much you want to tap, and deciding how you want to tap it,” Heinemann said.

Part of the USDA grant is outreach, Heinemann said. A series of free workshops were offered last fall, and another series is set to begin in November 2024.

The workshops in November will provide an overview of maple syrup production, time commitment and potential income, Schnelle said.

“We will take participants to the woods, and we’ll show them how to tap,” Heinemann said. “Everybody who comes will get a tap set. We’ll give them a bucket. We’ll give them a spile and show them how to do it.”

Many people are willing to plant and wait many years for chestnuts or other long-term crops, Schnelle said.

“Why not think about deliberately planting maple trees that are indigenous to the land?” he added.

“I certainly am starting to put that in people’s minds,” Schnelle said, “particularly for younger people who have time on their side or for generations that want to be able to pass this down to their children or whoever inherits their land.”

LARAMIE COFFEY MORRISON, OKLAHOMA

Bob Heinemann inspects the active vacuum system, which is used for optimal sap extraction.

Photo by Mitchell Alcala.

THE T WI NNING

In the heartland of Oklahoma, Josh and Logan Hering, identical twin brothers, carry on a tradition of innovation within the meat industry.

The brothers spent their childhood helping at Ralph’s Packing Co., a fourth-generation family-owned meat processing business in Perkins, Oklahoma. Their first job was folding boxes, which they turned into a brotherly competition.

“Do you know the commercials of the Domino’s Pizza guy who folds boxes super fast?” Logan Hering said. “We are faster.”

Ralph’s Packing Co. was established in 1959 by the twins’ great-grandfather Ralph Crane.

Six decades later, Ralph’s Packing Co. is one of the country’s most awarded small meat processors, specializing in high-quality smoked and fresh meat products and serving wholesale and retail to customers, he said.

“They are a tight-knit family,” said Jake Nelson, Ralph’s Packing food safety coordinator and executive director of the Oklahoma-Texas Meat Processors Association. “They recognize that Ralph’s is a community icon for Perkins and even Stillwater.”

Josh and Logan Hering work to produce a positive image for the company, he added.

“The two are very humble and hardworking,” Nelson said. “That is a characteristic that’s clear to see. The family-owned business has been a cornerstone of the twins’ upbringing.”

The twins credit their parents and grandparents for instilling the value of work ethic to them at a young age by teaching them the family business.

NNING EDGE

Twins Josh (left) and Logan Hering package ribeyes in FAPC. Photo by Hannah Wilcocks.

“We matured early,” Josh Hering said, “and became well-prepared for our future. We were never handed anything on a silver platter.

“Our family made us work for everything,” he added, “and I am extremely grateful they did. It’s made us who we are today.”

The brothers owe their success all to the generations before them, Logan Hering said.

“As fourth-generation agriculturalists, it’s in our blood,” he added.

“We were born into it, and we are proud to be,” Logan Hering said. “We have never known anything different. Many of our friends and family are also deeply rooted within the meat processing industry.”

At age 9, the pair started exhibiting cattle and swine as members of the Perkins 4-H Club.

“If you have the chance, get your children involved in the agricultural industry,” said Erica Hering, the twins’

mother and CEO of Ralph’s Packing Co. “To me, involvement in agriculture is one of the best gifts you can give your children and your family.

“It’s going to be one of the hardest things you’ve ever done,” she added.

“But, it’s going to be one of the best, most rewarding things you can do together as a family.”

By age 11, the brothers had established J&L Farms, were managing their own herd of Red Angus cattle and multiple breeds of swine, and were operating a farm-to-fork operation.

The duo’s livestock are harvested at the OSU Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center and sold at Ralph’s retail store with the J&L Farms label. The whole process takes place within a 10-mile radius.

“Logan and I understood the farmto-fork process at a very young age and acted on it,” Josh Hering said.

The brothers made use of J&L Farms as a dual operation for their

livestock show projects, which were raised and shown by the pair under J&L Farms.

“It takes the entire family to get a livestock project off the ground if it’s going to be a good project,” Erica Hering said. “To me, your best families and kids who come out of 4-H and FFA programs are the ones where mom and dad are in those barns with them every single day.”

The brothers attended PerkinsTryon High School where they were actively involved in FFA and had success in their projects. In 2023, they were State FFA Star finalists, and each earned the State FFA Degree.

Now 19, the twins are members of the American Association of Meat Processors, which is North America’s largest meat trade organization. In 2023, they were finalists in the AAMP Youth Ambassador Competition.

As they continue their education at OSU, Josh Hering is earning his

Now 19, Logan and Josh Hering started J&L Farms at age 11 while members of the Perkins, Oklahoma, 4-H Club. Photo by Kati Collins.

bachelor’s degree in food science. Logan Hering chose agribusiness with a concentration in meat science.

Sticking to their generational meat science roots, they are now student workers at FAPC.

“Josh and Logan give it their all at work,” said Brooklyn Wurm, an agribusiness major who also works in FAPC. “They both are very dedicated to FAPC and are a blast to work with. When they first started working at FAPC, I could not tell them apart, but now I know their personalities and it’s become pretty easy.”

Both Herings maintain high GPAs at OSU alongside managing their work commitments outside of the classroom with FAPC, Ralph’s and J&L Farms.

“I was drawn to working at FAPC due to a longstanding fascination with the organization,” Logan Hering said. “My preexisting experience in the field has honestly made it a very natural fit. I love it.”

Logan and Josh Hering are identical mirror twins, meaning one is right

handed and the other is left handed. They use this trait to their advantage when working at FAPC, where efficiency is crucial, Logan Hering said.

“We have found when we are working together on a harvest, the most efficient way to get the job done is one twin works on one side of the carcass while the other twin does the other side” Logan Hering said. “It makes the job go by faster, and it’s our way of working together.”

As well as a place of employment for the brothers, FAPC has helped the brothers further their knowledge on meat science, which is shaping their futures, Josh Hering said.

“FAPC provides so much for the agricultural industry in the state of Oklahoma and even outside of the state,” Erica Hering said. “We’ve sent multiple employees from Ralph’s Packing Co. to FAPC for various kinds of training. There is a very good partnership between Ralph’s Packing and FAPC in addition to Josh and Logan working there.”

The twins have a passion for the meat industry, Josh Hering said, and plan to return to their hometown and family business to follow in the footsteps of the generations before them.

“After graduation, I would like to apply all I’ve learned within my major as well as at FAPC,” Logan Hering said. “I want to ship our products internationally instead of just nationally.”

Logan Hering said he and his brother want to expand Ralph’s Packing Co. to allow future generations to be a part of the business.

“I want Ralph’s to always be a family-owned company,” Josh Hering said.“Everything revolves around our family business.”

EXPERIENCE TRUE Cowboy Flavor

KATI COLLINS INDIANOLA, OKLAHOMA

The Prairie Project’s website serves as a hub for projectrelated information offering suggested readings, FAQs, fact sheets and other educational materials. Photo by Annabelle Zellers.

Prairie PROMOTINGTHE

EOSU FACULTY MEMBERS EDUCATE ABOUT WOODY PLANT ENCROACHMENT

very year, the tree line widens a couple more feet until the once empty prairie is thick with brush and mangled trees. If nothing is done to reduce this growth, the grasslands across the Great Plains will slowly disappear.

Researchers and faculty at Texas A&M University, the University of Nebraska and Oklahoma State University are collaborating on The Prairie Project to share current research about methods to reduce woody plant encroachment affecting the Great Plains.

Managers at the OSU Range Research Station implement patch-burning and multi-species grazing with cattle and goats to mimic the historic environment of Oklahoma rangeland and manage woody plant encroachment, said Laura Goodman, OSU Extension range specialist and natural resource ecology and management associate professor.

“Historically, most of Oklahoma had a wildfire every three to five years,” Goodman said. “Without fires, trees start to convert grassland to a woodland, posing a threat to wildlife and livestock that depend on grassland.”

By implementing patch-burning, where only a part of the pasture is burned, the animals graze in recently burned areas and leave unburned areas untouched, creating a rotation-grazing system in the pasture, she said.

The burnt and grazed areas increase the diversity with broadleaf plants that benefit pollinators, grassland birds, livestock, and other wildlife species, she added.

The grasslands were once populated by a diverse range of wildlife that impacted the woody plants, including pronghorn antelope, elk, bison and deer, Goodman said.

Over time, this diversity has simplified with a focus primarily on cattle grazing, she added.

“The Prairie Project is introducing goats alongside cattle to help manage woody plant encroachment because goats naturally consume the woody plants,” Goodman said. “This approach helps restore some balance to the ecosystem by reintroducing animals that fulfill roles of the wildlife that used to graze in Oklahoma.”

OSU Agriculture faculty have researched patch-burning and multi-species grazing for more than 20 years, but they did not have high adoption of the practices, she said.

Woody plants spread and invade grasslands, outcompeting native grass species, which is concerning for livestock producers in the Great Plains, said Derrell Peel, agricultural economics professor and OSU Extension livestock marketing specialist.

“In Oklahoma, we have millions of acres that are infested with cedar,” Peel said. “The woody plants will completely overtake the pastures. Even if

there’s grass, the cattle can’t access it, and that greatly reduces productivity on those lands.”

Peel assessed the economic and cost-benefit analysis for integrating patch-burning and mixed-species grazing with existing cattle enterprises. The cost analysis of both management practices showed positive economic benefits when using these strategies to manage woody plants and maintain productivity, he said.

The Prairie Project also promotes the benefits of patch-burning and multi-species grazing to the public. OSU Extension is vital to connecting the goals of The Prairie Project

with livestock producers and landowners throughout the Great Plains, Goodman said.

“The Prairie Project’s goal is to work with landowners, helping to share this management strategy with them,” Goodman said. “We incorporate up-to-date information about patch-burning and multi-species grazing benefits into the existing OSU Extension outreach program.”

Beyond traditional, face-to-face interactions, The Prairie Project’s online presence introduces the conversation of patch-burning and multi-species grazing to the wider community, Goodman said.

Advocates for patch-burning and multi-species grazing often encounter skepticism, primarily due to concerns about smoke pollution and biodiversity loss, she added.

Although each method has its drawbacks, Goodman said research demonstrates both management practices effectively enhance biodiversity, improve vegetation quality, and decrease woody plant encroachment.

“To continue to interact online, faculty share information on The Prairie Project website, creating infographics to help communicate information about the impacts of these strategies,” Goodman said.

Sheridan Swotek of Kearney High School (left), Letty Reichart of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and Ashley Tanner of Texas A&M University-Kingsville attend The Prairie Project Educator Tour to witness the firsthand effects of patch-burning and mixed-species grazing.

Photo by Allison Thompson.

In addition to the project’s website, The Prairie Project’s success comes from a social media campaign to share informative content about the research on Instagram, Facebook and X, formerly called Twitter, she said.

The social media campaign is a unique part of The Prairie Project, connecting with a more broad, diverse group of people within communities, Goodman added.

“Sharing the science behind The Prairie Project on social media is something not a lot of research projects get a chance to do,” Goodman said.

Goodman and Allison Thompson, OSU Extension assistant, design creative infographics for The Prairie Project in hopes people will share the content on their own social media pages, Goodman said.

Seeing content shared by someone you know and trust adds legitimacy to the information, she said. This sharing extends the reach of the content to individuals who may connect with the content, she added.

“Social media has shifted the conversation, and we are starting to see more people share their experiences and ask questions,” Goodman said.

In addition to social media, The Prairie Project is bridging the gap between researchers, ranchers, and the general public by offering an educator training to K-12 and postsecondary teachers through educational outreach efforts, said Sam Fuhlendorf, OSU natural resource ecology and management Regents professor.

The training program provides educators with a foundation to develop curriculum that promotes interactive learning experiences about rangeland health and management for students at various education levels, he added.

With the majority of land in Oklahoma being privately owned, OSU Agriculture faculty and staff must educate all communities about the threat of woody plant encroachment across the Great Plains, he said.

“We need education not just in rural areas but in urban areas, too,”

Fuhlendorf said. “What is really missing is education to the masses.”

The Prairie Project educators have developed unique curriculum based on their different interests, Goodman said. Some teachers have given students hands-on experiences by conducting small, controlled burns and raising goats, she added.

“All these educators are from very different backgrounds,” Fuhlendorf said. “We tell them about the science behind the research of The Prairie Project. Then, they develop a curriculum for youth to adults. The most exciting part is talented teachers conveying the message that we’ve been trying to communicate.”

ANNABELLE ZELLERS SOUTHWEST CITY, MISSOURI

CULTURE Cultivating

FERGUSON STUDENTS EXPAND THEIR KNOWLEDGE THROUGH AN IRELAND AND SCOTLAND STUDY-ABROAD COURSE

From lush green hills in Ireland to the rocky roads of Scotland, Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture students extended their agricultural education far beyond the classrooms of Agricultural Hall through a summer study-abroad course.

The two-week study-abroad course in June 2023 provided an eye-opening opportunity for students in the Ferguson College of Agriculture, said Derrell Peel, agricultural economics professor. He assisted agricultural economics professor Elizabeth Norwood to develop and guide the course.

They strategized the group’s stops in Ireland and Scotland to widen students’ perspectives of agriculture on an international scale, Peel said.

“I was excited to see two new countries, learn about their cultures, and get to see their agricultural practices,”

said Emily Ward, food science junior who completed the Ireland and Scotland study-abroad course.

Norwood and Peel began promoting the course in August 2022 at the college’s study-abroad fair. Students interested completed a one-page essay expressing why they desired to go to Ireland and Scotland. Using their essays, faculty selected students based on their reasons for applying and school classification.

“I wanted to take part in the study-abroad course because I am of Choctaw and Irish descent,” said Jerret Carpenter, natural resource ecology and management senior. “The Choctaw and Irish have a relationship that remains today.”

Before leaving for the course, students attended multiple meetings in the spring semester that gave an overview of the day-to-day travel and how

Ireland and Scotland are just two of the countries where Ferguson College of Agriculture students can study abroad.

Photo by Allison Wheeler.

to prepare for the study-abroad course, Peel said.

Pre-travel assignments included an essay on what they expected to see on the trip and an essay from a list of topics they could choose from provided by Norwood and Peel. Some topics included Kinnitty Castle, cultural food and sites to be visited.

Once they returned from the course, they completed a paper on a historical topic and another on what they enjoyed about the course.

“We were on the move constantly with 12-hour days,” Peel said. “Long days, a lot of movement and mobility — we tried to prep the students ahead of time for that.

“We didn’t stay more than two nights in any one location,” Peel said. “It’s more intense in some ways and

a fairly demanding schedule for both students and faculty.”

Students kept a journal during their travels to express their thoughts on each day’s educational experiences, which became part of their final grade in the course.

Having a small group allowed students to embrace spontaneous travel to local pubs and unique tours only offered to smaller groups, Norwood said. Students even had the unexpected opportunity to spend a night in a “haunted” castle, Norwood added.

Students stayed in a castle deep into the Irish countryside at the end of a gravel road.

“The room I stayed in was 100% haunted,” Ward said. “I was standing at the sink in the bathroom, and the shower came on by itself.”

This international experience was invaluable. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

WARD

Students viewed the scenery near the castle by exploring trails to a “stone circle” or visiting the pastures filled with horses before gathering to dine in the dungeon, Ward said.

The Ireland and Scotland studyabroad course allowed students to broaden their perspective on agriculture because the methods abroad are different than those used in the U.S., Peel said. The group’s stops included agricultural colleges in Ireland and Scotland, a whiskey distillery, and the Boora Bainne Milk Co. and its dairy in Tullamore, Ireland.

“It was cool to see the whole process of agriculture from the independent farmer side all the way through the manufacturing, the processing and the finished product,” Carpenter said.

One of the memorable stops was the small dairy operation that had a milk vending machine, Carpenter said.

“The dairy with the vending machine was a unique experience,” Carpenter said. “The dairy farmer did that to help increase sales using syrups of different flavors so you could get all these flavors of milk.”

Ferguson College of Agriculture students’ first days involved a tour of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland: Pat Peel (front row left), Taylor McConnell, Jerret Carpenter (second row left), Mikaela Meyer, Carsyn Gragg, Paige Anderson, Grace Tekansik, Emily Ward (third row left), Chloe McDonald, Samantha Witt, Laney Stephens, Nathan Wright (back row left), Elizabeth Norwood, Amy Hercules and Derrell Peel. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Norwood.

The flavors offered to students were plain, banana, chocolate, strawberry and “surprise.” Students filled their choice of flavor into a glass bottle they could take with them as a souvenir, Carpenter added.

For some students, like Carpenter, meeting people in production agriculture contributed to the cultural aspect of the Ireland and Scotland studyabroad course, he said.

At the college visits, students heard lectures on recent agricultural milestones and technology advancement, Norwood said. At the University College Dublin, Michael Wallace, agricultural and food economics professor, presented an educational lecture to discuss the similarities and differences between Ireland and the United States, Ward said.

“Primarily, their beef is all grass-fed because they have extensive grasslands, whereas the United States is mostly grain-fed,” Ward said. “I didn’t even think it was beef because there was no fat.”

Students learned about Dolly the Sheep, the first cloned farm animal, at the Roslin Institute and viewed the monument at the University of Edinburgh, Peel said.

At the University of Edinburgh, students attended lectures about the humane treatment of animals in food production, Norwood said.

Allowing students to travel to another country makes them try new things, she added.

For some students, the course was their first time traveling away from home. However, they urged others to not be nervous or afraid to put themselves out there, Ward said.

Other students should get to know the other people on the study-abroad course, and talk to locals when possible, she said.

“Going on this course helped push me out of my comfort zone,” Ward said. “We all got super close because it was such a smaller group.

“I love learning how people live there and their perspectives of their

day-to-day life since they’re more laid back compared to America,” Ward said.

The Ireland and Scotland studyabroad course has become in high demand from students, Peel said.

Faculty anticipate offering this course each year while keeping a limit on the number of spots, he added.

For the 2024 course, Norwood and Peel expect to have 15 students and faculty. The itinerary will be unique each year but will showcase similar locations and cities, Norwood said.

“This international experience was invaluable,” Ward said. “I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

YOUR FUTURE GROWS HERE.

Wherever agriculture goes, we’ll be there, alongside you, as you lead the way. COMMITTED TO

The change in agriculture today is just a glimpse of what lies ahead. It’s why, more than ever, we are committed to being the partner you can trust, who understands your needs and delivers value to help you achieve your goals.

KATHRYN COLEMAN MODESTO, CALIFORNIA

got pecans?

FAPC RESEARCHERS WORK TO DEVELOP PECAN-BASED PRODUCTS

What do milk, ice cream, yogurt and butter have in common? Although dairy might be your first guess, the answer is pecans. Food scientists in the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center at Oklahoma State University are developing these pecan-based products as a new alternative to traditional dairy products.

Ravi Jadeja, associate professor in the OSU Department of Animal and Food Sciences, leads the research to develop pecan milk and other pecan-based products. Xin Mei Teng, a doctoral student studying food science, and Cristina Popovici, a past Fulbright scholar from Moldova, assist Jadeja in the research.

“Our team is exploring the untapped potential of pecans,” Jadeja said.

Pecans are categorized into two types: fancy and native.

“Fancy pecans are cultivated varieties grown in managed orchards,” Jadeja said.

Native pecans have a smaller and harder shell with kernels that possess a richer and more robust flavor compared to the cultivated varieties, Jadeja added.

“Oklahoma is the largest producer of native pecans, averaging 13 million pounds of pecans each year with an average value of $20 million,” he said.

However, the native pecan industry has faced a decrease in demand, Jadeja said. Now, the development of new value-added products can help the pecan industry, he added.

“Good research starts with people,” said Richard Coffey, animal and food sciences department head. “Dr. Jadeja’s work with pecans is a way for him to help improve the economic viability and sustainability of growers.”

The research also provides dairy alternatives for those with health issues, such as lactose intolerance, allergies or dietary restrictions, Jadeja said.

With Type 2 diabetes on the rise, new food formulations are being

OSU provides an Oklahoma Pecan Management course that originated in 1997. For more information about the course, scan this QR code. Photo by Paige Van Dyke.

PECANS TO ICE CREAM

Ingredients in pecan milk include pecan halves, double-distilled water, vanilla extract, salt, emulsifier and stabilizer.

Production starts with raw pecans, which have been soaked in water and the skin has been peeled. Double-distilled water is added into a grinder with the peeled pecans to be ground. Once the mixture has been homogenized, the liquid pecan milk is extracted, and the solid pecan residue is separated.

To make the ice cream, sweeteners, cacao butter, coconut butter, lemon juice, inulin, vanilla extract, salt, emulsifiers and stabilizers are added to the pecan milk.

The ingredients are mixed and then heated to 40°C to homogenize the product. The mixture is then placed in a Cuisinart ICE-21 Series automatic frozen ice cream machine and cooled to 4°C, creating an ice cream consistency, packed in containers, and frozen to -20°C.

Sources: Xen mei Teng, Cristina Popovici and Ravi Jadeja

researched heavily to help manage and prevent this disease, Teng said.

“To satisfy the requirements of diabetic consumers, we substitute the sweetener and fat with plant-based milk and alternative sweeteners in sugar-free and lactose-free ice cream,” Teng said.

Even with the health benefits, pecans are more expensive than other tree nuts, such as almonds and cashews, increasing the price of potential pecan-based products, Jadeja said.

“A more expensive nut equals an expensive product,” Jadeja said. “Large-scale production could make value-added, pecan-based products more affordable for consumers.”

From a pecan producer’s perspective, however, overproduction of native pecans results in a lower price, an issue that could be corrected through value-added products, Jadeja said.

The research team focuses on developing value-added products, such as pecan milk to create pecan-based ice cream, yogurt, and butter.

“Pecan milk doesn’t exist in today’s market,” Teng said. “My main purpose for helping conduct this research is to learn how to develop a new product.”

The team’s research offers another improvement to pecan-based products, Jadeja said.

“Our goal is to extend the shelf life, increasing the appeal of the products,” Jadeja said.

Popovici, associate professor at the Technical University of Moldova, spent a year in Oklahoma beginning in October 2022. She brought valuable insight in pecan milk and pecan-based product research because of her experience conducting similar research with walnuts in Moldova, Jadeja said.

Popovici hopes to continue the practices she learned at OSU while in Moldova, keeping in contact with Jadeja and hoping to combine their efforts again, she said.

Jadeja and his reseach team have applied for a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant that would allow them to expand their research on a larger scale, Jadeja said.

If the team receives this grant, Popovici could return to Oklahoma for additional international collaboration, Jadeja added.

“As Oklahoma’s native pecan market faces uncertainties, our innovative research offers promise for the future of pecans, transforming them into valuable, health-conscious alternatives,” Jadeja said.

On June 1, 2023, panelists participated in the pecan milk ice cream sensory evaluation lab. Left: Cristina Popovici places the samples onto the lab tables. Right: Pecan milk ice cream samples are arranged with the evaluation handouts. Photos by Kirsten Hollansworth.

PAIGE VAN DYKE LOUISVILLE, ILLINOIS

Researching Below the Wheat

OSU RESEARCHERS WORK TO ADVANCE SOIL FERTILITY IN WHEAT PRODUCTION

By 2050, farmers and ranchers will be responsible for feeding almost 10 billion people, according to the United Nations.

“Whether in the field or the lab, Oklahoma State University works toward making an impact on agriculture,” said Brian Arnall, plant and soil sciences professor.

As part of the land-grant mission, OSU Agriculture strives to feed the world, improve the Oklahoma economy, and preserve natural resources by providing research and technology to the public, according to OSU.

One of the research teams working toward advancements in agriculture

includes Arnall and Steve Phillips, associate professor, who work in the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. Their focus is long-term nutrient cycling and dynamics of wheat.

“My team does a lot of wheat work, looking at the timing of nitrogen fertilizer and how certain varieties of wheat may yield better if fertilized at different times,” Arnall said. “I’m looking at better nitrogen recommendations in cotton, wheat, corn and sorghum.

“We’re also trying to better understand phosphorus and potassium,” Arnall added.

Phillips and Arnall conduct their research on soil fertility at the historic

Magruder plots, which were established in 1892 as OSU’s first wheat research plots, as well as other plots at the agronomy farm. Their team uses many different tools and technologies at the plots to help them collect data and conduct research, Arnall said.

“We can look at the soil in 3D, going deep into the ground and sideways, looking at the nutrients and roots, allowing us to look at the environmental impact on the soil,” Arnall said.

Fertilizer inputs help develop a healthy crop and increase the nutrients found within the plant, he added.

Farmers and ranchers must sell products to make a profit, Arnall said,

OSU Agriculture uses winter wheat to conduct research on root health and soil quality. Photo by Nicole Stevens.

but when those products are removed, nutrients are depleted from the land.

“Good soil fertility is not just important for the grain production,” Arnall said. “It’s also important for the livestock being fed the grain and hay.”

Arnall and Phillips have 19 students to help with research at the agronomy farm and in the soil lab: five doctoral students, two master’s students, seven undergraduate students, three interns from Brazil and two lab technicians.

“Our commitment to education is as high as anyone by the way we involve graduate students and even undergraduate students in our research programs,” Phillips said. “In our program, we make it a priority to emphasize student involvement.

“This commitment to students is also seen in our administration and throughout our department,” he added.

Phillips teaches by the motto of “think globally, act locally,” where students are trained in research techniques at OSU so they can implement those techniques in their home country or state, he added.

In addition to the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, other departments in the Ferguson College of Agriculture are working to make an impact in agriculture. Kelly Craven, OSU Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology assistant professor, focuses his research on soil microbiomes in winter wheat.

Microbes are often seen as antagonistic or harmful, but a mutualistic relationship can exist between some microbes and plants, Craven said. Microbes in the soil can provide a natural alternative to chemical fertilizers and are not genetically modified, he said, so scientists pull them from soil with specific organic material for the betterment of plant-soil health.

“Certain groups of microbes can improve plant performance,” Craven said. “We tap into these microbes as a biological strategy to get nutrients from the soil, like a slow drip.”

Through his research on soil microbiomes, Craven combined one type of soil fungus with 10 different

Undergraduate research student Caleb Snodgrass (left) examines the winter wheat crop with Steve Phillips at the OSU Agronomy Farm. Photo by Campbell Edstrom.

Brian Arnall uses a soil probe to test the nutrient content of soil. Photo by Todd Johnson.

soil bacteria to form a simple microbe community in winter wheat roots, which can increase grain yield by 9%, he said.

In the microbiology lab, the roots of winter wheat plants are cut into pieces, which isolates microbes from inside the root.

“We are building on that to increase yield even more,” Craven said. “We can identify each microbe and amplify the ribosomal gene to tell us what it is.”

Craven’s lab also has 12 phenotypic screens used to identify useful traits in microbes. Combining that information with the microbes’ identity helps us determine the most promising microbes, he added.

Craven is hopeful within two years a new form of fertilizer incorporating microbes will be released, he said.

This product will be mixed with peat moss, which means no current competitors are in the fertilizer market, he added.

In the lab and in the classroom, Craven remains committed to helping students learn about plant microbiomes, he said.

He has three students who work with him in his research: one graduate student, one post-doctorate student and one lab manager who is about to begin his master’s program.

Across OSU Agriculture, the focus remains on using scientific progress to improve and advance the livelihood of agricultural producers, Phillips said.

“Our chance of success is measurably higher than some of our peer institutions — some of the other land-grant institutions around the nation — just because of the team we can put together in-house to address some of these issues,” Phillips said.

OSU’S HISTORIC PLOTS

The Magruder Plots were established in 1892 by Professor A.C. Magruder, the first agricultural professor at Oklahoma A&M College, now Oklahoma State University. The plots were established to perform research on soil fertility and its impact on winter wheat yields.

The plots began as one unfertilized 1.25-acre plot during the 1893 growing season. Eventually, this plot was split into multiple plots. In 1947, the Magruder Plots were relocated to the agronomy farm after university officials decided to build a dormitory on the original plot land.

Six of the 10 plots were moved by removing the topsoil and subsurface soils from the plots and moving them to trenches with similar soil at the agronomy farm. Studies were conducted after the relocation of the Magruder Plots showed the relocation had little impact on the winter wheat yields.

To this day, the Magruder Plots have had a continuous winter wheat crop, where faculty conduct research on yield and the impact of long-term fertilization on soil productivity.

Source: U.S. Department of the Interior

CAMPBELL EDSTROM KERSEY, COLORADO

Kelly Craven examines a winter wheat sample at the Cimarron Valley Research Station. Photo by Campbell Edstrom.

Kylee Deniz, OSU agricultural communications alumna, oversees Oklahoma’s $1 billion pork industry.

Photo by Allison Wheeler.

BOARDROOM BARN FROM TO

Nestled among the sweeping plains outside of Hudson, Colorado, lies a centennial farm, its roots planted in the spirit of entrepreneurship. This cherished farm holds a special place in the heart of Oklahoma Pork Council executive director, Kylee Deniz.

OKLAHOMA PORK COUNCIL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SHARES HER JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE up and worked hard every day, and never took a day off.”

“After showing my first pig, I was hooked,” Deniz said. “It led me to start exploring livestock judging through 4-H and FFA.”

As a small child, Deniz spent her summers amid the flat, irrigated farm ground of her family’s production alfalfa farm, where the rhythmic task of bailing hay became a valued part of her childhood, she said.

“While things can be hard, my parents thrived in the farming space and in business ownership,” Deniz said. Her parents, Kevin and Heather Willard, inspired her to explore various new opportunities, Deniz said. With the spirit of embracing a new adventure, Deniz asked for her first show pig, she said.

As an 11-year-old, Deniz exhibited her first swine project at the 1998 Weld County Fair in Greeley, Colorado, she said.

With the skills and knowledge to compete in a high-level livestock judging atmosphere, Deniz enrolled at Black Hawk College East in Kewanee, Illinois, as a first-generation college student, she said.

“When Kylee was a senior in high school, we were made aware of her ability to judge livestock,” said Brian Arnold, former BHE judging coach and current United Animal Health senior product manager. “We knew she had a swine background and were excited about that.”

When Deniz visited the BHE campus, Arnold was impressed by her professionalism and resolve, he said. As a freshman, she came well prepared and mature, he added.

“Kylee’s attention to detail and determination was unmatched,” Arnold said. “She was a good teammate. She was positive and encouraging, showed

After the 2007 National Western Stock Show during her freshman year, however, Deniz lost her voice.

“I thought it was just a combination of the ‘Denver crud’ and being on the road,” Deniz said. “I thought the hoarseness would eventually go away, but it never did.”

During her spring break, she returned home to have vocal reconstruction surgery.

“At the time, it was devastating,” she said. “Your voice is one of the most pivotal things you must have to be successful in livestock judging. I could do the placings piece but could not articulate the oral reasons.”

For several weeks, Deniz was unable to complete a set of oral reasons, Arnold said.

“She was frustrated, but she used that opportunity to grow and learn, rather than sitting on the sidelines and being disappointed,” Arnold said. “How she handled the situation speaks

volumes to her determination and ‘can do’ attitude.”

Following months of recovery, Deniz regained full ability of her voice during her sophomore year at BHE and was named one of the top 10 All-American livestock judging award recipients at the 2008 National Collegiate Livestock Judging Contest.

After finishing her studies at BHE, Deniz continued her education and livestock judging career at Oklahoma State University.

Under the leadership and mentorship of Mark Johnson, animal and food sciences professor, Deniz was again named an All-American in 2010 for her

For me, my first pig created this really cool vehicle for where I am today. KYLEE DENIZ

excellence in academics and in livestock judging.

After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural communications, she continued her studies.

“I wasn’t going to get my master’s degree,” she said. “I was kind of burnt out, but an opportunity knocked.”

Deniz became a graduate assistant at the OSU Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center for Mandy Gross, who was the center’s communications manager.

“It was one of the best decisions I made,” Deniz said. “Graduate school gave me the chance to slow down a bit. I got to turn into an adult and find adult maturity.”

In 2012, Deniz completed her Master of Science degree in agricultural communications. After graduation, Deniz took a position in Des Moines, Iowa, with Lessing-Flynn, an agricultural advertising agency, as a project manager, she said.

“My move to Iowa was not by coincidence,” Deniz said. “I interned at Vermeer Corp. the previous summer and had a chance to work with Lessing-Flynn during my internship.”

Within her first year at LessingFlynn, she received a promotion to account manager.

“I had a great boss who saw something in me that I did not see in myself,” Deniz said.

Executives of Lessing-Flynn were looking to expand their public relations clientele beyond grain production, Deniz added.

“Lessing-Flynn brought on the National Pork Board,” Deniz said. “We were looking for an agricultural account that specialized in animals, so it was fun to work on that for a couple of years.”

In 2015, Deniz joined the NPB staff as the producer outreach and marketing manager. In 2018, her husband, Mike, received a job opportunity, allowing the family to move back to Oklahoma, Kylee Deniz said.

After the move, Kylee Deniz worked remotely for the NPB as senior director of consumer marketing, focusing her work on how consumers view pork and the producers who raise it, until a new opportunity called, she said.

“My faith would be at the top of my list of the five most important things,” Kylee Deniz said. “I believe there is a bigger plan, and I got a call.”

Brett Kaysen, NPB senior vice president of producer and state engagement, was on the other end of that phone call, he said.

“Kylee was still working alongside me and others when I called her and said, ‘I hate to lose you at the NPB, but I think you need to look at this Oklahoma Pork job,’” Kaysen said.

In 2021, Kylee Deniz accepted the executive director position at the Oklahoma Pork Council and has brought a different enthusiasm to the Oklahoma pork industry during the past three years, Kaysen said.

“She has enjoyed every aspect so far of her career and the opportunities that have come her way,” Mike Deniz said. “Trusting the Lord and believing in her faith has helped guide her through her career path thus far.”

Kylee Deniz raised the bar at the Oklahoma Pork Council, commonly

Kylee Deniz visits Seaboard Foods swine farm in Forgan, Oklahoma. Seaboard contributes around 4 million of the 9.35 million piglets born annually in Oklahoma. Photo by Matti Carlile.

known as Oklahoma Pork, and has changed the culture and direction of the organization to meet modern day production needs, Kaysen said.

As the leader of Oklahoma Pork, Kylee Deniz works directly with the Oklahoma Pork Council Board of Directors, the NPB and the National Pork Producers Council to protect and promote the Oklahoma pork industry.

The pork industry is rapidly changing, she said, and her day-to-day never looks the same. At the end of the day, Kylee Deniz’s goal is to remove every barrier to where her team members and Oklahoma Pork board members can do their jobs well and have the resources they need, she added.

“The word agriculture has the word ‘culture’ embedded within it,” Kaysen said. “Culture is a part of who we are, what we do, and our calling. Kylee was called to do the work that she’s done in her career.”

Today, the Denizes reside in Yukon, Oklahoma, with their two sons: Drake, 4, and Denton, 1. Kylee Deniz works with a team of women at Oklahoma Pork in a culture based on trust, character, and consistency and maintains those qualities around her family and friends, she said.

“Kylee wants to create a fun environment for her co-workers, Oklahoma Pork board members or anyone she is around,” Mike Deniz said.

At home, the couple spends their free time with their boys in church and working around their ranch, Mike Deniz added.

“Our family is a team,” Kylee Deniz said. “My husband and I like to say our house is divided. We are both OSU Cowboy fans, but he spends his day in the beef industry, and I spend mine in pork. We like to say the best thing to eat is a steak wrapped in bacon.”

Kylee Deniz said she hopes one day her sons will follow in their agricultural footsteps, but the decision will be up to them when they are old enough.

“4-H and FFA have provided a wonderful platform for Kylee and me,” Mike Deniz said. “It is something we enjoyed doing as kids. Here we are

years later, and we are still as passionate, if not more passionate, about the industry whether it be cattle or hogs.”

Drake and Denton currently have a small cow herd of six head, Kylee Deniz said.

“Our kids are young,” Mike Deniz said, “but I think we would be robbing our kids of a great opportunity if they did not show livestock.”

The livestock industry provides a wonderful platform for young people, he added.

“In my life and career, there has always been a consistent theme of pigs

and pork,” Kylee Deniz said. “An animal can be such a consistent theme in someone’s life. For me, my first pig created this really cool vehicle for where I am today.”

Forty-five exhibitors participated in the inaugural Oklahoma Pork Partners Derby at the 2024 Oklahoma Youth Expo. Photo by Allison Wheeler.

MASTERING

The Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture is home to dozens of national titles and championships earned by Cowboys and Cowgirls who take competition seriously.

Behind these achievements, coaches encourage students to do their best, including some coaches who are students themselves.

OSU Agriculture hires graduate students with previous experience in their selected discipline to assist head coaches of various competitive teams.

“We work as a middleman to the students competing,” said Phoebe Rogers, livestock judging assistant coach, “like a confidant or older sibling to guide them.”

Rogers said she always knew she would compete on the OSU Livestock Judging Team, but when she became an assistant coach, her world opened.

“I never thought it would get better than winning nationals, but livestock judging has been so much more rewarding and enjoyable as a coach,” Rogers said.

Once competitors themselves, assistant coaches have been in their students’ shoes. The assistant coaches help students refine their skill set and improve as individuals, Rogers said.

Although students have only one year of eligibility in judging contests, collegiate rodeo allows students to have extra eligibility. Assistant rodeo coaches Cheyenne Bartling and Zane Grigsby once competed alongside teammates they now coach.

“It was a shift for me,” Grigsby said. “Practice was no longer based on how I needed to be ready. Now, I had to focus on everyone.”

OSU rodeo athletes practice together and compete against each other.

Points accumulate for individuals and teams in 10 rodeos each school year.

“At first, the transition into coaching was difficult,” Bartling said, “but then I fell in love with it.

“I learned a lot in my master’s program that has helped shape me to fit a leadership role,” she added. “I get to make a positive impact on students every day who are working hard toward their goals.”

Assistant meat judging coach Grace Harris uses her background in livestock judging to help students learn meat judging criteria, she said.

“I had to change my mindset to the broader picture,” Harris said, “explaining concepts in a way everyone will understand by changing my coaching style along the way. It can be frustrating, but it’s helped me grow as a coach.”

Most of the college’s assistant coaches earned their undergraduate

Left: Cheyenne Bartling (left) cheers on Kate Kelley in goat tying practice. Photo by Andrea Hanson. Right: Phoebe Rogers (left) explains how to evaluate a lamb to Kenna Silas and Alli Perry. Photo courtesy of Phoebe Rogers.

GRADUATE STUDENTS ASSIST IN WINNING WAYS

NEW PERSPECTIVES

degrees at OSU and stayed for graduate school. Their relationships with their head coaches and their previous successes led them to coach undergraduate students.

Allowing graduate students to coach helps head coaches and provides extra resources for students to be successful, Bartling said.

“Coaching has given me a chance to brainstorm different ways to grow our team,” she added. “I have an advantage that I competed with them and now get to coach them.”

However, earning a master’s degree is no small feat between collecting data, completing research and writing a thesis.

Although graduate school is demanding, many students also work as teaching assistants to professors of undergraduate classes they have completed. Graduate teaching assistants

grade assignments and help students outside of class.

“Balancing research, classes and a full judging schedule is difficult at times,” Harris said, “but getting to see the students on my team grow and find success is what makes me feel the sacrifices are worth it.”

Rogers said becoming a coach has a steep learning curve.

“As a coach, you go from focusing on yourself to focusing on 20 different people and stimulating them to learn,” Rogers added.

Some of the students conduct research related to their teams’ disciplines. For example, Rogers’ study involves swine growth rate, and Harris researches meat packaging techniques.

“I use what I learned while judging meat every day in the lab,” Harris said.

Megan Newlon is researching factors that affect yearling racehorse sale

prices and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on those prices while serving as the OSU Equine Judging Team’s assistant coach.

“Although I apply my horse judging background to my research, it’s like I would when I look at horses to buy,” Newlon said. “Judging is a skill anyone involved with horses can use for the rest of their lives.”

I have an advantage that I competed with them and now get to coach them.

CHEYENNE BARTLING

Left: Zane Grigsby (right) hands Cole Hammons his piggin string at calf roping practice. Right: Megan Newlon gives feedback on equine judging oral reasons. Photos by Andrea Hanson.

Bartling’s undergraduate degree in recreational therapy with a minor in special education led her to use roping as an activity for disabled youth, she said. She has continued her education through her graduate degree in agricultural leadership and the skills she has learned coaching, Bartling added.

“I just like helping people in any way possible,” Bartling said. “I’m

passionate about rodeo, but I care about my team in and out of the arena.”

Grigsby attended Oklahoma Panhandle State University to complete his undergraduate degree in biology while competing on the rodeo team and is now an animal science doctoral student.

“I chose OSU for the graduate program,” Grigsby said. “Knowing I could

compete on the rodeo team while being involved in their legacy of grazing science just made sense. It’s nice to be a part of something bigger and support the school that supports me.”

When Newlon competed in equine judging in 2021, her team won the American Quarter Horse Association Congress where she also won the reasons portion of the competition. As a coach, she helped a student win high individual at AQHA Congress for OSU.

“She grew so much,” Newlon said. “She worked day in and day out. That’s the best part of my position, watching these students work so hard and get rewarded for it.”

FINANCING

ANDREA HANSON AITKIN, MINNESOTA

Grace Harris (right) teaches meat judging team members about fat composition of steer carcasses. Photo by Andrea Hanson.

OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND FORESTRY

PROMOTING OKLAHOMA AGRICULTURE

Dona (left) and Rodd Moesel opened American Plant Products and Services in Oklahoma City in 1980. Photo by Cheyenne Leach.

Nurturing THE FUTURE

MOESELS DEVOTE A LIFETIME TO GROWING HORTICULTURAL BUSINESS

The florescent lights flickered in the early morning hours, dancing off the leaves in the greenhouse. The sounds of water and shifting flowerpots filled the air.

While most people were just starting their day, a young Rodd Moesel was finishing his chores before catching the bus to school.

As he helped load the last crate of plants onto his family’s produce truck, excitement consumed him, he said. Today was produce sale day, which meant Moesel’s Hort Haven was set for a busy day.

Founded in 1956 by Dick and Marjorie Moesel, Moesel’s Hort Haven was a widely known produce stand, greenhouse and nursery in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. The Moesels relocated to Oklahoma City in 1963, after the births of their four children: Rodd, Eva, Bruce and Douglas Moesel.

“While some kids had livestock to feed, I had plants to take care of,” said Rodd Moesel, owner and operator of American Plant Products and Services.

Rodd Moesel, a second-generation horticulturist, took his family’s business, Moesel’s Hort Haven, and started American Plant Products and Services, a wholesale growing and supply operation that has served Oklahoma for 50 years, he said.

What began as Rodd Moesel’s way to raise and save money for college, American Plant and Product Services has grown to be an internationally recognized distributor of all plant and greenhouse essentials.

As the grandson of multi-generational dairy farmers and son of first-generation horticulturists, Rodd Moesel has dedicated his entire life to the agricultural industry, he said.

Part of that service has been in Oklahoma Farm Bureau. Elected in 2017 as OKFB president, Rodd Moesel has become a public figure for the state’s agricultural sector, representing Oklahoma agriculture on both the state and national level, he said.

“Rodd is a studier and thinker,” said Thad Doye, executive director of Oklahoma Farm Bureau. “He sees the bigger picture for all of Oklahoma Farm Bureau. Rodd helps the OKFB members and non-members by engaging and educating youth, collegiate adults, and all others from politics to the soil.”

Rodd Moesel’s leadership experience began in Oklahoma 4-H, first at the club level and then the county.

His mother served as one of his 4-H leaders and encouraged him to pursue his inherited passion for horticulture and supported him to achieve multiple 4-H state and national titles and awards, he said.

As an adult, he was elected as the 2008-09 Oklahoma 4-H Foundation president, has served on the Oklahoma State University Agriculture Dean’s Council for more than 30 years, and co-chaired the agricultural fundraising committee for the OSU Foundation.

Rodd Moesel credits Oklahoma 4-H and OSU for the many opportunities available to him since his childhood.

Rodd Moesel studied horticulture and political science at OSU. Though Rodd Moesel did not earn a degree because of his work schedule and family obligations, he has had a long-standing relationship with the college, he said.

“I’m all Cowboy,” Rodd Moesel said.

Rodd Moesel created a name and business for himself, but he said one person has been a crucial part to his success: Dona Moesel, his wife of 48 years, has been along for it all.

As the co-owner and operator of American Plant Products and Services, Dona Moesel has dedicated most of her life to learning and operating within the horticultural industry.

Shortly after the couple met through mutual friends, Dona Moesel began working part time for Rodd Moesel’s parents at their family greenhouse during her college years.

“They were so welcoming and willing to teach me,” Dona Moesel said.

“I learned most of what I know from Rodd’s family,” Dona Moesel said. “I continue to love learning.”

Dona Moesel studied computer sciences at OSU-Oklahoma City. The career change to horticulture was drastic, she said, but she has enjoyed learning alongside her husband.

“I get to watch Rodd achieve so many things in his career,” Dona Moesel said. “As long as I get to come along and achieve a few things that I like, we’re doing pretty good.”

At American Plant Products and Services, employees are like part of the Moesel family, Rodd Moesel said.

A full-time staff of 30 employees manages the greenhouses, works in the office and store, handles shipments, and builds greenhouses.

“We have a responsibility to help prepare the future of agriculture and rural Oklahoma,” Rodd Moesel said.

To provide for the future generations, the Moesels established the Rodd & Dona Moesel Washington, D.C., Agricultural Leadership Intern Scholarship for OSU students interested in agriculture and rural policy.

Family has been the root of Rodd Moesel’s success, he said. By continuing his family’s legacy, Rodd Moesel has created one of his own.

CHEYENNE LEACH PAWNEE, OKLAHOMA

Rodd Moesel presides over an Oklahoma Farm Bureau event. Photo by Dustin Mielke. ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

In the flat expanses of western Oklahoma, researchers are studying mule deer to learn more about this animal’s movement, demography and survival.

The research team is gathering data for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to set regulations for these ruminants.

“Currently, there are no protocols for managing mule deer, which makes it difficult to understand their population numbers,” said Marcus Thibodeau, ODWC senior biologist.

Deer tags bought by hunters around the state can be used for both whitetailed and mule deer, so ODWC does not know what percentage of the mule deer population is harvested annually, Thibodeau said.

“A $2 million grant from ODWC through the Pittman-Robertson Fund spread throughout the next four years is very beneficial for this research,” said Anna Moeller, research assistant professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management.

The mule deer research team is composed of faculty and graduate students from the OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture and the Caeser Kieburg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

“The research should help us come up with a better management strategy for these deer so their populations can be stable and safe for generations to come,” said Colter Chitwood, OSU NREM assistant professor.

“We have a unique animal here with us in Oklahoma, and hunters enjoy seeing them,” Chitwood said. “We can’t let this species die off because we didn’t do the research and put in the efforts to protect them.”

Mule deer are more particular about their home ranges than white-tailed deer. They prefer a rough terrain while white-tailed deer are open to just about any ecosystem, including suburban areas, Moeller said.

The first Oklahoma mule deer data collection and release was in early February 2024, Chitwood said.

Cloudy with a Chance of MULE DEER

RESEARCHERS

GET ANSWERS FROM AN UNDERSTUDIED ANIMAL

The helicopter team flies to locate the next mule deer to capture for examination. Photo by Levi Heffelfinger.

THE FLIGHT OF A LIFETIME

When researchers from Oklahoma State University, Texas A&MKingsville and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation collect data, they work with a contracted helicopter team and private landowners to capture mule deer to conduct the research.

A team of three in the helicopter — the pilot, the net gunner and the mugger — work together to catch and transport captured deer to a landing zone where the research team completes examinations.

From the air, the pilot locates the mule deer, separates one or two does from the herd, and gets the helicopter close enough for the net gunner to aim a net gun at the mule deer on the ground.

This unique firearm holds a net with small weights located on each

corner. When the trigger is pulled, the weights spread, making the net form a square shape above the deer. Once the deer falls, the pilot lands the helicopter, and the mugger jumps out.

The mugger then puts a blindfold on the captured deer to lower her stress levels, secures her legs in hobbles, and locks the doe in a sling, which folds around the deer like a taco shell.

The mugger secures the sling to a heavy-duty rope attached to the helicopter. When the pilot is confident the doe will have a smooth flight, he or she increases altitude and carries the deer to the research team located up to 3 miles away.

Source: OSU Department of Natural Resource and Ecology Managment

A doe looks back at the research team after being examined. Photo by Levi Heffelfinger.

Research team members secure GPS collars and eartags on each blindfolded doe to track and identify her future movements. Photos by Levi Heffelfinger

“After a deer arrives at our landing zone, we are focused on collecting biological samples and morphometric data,” said Molly Koeck, OSU NREM doctoral student. “Getting as much information as we can is crucial for answering questions pertaining to the Oklahoma mule deer population.

“We collect blood samples for physiology and diseases, fecal samples to assess diet, and hair and tissue for genetics,” she said. “We weigh each doe and measure her body length and rump fat thickness as a health assessment.”

One of the most important pieces of the study is to secure GPS collars on the does, Koeck added. The team can track movement and assess home range size as well as monitor survival.

“In under 20 minutes, we are able to get the biological samples and health assessment complete along with inserting vaginal implant transmitters in pregnant does,” Moeller said.

The transmitters will send a signal when a doe gives birth, Moeller added.

“When it comes to understanding how populations are doing, we get

Being a part of this research is a unique experience.

LEVI HEFFELFINGER

more information from the females,” Chitwood said. “The bucks can’t help us understand the birthing process or fawn survival.”

The first round of captured mule deer in state history was reassuring because all the does looked really healthy, Thibodeau said.

“Of the 69 does caught in the first five days, we collected more data than what has ever been collected before on mule deer in Oklahoma history,” Thibodeau added.

The hardest but most rewarding part of this research is answering the unique questions that have never been asked before and watching the students conduct the project successfully, Thibodeau said.

Help from private landowners makes this type of project possible, Moeller added.

In May, the team will begin tracking fawns for birth and death rates in western Oklahoma to learn more about the mule deer population, Koeck said.

“We positioned 91 cameras to monitor the deer,” said Levi Heffelfinger, assistant professor at Texas A&M-Kingsville.

“Being a part of this research is a unique experience,” Heffelfinger said. “The data we gather will help us improve our understanding of this species as a whole.”

After examination is complete, the team safely releases a doe back into the wild. Photo by Levi Heffelfinger.

STACIE WINNER NASHVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

Weaving Heritage SCIENCE &

DOCTORAL STUDENT CONNECTS PASSION FOR RESEARCH WITH NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE

When Harleigh MooreWilson thought about her future, she knew being an Oklahoma State University Cowboy was in the cards.

“It was Bullet, the OSU Spirit Rider’s horse,” Moore-Wilson said. “At the age of 6, I said I was going to OSU because of Bullet. I never had any other thought of where else I would go.”

Moore-Wilson enrolled at OSU to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in biosystems engineering from the Ferguson College of Agriculture and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration. Now, she is a doctoral student in food science with a specialization in food safety.

Moore-Wilson, originally from Burbank, Oklahoma, grew up on the Osage Nation reservation. However, her family had cultural disconnects she worked to overcome in her later childhood, she said.

“My family was not culturally involved,” Moore-Wilson said. “My mom tried very hard to get me involved as far as attending ceremonial dances and taking finger weaving and beadwork classes.”

After receiving a beadwork set for Christmas at 9 years old, MooreWilson discovered her love for creating beadwork pieces for herself and others, she said. She started

her beadwork business, Salt Creek Beadwork, almost six years ago and has built a network for herself and her business using social media platforms.

“The creativity of building these culturally significant items has really brought me a lot closer to my culture,” Moore-Wilson said. “This has really opened a lot of doors for me.”

Her beadwork includes fingerwoven belts, beaded moccasins, belt buckles and keychains as well as other handmade items.

“I learned at an early age that individuality, creativity and self expression are essential to loving yourself,” Moore-Wilson said.

No matter where I end up, my plans are to continue to improve and increase Indigenous agriculture.

HARLEIGH

MOORE-WILSON

Jessica Goodfox, Moore-Wilson’s cousin, said Moore-Wilson’s efforts and dedication in what she does shines through her work. She is an independent woman always finding ways to be productive, Goodfox said.

“She has dreamed of going to OSU since she was a little girl,” Goodfox said. “She grew up around agriculture and was bound to flourish in that career choice.

“She takes pride in her higher education and where she received it,” Goodfox added.

While growing her business, MooreWilson also is making progress in her research, she said.

As the former natural resources and food sovereignty director for the Osage Nation, Moore-Wilson’s work helped connect her education in food safety to her heritage, she said.

“In middle school, she had to take a Native American class,” said Joyce Moore, Moore-Wilson’s mother. “That helped bring out her curiosity about her Osage heritage.

“She has excelled in learning how to do Native American beadwork and learned how to do finger weaving,” Moore said. “She creates belts and streamers worn for Native regalia.”

Passionate, willing and eager to learn are all qualities seen in MooreWilson, Moore said. She is a person

Harleigh Moore-Wilson displays her Native regalia as worn during traditional ceremonies. Photo by Carman Montgomery.

who listens and is not afraid to get in and do the little jobs, Moore added.

“She loves her people,” said Colt Wilson, Moore-Wilson’s husband. “She’s very passionate about anything that has to do with the Osage Nation.”

Moore-Wilson uses her knowledge in food sovereignty and safety from her education at OSU in developing a new opportunity to give tribal members the experience of coming one step closer to their ancestors while giving back to her community.

Moore-Wilson’s connection with the Intertribal Buffalo Council and the National Bison Association allows her to collect data for her doctoral research, she said.

“Our team helped improve and increase the Osage Nation’s food sovereignty and security, utilizing the bison to help heal the land and

connect Osage tribal members to their ancestors,” Moore-Wilson said. “The bison help feed our people and bring a culturally significant food source back into the community.”

Oklahoma has not had a bison hunt for more than 100 years, MooreWilson said. Allowing the tribe to build a relationship with the bison herd is a way the members can bring back significant historic culture into tribe members’ lives today, she said.

Moore-Wilson’s work experience gave her a stepping stone to continue increasing tribal food sovereignty. She has a passion for Native American agriculture and helps provide insight to Indigenous people across the United States, she said.

“No matter where I end up, my plans are to continue to improve and increase Indigenous agriculture,”

Moore-Wilson said. “I will host and coordinate food safety educational events to improve tribal businesses and increase the knowledge of Indigenous agriculture.”

Moore-Wilson is eager for new experiences to continue to bring better opportunities to her tribe, she said.

“Oklahoma State has had an incredible impact on my life,” Moore-Wilson said. “I am thankful for the experiences I have been given, and I’m eager to see what comes my way next.”

Harleigh Moore-Wilson inspects a sample to understand what types of microbial pathogens are present. Photo by Carman Montgomery.

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The black box and wires on the telephone poles hold fiber and splitters to run fiber to nearby homes. Photo by Hadley Gregory.

Roads TO DIGITAL HIGHWAYS

FEDERAL PROGRAMS ROLL OUT $1.3 BILLION FOR BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE

In 2020, people were confined to their homes, expected to keep the world turning despite a global pandemic. As Zoom calls became the new normal, lack of connectivity posed a large issue for Americans living in rural communities without high-speed internet access.

“One of the few good things that came out of the pandemic was people realizing, ‘Hey, broadband really is important, and we need to get people connected who weren’t,’” said Brian Whitacre, Oklahoma State University agricultural economics professor and chairman of the Oklahoma Broadband Expansion Council.

When people, legislators in particular, realized this need, the American Rescue Plan Act was passed, which allowed the federal government to give each state money to build the infrastructure they deem necessary, said

Mike Sanders, executive director of the Oklahoma Broadband Office.

In total, Oklahoma will receive $1.3 billion for broadband expansion through three programs.

“The first program, the ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, amounts to $374 million,” Sanders said. “The next program is our capital projects fund, and that’s $159 million. Then, on the heels of that program is the big pot of money from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. That portion will be $797.4 million.”

Rural communities having broadband access also creates job opportunities for Oklahomans, Whitacre said. Companies apply for funds through the Oklahoma Broadband Office. They will use that money to not only lay the fiber for

broadband but also to hire additional crews to install it. The Oklahoma Broadband Office also added positions to disperse the funds through a grant management office, Sanders said.

When Oklahoma receives its funds, the Oklahoma Broadband Office will allocate it to provide broadband access to the 600,000 unserved and underserved homes in rural Oklahoma that do not have access to high-speed internet, Sanders said.

The funds will provide broadband to Oklahomans who have less than 25 megabits per

second of download speed and 3 Mbps of upload speed, which is defined as unserved, or locations with less than 100 Mbps of download speed and 20 Mbps of upload speed, which is defined as underserved.

The goal is to get these two classes to at least 100 Mbps of download speed and 100 Mbps of upload speed, if not more, said Sachin Gupta, director of government business and economic development at Centranet, a subsidiary of Central Rural Electric Cooperative in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The process to decide where the money goes starts with the Oklahoma government surveying the current broadband infrastructure, pinpointing unserved or underserved homes, and going to broadband service providers in those areas to create a plan. State officials allocate the federal funds to these companies to put shovels in the ground and build broadband infrastructure in these rural areas, Whitacre said.

“In our state’s history, we have not had a one-time infrastructure build like this since the highway system of

In our state’s history, we have not had a one-time infrastructure build like this since the highway system of the 1950s and the rural electrification of the 1930s.

MIKE SANDERS

the 1950s and the rural electrification of the 1930s,” Sanders said.

Having access to high-speed internet at all times is the normal to many Oklahomans, but for unserved and underserved individuals in rural areas, having access is a luxury, Gupta said.

Beyond being able to work from home and use telehealth appointments, high-speed internet access allows rural community members to use their farm equipment to the highest capability, Gupta said.

“Today, John Deere sells a lot of products that are net-enabled, and farmers can’t use them because they don’t have broadband,” Gupta said. “They have combines with all these

capabilities that they can’t really put to use.”

At a recent meeting of the Federal Communications Commission, a board member indicated the amount of data coming from the farm in one day from the sensors is 18 times the size of the U.S. Library of Congress, Gupta said.

Broadband access is great for rural Oklahomans, but individuals need to know how to use it, Whitacre said.

“This funding is not just for the infrastructure itself,” he said. “Part of the BEAD funds will be allocated to help people gain digital skills. OSU Extension and other land-grant organizations hope they will receive funding to allocate toward creating resources to teach people how to bank online, have a telehealth appointment, set up a simple website for a small business, and other things like that.”

Expanding the broadband infrastructure and giving rural communities access to high-speed internet will change the lives of those impacted by this initiative, Whitacre said.

Access to high-speed internet opens doors of opportunity for rural community members to get involved in the community, attend school online, start an online business for extra cash inflow, and numerous other activities they couldn’t participate in before, Sanders said.

Technicians use this visual fault locator to see fiber, which is invisible to the naked eye. The fiber is the hair-thin glass piece lit by the tool, encased in a protective layer, and surrounded by the fabric fibers. Photo by Hadley Gregory.

HADLEY GREGORY MAYETTA, KANSAS

Cultural Crown

Asingle spotlight hits the Student Union Theatre stage, immediately pulling you into another world, one of an Indian wedding complete with costumes and music. As the performance ends, you are left captivated by the dance you just witnessed.

The dancer was Navdeep Saasan, not a professional dancer or storyteller but an Oklahoma State University doctoral student.

Originally from Punjab, India, Saasan came to OSU a little more than a year ago to pursue her doctorate in

biosystems engineering focusing on water resources.

“I had an interest in soil and water engineering,” Saasan said. “One day, I saw a post on LinkedIn of this job, which is what I am doing now. It combined all the parameters of what I was doing for my doctorate in India, so I took it as a sign to come to the U.S.”

Even though Saasan does not have a typical agricultural background, she pursued agriculture after taking a competitive exam, which is similar to a U.S. college entrance exam, she said. Agriculture was a new field for her, but

she found a common area with computers and machinery, she added.

“I love the engineering side of agriculture,” Saasan said. “I like asking how the machines we use in agriculture work. How are they built? How are they designed? How are they implemented, and what different inputs can I use to try and generate a new development in agriculture?”

Saasan uses her combined passion of engineering and agriculture to study the impacts different management practices and systems could have in regenerative agriculture.

Now serving as Ms. International OSU, Navdeep Saasan came to OSU from India to pursue her doctorate. Saasan wears traditional Indian attire, “Salwar Kameez.” Photo by Bailee Schiefelbein.

When you come to OSU, you receive a very heartwarming, welcoming response from everyone.

NAVDEEP SAASAN

Saasan and Ali Mirchi, her adviser and associate professor of water resource engineering, are creating models to simulate how water management could reduce erosion and improve soil health to support sustainable agricultural practices.

“She has really developed her skills and gotten used to a different education system in the United States,” Mirchi said. “There was also a steep learning curve for her about how research is done here. I give her a lot of credit because it is not easy to be transplanted from a different country.”

The OSU culture created a natural transition for Saasan because the people here were so willing to help her, Saasan said.

“When you come to OSU, you receive a very heartwarming, welcoming response from everyone,” Saasan said.

The OSU Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering faculty members facilitate a good culture for international students by prioritizing communication on all levels, said Mari Chinn, BAE department head.

“We try to build a community,” Chinn said. “We create moments of interaction by inviting faculty, graduate students and undergrads to events, giving them places to engage, share and communicate.”

BAE faculty members promote not only academics but also the celebration of cultural events and extracurricular activities to expand their mindsets, Chinn said. They value the diversity of thought that comes from people with a variety of backgrounds coming together, she added.

Saasan is meticulous in her work while also being involved in a variety of campus organizations, Chinn said.

Saasan joined the Indian Student Association and serves as the current cultural secretary. Mirchi believes Saasan’s success comes from her involvement in extracurriculars and open communication with those around her, he said.

Based on her dance performance at the ISA Diwali Night, “everybody encouraged me to participate in Ms. International, so I first competed in Ms. India,” Saasan said.

As Ms. India, Saasan performed another dance in the talent portion of the Ms. International OSU contest.

Eight students competed in Mr. and Ms. International OSU where they participated in an interview and talent portion allowing each competitor a chance to highlight his or her culture.

“Everybody wanted to show a message,” Saasan said. “For me, a message I wanted to send to the whole society

was fun and happiness. I just wanted to show happiness.”

For Saasan, the contest was about having fun sharing her culture with the world, she said. Her dance showed different aspects of a traditional Indian wedding, a five- to seven-day event.

Now, as Ms. International OSU, she attends countless cultural events across campus, she said.

“I love going to any event with food,” Saasan said, “especially food I’ve never tried before.”

Saasan’s openness to exploring all cultures helps keep her options open after graduation, she said. With her love and appreciation for India and its culture, Saasan is not opposed to moving home, she added.

“I’m pretty open to anywhere and to see where life takes me,” Saasan said. “With the country I’m from, I take a big bag of culture with many languages and heritage anywhere I go.”

BAILEE SCHIEFELBEIN KIMBALL, MINNESOTA

Navdeep Saasan creates models to help determine the effectiveness of different regenerative agricultural practices. Photo by Bailee Schiefelbein.

Riley Luginbill (left) assists Matthew Sitton with putting their engine back together. Photo by Hannah Wilcocks.

EDUCATING EVERY COWBOY

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAM SHAPES TOMORROW’S EDUCATORS THROUGH HANDS-ON LEARNING AND INCLUSIVE TEACHING PRACTICES

In the realm of agricultural education, instructors and professors at Oklahoma State University devote themselves to preparing undergraduate students for student teaching and their future careers.

Tailored courses within OSU’s agricultural education program cultivate hands-on instruction, said Nathan Smith, agricultural education instructor and coordinator of student teaching placement. The program focuses on practical application in real-world classroom settings through its diverse course curriculum.

Smith teaches agricultural electrification, engines and power, and agricultural structures as five-week, one-credit-hour courses in agricultural systems technology.

“These courses are primarily designed for our future teachers to be

able to take a class and get an understanding of agricultural mechanics and what it looks like,” said Chris Eck, agricultural education assistant professor. “However, having students with a variety of academic majors in class with the agricultural education students creates an open and diverse student background.”

The agricultural education curriculum also includes courses to prepare these future teachers to work with students who have individualized education plans.

“Our agricultural education majors pursuing teacher certification take a College of Education and Human Sciences course that involves working with students with exceptional learning needs,” Smith said. “Often, it might be their only introduction to or interaction with exceptional learners.”

“As student teachers, they show how they are appropriately modifying instruction to work with students who have exceptional learning needs,” Smith said.

Smith emphasizes to the future teachers the importance of demonstrating an ability to work with students with exceptional learning needs, he said.

During the 2024 spring semester, students in Smith’s agricultural system technology courses gained firsthand experience working with an individual who had an IEP while taking secondary education courses. This collaboration came through a partnership with the Opportunity Orange Scholars program, which caters to young adults with intellectual disabilities unable to meet OSU’s degree-seeking admission criteria.

Within the OOS program, students pursue a two-year, non-degree academic certificate in career and community studies while being fully immersed in the OSU experience.

Matthew Sitton, OOS second-year student, sought an elective class to complement his core OOS program courses. Sitton has an agricultural background and wanted to take the agricultural systems technology courses because “Mr. Smith is an awesome guy,” he said.

The courses present an opportunity for Sitton to learn practical, hands-on skills — life skills — he could use moving forward, Smith said.

“I have worked quite a bit with exceptional learners,” Smith said. “I was more than happy to have Matthew in class. We are all Cowboys.”

Having Sitton in the courses provided fellow students with the opportunity to collaborate one-on-one

or in small groups within the laboratory setting, allowing them to observe diverse learning styles within their groups, Eck said.

Through inclusive courses across campus — like Smith’s — OOS students can have the opportunity to learn alongside their peers, enabling them to fully embrace the college experience, said Emily Tucker, OOS program director and assistant professor of professional practice.

“In class, I would ask for help and have support with me,” Sitton said.

“They encouraged me when I messed up or if I got upset and frustrated with my homework.

“I enjoyed working with them — my classmates,” Sitton added.

I was more than happy to have Matthew in class. We are all Cowboys.

NATHAN SMITH

Matthew Sitton (left) tightens a bolt as Riley Luginbill and Quetta Woodall help hold the engine sturdy. Photo by Hannah Wilcocks.

OOS students spend considerable time in rigorous classes, Tucker said, but OOS prioritizes developing essential life skills often overlooked.

“For Matt, it’s been a big confidence booster,” Tucker said. “He’s learning tangible skills that have to do with the things he sees every day. It helps him make sense of his world.”

Learning to work with individuals who have different social skills and learning capacities — especially when they learn differently from oneself — is a crucial skill that will benefit any future professional, Tucker said.

“Everyone learns differently,” said Katelyn Kuykendall, agricultural education junior. “Having a variety of students accommodates diversity because we all learn at different levels.”

Kuykendall said helping an OOS student is fulfilling because this course is allowing Sitton to grow.

This opportunity provided firsthand experiences in a classroom setting and hands-on learning, preparing individuals to apply the skills in a classroom

one day, said Kaylee Keeler, agricultural education junior.

Smith has worked at OSU for six years and has not had the same level of interaction with exceptional learners as he did in the high school classroom, he said.

“Having Matt in the classroom has reengaged me,” Smith said. “This made me refocus on how I have to go about practicing and implementing some teaching skills and strategies we’re teaching our students.”

The core agricultural education courses guide students to consider the necessity of scaffolding and differentiating instruction to address the diverse needs of learners, Eck said.

“Collaborating with a student like Matt allows me to think through each step more clearly,” said Riley Luginbill, agricultural education junior. “The steps can be altered to be inclusive and fit the needs of all students.”

Having this experience will give Keeler an advantage as she teaches students with various support needs,

she said, giving her the ability to guide and assist them effectively.

“Collaborating with an OOS student gives me the freedom to see his world and even our world from a whole different perspective,” Keeler added.

Learning alongside and interacting with an OOS student in a classroom or laboratory setting will benefit agricultural education students as they progress, Smith added.

“The agricultural education program shapes tomorrow’s educators, ensuring they are equipped to make an impact on individuals with diverse learning capacities,” Smith said.

HANNAH WILCOCKS BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA

Nathan Smith (left) teaches Matthew Sitton how to safely use a miter saw to cut a piece of 2x4 wood. Photo by Hannah Wilcocks.

Passionate about her R oots

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE LEADER REFLECTS ON PATHS TO SUCCESS

While growing up, being involved in numerous activities was normal for Karen Hickman.

Now as the director of the environmental science undergraduate program in the Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture, little has changed.

As a youth, Hickman lived in Alva, Oklahoma, during the school year; however, she spent her summers on her family’s farm.

She found ways to immerse herself in farm life, she said, and that steadfast mentality still drives her today.

“She’s one of a kind,” said Greg Banse, Hickman’s husband. “Anyone who meets her always comes away impressed. You cannot help but be impressed by her.”

Hickman found ways to entertain herself during the summers on the farm. She and her two sisters would dress up kittens in doll clothes, read, and swim in the cattle tank.

As Hickman grew older, she became more involved in her family’s farm and its operation, she said.

“I gravitated to be one who was a little more tomboyish,” Hickman said. “From middle school on, I was on the

tractor or combine all summer. I was in the field sometimes 14 hours a day.”

During the school year, she involved herself in extracurriculars, including track and cross country.

“I would wake up and run 3 to 4 miles every day before school,” Hickman said.

In 1981, Hickman attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva and studied physical education. At the time, she wanted to be a coach because of her passion for running, she said.

Hickman changed her major to biology during her second semester at

Throughout her life, Karen Hickman has always found consistency in her family farm. Photo by Blayke Breeding.

NWOSU because she wanted to feel more challenged and needed to decide which career she wanted, she said.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Hickman said. “So, I took classes to go to medical school, veterinary school or physical therapy.”

She lived at home with her parents and continued to work on her family farm until 1983 when she transferred to OSU to start her junior year.

Hickman loved her family farm, but she did not want to go back and make it her career, she said.

At OSU, Hickman studied biomedical science and spent her junior year summer at the University of Oklahoma Biological Station, where she learned about botany and ornithology.

This summer program was taught by OSU professors. She still keeps notes from this program in her office. She enjoyed learning about plants and birds, she said, but she wanted to learn more about the medical field at that time.

In 1985, she continued her education with a master’s program studying

She’s an all-in type of person. She loves what she does and is great at it.

DAVID GORDON

cell biology and anatomy at the University of Texas Health Science in Dallas. She taught classes and became passionate about teaching, she said.

After receiving a teaching opportunity at NWOSU, Hickman moved back home to work and studied to get her teaching certificate, she said.

Being back in Alva allowed Hickman the opportunity to live at home and work on the family farm again.

“I would help my family with harvest and study while I was on the tractor,” Hickman said.

During this time, Hickman worked alongside Kathy, her older sister, and Brian Gordon, her brother-in-law. She also spent time with her nephews Bradley and David Gordon.

From 1988 to 2004, Hickman taught science classes at Pioneer High School in Waukomis, Oklahoma, at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and at Fort Hays University.

In 1992, Hickman decided to pursue a doctorate, she said. When exploring programs at different universities, she gravitated more toward ecology programs, she added.

This interest stemmed from her involvement with OSU professors in the OU summer research program, Hickman said.

“I didn’t realize how formative that program was going to be at the time,” Hickman said.

She enrolled at Kansas State University and earned her doctorate in biology and studied grassland ecology.

“When Aunt Karen got her Ph.D., my mom told me it was a big achievement and that I should call her Dr. Hickman going forward,” said Cati Stanila, Hickman’s niece. “I have to credit her with a lot of how I move through the world. She taught me a lot about following my passion and giving it my all.”

In 2004, Hickman moved from Hays, Kansas, to Enid, Oklahoma, married Banse, and joined the faculty of the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. In 2019, she became director of the environmental science undergraduate program.

Karen Hickman’s family farm now is called Hickman Gordon Farms. Photo by Blayke Breeding.

Hickman recently received the Assessment Champion for Student Success in Learning Award at the OSU Awards Convocation for her leadership and campuswide culture of assessment in student learning.

Aside from her many academic endeavors, Hickman is a woman of philanthropy, service, and getting back to her roots, she said.

Hickman is a go-getter and will do anything she can for anyone she can, Banse said.

Hickman has volunteered at the Enid Society for the Prevention of Cruelty on Animals for nearly 20 years. Her interest in rescuing animals stemmed from having cattle and pets throughout her childhood, she said.

“She started helping out and got to know everybody,” Banse said. “Karen got voted in by the board to be the president of the ESPCA and just transformed it.”

In 2007, Hickman helped create the Oklahoma Invasive Plant Council, which helps facilitate agencies and

organizations in Oklahoma to share information about different invasive plant species.

“She is always looking for something to help with or get involved in and is not afraid to go all in,” said David Gordon. “She is an all-in type of person. She loves what she does and is great at it.”

Hickman’s love for running has continued throughout her adult life.

“I joined the Enid Running Club,” Hickman said. “In 1990, I ran the Dallas White Rock Marathon in 3 hours and 42 minutes, climbed a 13,000-foot mountain in Colorado, and swam a mile in the YMCA swimming pool in Enid.”

To prepare for the marathon, she trained by running the 20 miles from her parents’ house in Alva to the farm.

Today, Hickman operates two pieces of agricultural property alongside Bradley Gordon. They incorporate low-till farming to control weeds, grow wheat crops, and produce cattle to graze their native rangeland.

“I have her as a resource, and I can’t explain how important that is,” Bradley Gordon said.

Hickman spends any time she can on her family farm, she said, and hopes she can one day spend all of her time out there.

“That place has such great memories I will always hold close to my heart,” Hickman said.

Hanging in Hickman’s office is a motto she lives by: “Hold yourself to a higher standard than anybody else expects you to.”

“Karen goes above and beyond in all she does,” Banse said. “Everything she touches turns to gold.”

BLAYKE BREEDING MIAMI, TEXAS

Justin (left), Wade and Marin McCrary offer comprehensive care across diverse species, providing veterinary services for both small and large animals. Photo by Victoria Allen.

PERFECTING PRACTICE

THREE GENERATIONS DEDICATE THEIR LIVES TO VETERINARY MEDICINE IN RURAL OKLAHOMA

In the heart of rural Oklahoma in 1969, Dr. Edward McCrary opened the McCrary Veterinary Hospital. Three generations later, McCrary veterinarians continue to care for animals and serve their community in Watonga, Oklahoma.

Ed McCrary received his undergraduate degree in agricultural education at Oklahoma State University with every intention of becoming an agricultural education teacher, said Justin McCrary, his nephew. However, after graduation, Ed McCrary entered the U.S. Army. After returning home, he decided to pursue veterinary medicine and applied for veterinary school at OSU in 1953.

“Edward’s older brother, Dean, was an agricultural education teacher for a short time then returned to OSU and got his doctorate in agriculture,” said Justin McCrary, who now owns the McCrary Veterinary Hospital. “That may have been a driving force for Ed to return for a higher education.”

Ed McCrary’s determination was second to none, Justin McCrary said. He hitchhiked 95 miles to Stillwater, Oklahoma, from Watonga, Oklahoma, at the beginning of veterinary school.

While at OSU, he worked in the laundromat at the school and did

laundry and ironing for people around campus to pay for his education and other living necessities.

After walking across the graduation stage in 1958, Ed McCrary practiced in Alexandria, Louisiana, and then moved to Frederick, Oklahoma. Ed McCrary moved back to Watonga, Oklahoma, in 1968 where he practiced out of his parents’ house for a year before opening McCrary Veterinary Clinic.

“I could not believe the number of interactions he had daily with such a wide variety of community members,” Justin McCrary said. “I suppose it was then I recognized the integral role veterinarians have in a rural community.”

As a high school student, Justin McCrary worked for his uncle and continued helping while in college at OSU.

Graduating from OSU College of Veterinary Medicine at age 24, Justin McCrary joined his uncle’s practice, but he found himself solely responsible for McCrary Veterinary Hospital at age 27.

Following the death of his uncle Ed McCrary from pancreatic cancer in the spring of 1998, Justin McCrary took on the challenge of running the clinic.

Today, Justin McCrary works every day alongside Maryl, his wife of 29 years. She graduated from OSU in 1995

with a bachelor’s in biology. She spent 20 years teaching high school chemistry, anatomy and biology. She retired from teaching in 2019 to manage the veterinary hospital full time, handling bills, appointments, inventory and everything in between.

“Mom is a huge part of how the clinic has stayed up and running,” said Marin McCrary, Justin and Maryl McCrary’s daughter.

Wade McCrary, Justin and Maryl McCrary’s son and the youngest of the McCrarys, said he and his sister were influenced by their dad to pursue veterinary medicine.

The McCrary siblings’ passion for animals started at a young age, Wade McCrary said.

The pair spent countless hours traveling with their dad on farm calls and helping in the office whenever they could, he added.

“Growing up, I spent numerous hours at the clinic with my father,” Marin McCrary said. “Wade and I would ride the bus after school to the clinic and stay until closing time.”

Creating countless memories with her family and assisting at the vet clinic after school every day nurtured Marin McCrary’s enthusiasm for veterinary medicine, she added.

Whether assisting in the office helping their mom or pitching in with the day-to-day tasks on the farm, the McCrary children gained firsthand experience in the complexities of managing a farming enterprise, Justin McCrary said. Both children will be able to use those experiences to help them in their education and future careers, he added.

“I am excited for both of my kids to be entering the field of veterinary medicine with limitless options for employment,” Justin McCrary said.

Today, Marin and Wade McCrary are students in the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

Marin McCrary, a second-year veterinary student, will graduate with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2026. Wade McCrary plans to graduate in 2027 with his DVM.

Following graduation in 2027, Wade McCrary said his primary focus is to pursue opportunities in a mixed animal medicine practice, learning skills at another clinic and then returning home to practice alongside his father.

“As a second-year veterinary student, I still have not fully decided which sector of the veterinary field I will pursue after graduation,” Marin McCrary said. “I have a passion for food animal medicine, and I am

considering going into the food safety sector of veterinary medicine.”

The primary challenge the McCrary family has faced as multi-generational veterinarians is the rural veterinarian shortage in western Oklahoma, Marin McCrary said.

“The veterinary field in general is facing shortages,” Marin McCrary said. “But, rural medicine has felt the effects the most.”

The McCrary family has made it their mission to ensure western

Oklahoma has access to quality veterinary medicine for many years to come, she added.

“Growing up, I was able to experience firsthand how important veterinarians are to the community,” Marin McCrary said. “I was inspired by my father and the impact that he has on his clients’ and patients’ lives.”

Justin McCrary’s children see him as a role model because he exhibits how rewarding the veterinary field can be each day, Wade McCrary said.

“Dad makes being a veterinarian and a parent at the same time look effortless,” Wade McCrary said.

Justin McCrary and his wife, Maryl, instilled the ability to work hard and care for others into their children, Marin McCrary said.

“My dad’s work-life balance allowed me to envision myself as a veterinarian,” Marin McCrary said. “I ultimately decided I was meant to follow in his footsteps.”

Marin McCrary (left) and Wade McCrary earned their bachelor’s degrees from OSU, concentrating their studies in animal science. Photo by Victoria Allen.

VICTORIA ALLEN QUINCY, ILLINOIS

Ed McCrary sits at the desk in McCrary Veterinary Hospital where he worked for 29 years.

Photo courtesy of Justin McCrary.

PROGRAM TRANSFORMS STATE MANUFACTURING FOR ALMOST THREE DECADES

Nearly 30 years ago, two engineers in the Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture forged a plan to provide engineering assistance to manufacturers across rural Oklahoma. Today, their plans have expanded and continue to help hundreds of businesses throughout the state.

In 1997, the OSU Department of Biosystems and Agricultural

Engineering united with the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance to create the applications engineering program.

BAE faculty Bill Barfield and Sam Harp founded the applications engineering program for the engineers at OSU to assist Oklahoma manufacturers with their production and economic needs, said Rajesh Krishnamurthy, senior applications engineer and program manager.

“Barfield and Harp wanted to increase the competitiveness of smalland medium-sized manufacturers,” Krishnamurthy said. “The applications engineering program was created to provide manufacturers with on-site, one-on-one engineering assistance and technology transfer services throughout Oklahoma.”

OSU’s applications engineers introduce new technology like collaborative

Andrew Huffman (left), Ben Alexander and Rajesh Krishnamurthy test the cobot setup at the applications engineering lab in Catoosa, Oklahoma. The state-of-the-art lab is designed to educate business owners, politicians and students about automated technological advances for manufacturing. Photo by Laney Reasner.

robots to manufacturers across the state. The cobots work side-by-side with humans in assembly lines to complete tasks and increase productivity, Krishnamurthy added.

The partnership between applications engineers and the OMA makes short-term, project-related services available to manufacturers through resources of OSU’s applications engineering program, said Joe Epperley, OMA communications director.

“The Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance exists to help small- and medium-sized manufacturers become more efficient and more successful through technology integration and supply chain management,” Epperley said. “This partnership with the

applications engineering program was a big need for the manufacturers who didn’t have access to these types of engineering services.”

Applications engineering has allowed manufacturers a 67-to-1 return on taxpayer investments and has saved Oklahoma manufacturers more than $15 million since its inception. Those numbers are only continuing to grow, Krishnamurthy said.

“This program is 27 years old and still has a lot of impact to this day in how we provide engineering services to the state,” said Mari Chinn, OSU BAE department head.

The program has five key metrics: increase sales, retain sales, increase jobs, retain jobs, and save on costs.

This program is 27 years old and still has a lot of impact to this day ...

MARI CHINN

Krishnamurthy said the OMA is a key player in ensuring these metrics are met within the industry partners.

The OMA employs eight manufacturing extension agents who work with OSU Extension educators across the state to help manufacturers identify technology assistance-related opportunities, Krishnamurthy said.

The applications engineers program also influences the Oklahoma manufacturing industry through BAE’s senior design projects.

The applications engineers work with senior biosystems engineering students at OSU to develop and implement new technologies that assist Oklahoma manufacturers, Chinn said, and these working relationships can help lead to job opportunities for our OSU graduates.

“Our department bridges between the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology and OSU Agriculture, so we are able to connect all the necessary expertise to provide to the state,” Chinn said.

In the past, the applications engineers were limited to only showcasing mobile technologies, but with the new “brick and mortar” lab in Catoosa, Oklahoma, manufacturers can see some technology that is not as portable, said Ben Alexander Sr., applications engineer.

Alexander, alongside application engineers Andrew Huffman, work with OMA staff and BAE faculty and are able to fulfill the applications engineering mission from the state-ofthe-art technology lab, he added.

In the lab, Oklahoma manufacturers can experiment with a variety of cutting-edge technologies, including cobots, 3D printers and more.

“The lab is a new demonstration facility to highlight robotics and automation,” Chinn said. “It’s an opportunity for learning, knowledge gaining and technology transfer.”

The Catoosa lab, funded by the OMA, is modeled after a full-facility system, showing how cobots can be used to create a product, test its

integrity, package it, and prepare the packaged products for shipping.

In addition to this circuit, a second area in the lab allows experimentation with heavy-duty 3D printers and hightech interactive whiteboards.

“The lab is designed to show manufacturers what and how they could use cobots for in their businesses,” Alexander said.

The lab opened in March 2024 and allows manufacturers, politicians, educators, and others to experience technology designed by OSU’s applications engineers.

“We make sure that whatever we do we engage in sustainability,” Krishnamurthy said. “If no one on staff can operate the equipment we provide, it isn’t a sustainable solution. Manufacturers need to have some engineers and trained technical staff on their team for successful adoption of technology.”

As the program continues to grow, the applications engineers hope to become more involved with

At the engineering lab in Catoosa, Oklahoma, specialized equipment enables manufacturers to test technology to increase productivity. These machines help with job-time tracking (left), checking product integrity, welding and packaging products.

Photos by Laney Reasner. undergraduate student workers, Krishnamurthy said.

“Applications engineers have done many different projects from helping optimize processes to adjusting facility layouts,” Chinn said. “Sometimes they are heavily involved in devising new approaches and technologies that can be adopted by industry to make businesses operate better.

“It is inspiring to witness the impact this program has had on the state and recognize its beginnings as a vision and seed that blossomed from the agricultural engineering program,” Chinn added.

LANEY REASNER

NEELYTON, PENNSYLVANIA

One bag of Willow Creek Farms Pantry Heritage Pancake and Waffle Mix can make approximately 30 pancakes. Photo by Paisley Sturgill.

Purposeful

OSU ALUMNUS USES FAMILY FARM TO HELP FFA CHAPTERS

Within 10 miles of the Kansas-Oklahoma border, the DeWitt family operates Willow Creek Farms, a fifth-generation family farm that helps FFA chapters raise money for their programs and activities.

Steve Dewitt, who represents the fourth generation, works part time on the farm and has been the leader of the farm’s business expansion.

“I grew up on my family’s farm in Braman, Oklahoma, and reside there today,” DeWitt said. “Growing up, I was always involved on the farm and was interested in working on it later on.”

However, when the economy in the 1980s did not allow DeWitt to enter the family’s business, he chose college, he added.

Pancakes

In 2004, he returned to work at Koch Industries, where he still works almost 20 years later.

During this time, DeWitt and his wife, Janie, had three sons: Dane, Drew and Dylan.

Willow Creek Farms is the DeWitts’ diverse operation, raising cattle and producing wheat, sorghum, and soybeans. Steve DeWitt operates the farm with his three sons and his father, Garold DeWitt.

After decades of operation, Steve DeWitt switched to no-till farming in 2015 and focused on regenerative farming to help build up and create healthier soil, he said.

facility as an agricultural education instructor and was familiar with the center’s work.”

FAPC employees Renee Albers-Nelson and Andrea Graves assisted Steve DeWitt in different steps throughout the creation of his product.

“They helped me with finding a co-packer, reviewing my recipe, labeling issues, and answering any questions I had,” Steve Dewitt said.

FAPC serves as a resource to help with product development, said Albers-Nelson, FAPC milling and baking specialist.

He attended Oklahoma State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education in 1985. He taught high school agricultural education for one year before returning to OSU to earn an additional bachelor’s degree in finance in 1989.

DeWitt went to work for Koch Industrires until 2000. He then transitioned to working for WB Johnston Grain in Enid, Oklahoma. Two years later, he went back to teaching agricultural education in Braman, Oklahoma.

“I saw the connection between having healthy soil and producing healthy food and got the idea to start creating our products,” Steve DeWitt said. “I chose to start with a pancake mix because it only involved three ingredients and was a simple way to get into food production.”

He sought assistance through the OSU Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center to develop a pancake mix made from his family’s wheat.

“I heard about the assistance FAPC provides from one of my friends,” Steve DeWitt said. “I also toured the

Steve DeWitt attended FAPC’s “Playing in the Dough” workshop which helped him gain more knowledge about starting a company and creating a product.

“This workshop is the basic training to food entrepreneurship,” AlbersNelson said. “It is like a crash course.”

Steve DeWitt’s daughter-in-law, Tori DeWitt, also attended the workshop and assisted him in creating the recipe for the pancake mix. After the workshop, the family established Willow Creek Farms Pantry, a brand name to identify the food products produced by the family’s farm.

After creating the recipe for the mix, Steve DeWitt met with Brady

Sidwell, co-founder of Chisholm Trail Milling in Enid, Oklahoma.

“After three months of trials, I developed the pancake mix during the fall of 2022,” Steve DeWitt said. “I took my wheat to Brady to be milled into whole grain, stone-milled flour and then to our co-packer, Deep Fork Foods in Beggs, Oklahoma.”

Deep Fork Foods mixes and packages the pancake mix. After production, Steve DeWitt searched for his target customers and how to market to them, he said.

“I got the idea that the perfect market was Oklahoma FFA chapters, and they would provide us with the volume of production needed,” Steve DeWitt said. “We set up a booth at the Oklahoma FFA state convention and started handing out samples to get people to try our product.”

Steve DeWitt and his family have been connected with FFA for many years. He was an active member in his hometown FFA chapter, which led him to pursue a degree in agricultural education, he said.

All three of his sons also were heavily involved in agricultural education

and the FFA programs at their schools, Steve DeWitt added.

In July 2023, Steve DeWitt formed a relationship with DJ’s Fundraising to add his pancake mix to their line of fundraising products.

This opportunity allowed Willow Creek Farms Pantry to sell through more than 100 FFA chapters. Their products have been sold in Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.

“When we first started, our packaging was made out of craft paper with a zipper and a hand-printed label,” Steve DeWitt said. “After I formed our relationship with DJ’s Fundraising, we moved to an updated printed bag.”

The new packaging is a three-pound bag that displays the Willow Creek Farms Pantry logo and the pancake mix name: Heritage Pancake and Waffle Mix.

“Our pancake mix received its name from the type of wheat we grow,” Steve DeWitt said.

When Steve DeWitt got into regenerative farming in 2015, he became interested in learning about heritage wheat varieties. DeWitt decided Turkey Red was the variety he wanted

to start growing at Willow Creek Farms, he said.

“Turkey Red first came to Kansas in 1873 when it was brought by German Mennonite immigrants from the Crimea region,” Steve DeWitt said. “Those seeds were first planted in 1874 and were the dominant wheat variety in the Kansas and Oklahoma area up until the 1930s.”

Steve DeWitt also wanted to grow a more modern variety of wheat to blend with the Turkey Red, he said.

“As an OSU graduate and native Oklahoman, I wanted to use an OSUdeveloped wheat,” Steve DeWitt said. “After a lot of testing, the hard white wheat variety called Big Country, which OSU and Oklahoma Genetics Inc. released a few years ago, blended perfectly with the Turkey Red.”

This information about his wheat is highlighted on the product package.

“Steve does an amazing job showcasing how unique his product is,” said Graves, FAPC business and marketing specialist. “The package shows the time and hard work Steve put into crafting his product.”

The pancake and waffle mix is available online through the farm’s website or can be purchased from one of the seven stores that sell their products. Other Willow Creek Farms Pantry products include hard white wheat flour and maple syrup.

“We are working to expand our product line,” Steve Dewitt said. “We have some ideas in the works to create more baking mixes.”

Willow Creek Farms and the Willow Creek Farms Pantry are working to create whole grain, minimally processed products everyone and their family can enjoy, Steve Dewitt said.

In 2021, Steve DeWitt (third from right) started growing and harvesting OSU Big Country wheat with his family: Tori DeWitt (left), daughter-in-law; Dane DeWitt, son; Koulter DeWitt, grandson; Paisleigh DeWitt, granddaughter; Dylan DeWitt, son; Janie DeWitt, wife; Drew DeWitt, son; and Morgan DeWitt, daughter-in-law. Photo by Paisley Sturgill.

The Path to Game Warden

NREM PROVIDES CURRICULUM TO PREPARE GRADUATES TO PROTECT WILDLIFE

An Oklahoma game warden’s primary job is to enforce the fish and wildlife laws of the state, but becoming one takes more than a love for the outdoors.

“One thing I don’t think people realize about game wardens is that a lot of time and education goes into preparing them to be in the public eye,” said Sue Fairbanks, associate professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management.

Potential game wardens must complete two phases of specialized training to be able to hired. Both phases of the process give candidates a biological understanding of wildlife as well as law enforcement knowledge, Fairbanks said.

The first phase is education-based.

Candidates must earn a bachelor’s degree in wildlife and ecology management or any bachelor’s degree that includes 16 required credit hours in wildlife-related courses.

The NREM department offers the required courses and supports potential game wardens in either path, Fairbanks said.

“OSU gave me the biological knowledge to understand why laws are the way that they are today,” said Stephen Paul, Noble County game warden.

The second phase is law enforcement and field training.

When the potential game wardens begin the second phase, they must pass several screenings as well as background checks.

After the checks, candidates must complete 576 hours of Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training, or CLEET, as well as six months of onthe-job field training.

“I really fell in love with the conservation side of becoming an Oklahoma game warden,” said Brooklyn Shaw, natural resources ecology and management senior. “I want to protect that and want to help people better understand why it is important to conserve wildlife and natural resources for future generations.”

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation employs as many as 120 game wardens across the state’s 77 counties.

A game warden’s day-to-day responsibilities can depend on multiple

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation issued an updated logo in 2022. The previous logo had been in place since 1965. Photo by Chandler Trantham.

factors, said Josey Branch, Payne County game warden.

The factors vary based on which county the warden patrols, the current hunting season, seasonal weather patterns, and what events are taking place each day, he added.

In addition to enforcing laws, game wardens offer educational programs for all ages.

They often speak to youth to share what game wardens do and various aspects of the ODWC. They also help teach hunter education, archery, shotgun training, fishing, and recruitment, retention, and reactivation.

Game wardens must stay up-to-date on the ever-changing environmental laws and regulations, Paul said.

“We understand why we have certain rules and regulations,” said Spencer Grace, Kay County game warden. “But, our day-to-day job is to understand people and try to enforce the laws without leaving them with a bitter taste in their mouths about hunting or fishing.”

Laws and regulations are often adapted, added, changed, and removed.

“You have to be on your toes,” Branch said. “Everything has changed since I have been in school.”

A game warden’s job is to ensure they know these changes and can convey them to hunters, fishers, hikers, and anyone else who needs the information, Grace said.

“Being a game warden is more than a career, more than an occupation,” Grace said. “It is a lifestyle choice.

“We could easily walk away tomorrow and double our salaries,” Grace added, “but once you start, it is really hard to walk away from a passion for the outdoors and wildlife.”

CHANDLER TRANTHAM BOISE CITY, OKLAHOMA

Josey Branch, Payne County game warden, has served as the county’s wildlife officer since 2022. Photo by Chandler Trantham.

Bringing Back the

A cow and her calf roam through a pasture in southwest Oklahoma. Photo by Kylie Waters.

BEEF

TOSU EXTENSION RESOURCES HELP REBUILD THE OKLAHOMA COW HERD

he blaring sound of the alarm goes off before sunrise. Sounds stir as the world wakes up and coffee brews. Just as the sun rises, the words “calf prices are high” fill the air from the “Oklahoma Farm Report” radio host. Time to take some calves to the sale barn.

“Beef is a premium product and premium protein for Oklahoma and the nation,” said Michael Kelsey, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association executive vice president.

Within OSU Agriculture, numerous OSU Extension specialists work with beef producers to evaluate the market outlook and production possibilities to take advantage of the cattle market opportunities and potential for herd rebuilding, said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University agricultural economics professor.

The beef cow herd is a primary agricultural production source in Oklahoma, but the drought from the last three years has forced cattle producers to reduce the state’s cow herd, Kelsey said.

“We’ve been eating cattle instead of breeding cattle,” Peel said. “You can only use them one way.”

As of January 2024, the U.S. cow herd is the smallest it has been since 1961, Peel said.

From an economic and market standpoint, the U.S. cow herd is too small to meet the country’s production needs, Peel added.

“Droughts are often regional, requiring destocking in that region to avoid overgrazing,” said David Lalman, OSU beef cattle extension specialist. “When moisture conditions improve, cows or replacement heifers can often be purchased and moved in from other regions where forage is abundant.

A shortage of heifers and cows used in beef production exists because cows and heifers were sent to slaughter during the drought when no grazing land was available for them, he added.

“In this case, destocking has occurred through most of the country and replacements are therefore either very expensive or difficult to find,” Lalman added.

We’ve been eating cattle instead of breeding cattle.

The cattle market’s response to the decreased herd size is to increase prices to increase production, Peel said.

In spring 2024, cattle prices reached record high numbers, Kelsey said, and prices are expected to continue to increase through the year.

The cattle market’s goal is to try to convince producers to keep heifers to rebreed and rebuild the cow herd, which is known as heifer retention. Retention is the only way producers can increase the cow herd, Kelsey said.

“Producers’ cows have to come from somewhere,” Lalman said. “Retaining heifers is the way to do that.”

DERRELL PEEL

When producers look for replacement heifers, they should remember the selected heifers will be the start of future herds, Lalman said. Producers should retain high-quality heifers to benefit the herd and create a better profit, he added.

However, the rebuilding process could create negative effects for cattle producers and consumers, Peel said.

Rebuilding the herd through heifer retention decreases the supply of beef because fewer feeder calves are on the market, Peel said. Because a large demand already exists, he added, the shortage in supply will increase the market price for calves.

Nothing cures high prices like high prices. Eventually, prices will come down again.

DAVID LALMAN

As a result, the increased market prices will put pressure on producers to sell their heifer calves instead of retaining them, Peel said.

“Nothing cures high prices like high prices,” Lalman said. “Eventually, prices will come down again. So, commercial producers must plan carefully for that occurrence and avoid paying too much for replacement heifers.

“Payments will be difficult to make when calves are selling for a fraction of what they are bringing today,” Lalman added. “The cost of producing calves will not come down nearly as much as the price of cattle.”

In 2022-23, beef production was high, Peel said, and more than 51% of slaughtered beef animals were female.

The lack of females retained will cause the process of rebuilding the herd to take longer, Kelsey said.

“When you reduce the number of cows kept, it’s going to cause the calf crop to decrease for the next year,”

Kelsey said. “Because of this, I believe it is going to take anywhere from two to four years to rebuild the cow herd.

Another issue with herd rebuilding is the lack of cattle producers and land, Lalman said. With a rancher’s average age around 60 years old and high startup costs, getting the next generation involved is difficult, he added.

“A huge challenge for the younger generation of farmers and ranchers is purchasing land,” Lalman said. “Buying land to make a profit in the

The Best Way To Raise Beef.

agricultural industry can be hard, especially if they are not going back to a family operation where land is already available,” he added.

OSU Extension offers a specific program to help beef producers select and develop replacement heifers, Lalman said. Additional OSU Extension programs help keep beef producers informed and provide education about the beef industry.

The Oklahoma Beef Cattle manual developed by OSU Extension can be a valuable resource every beef producer should have, Lalman added.

“There are many challenges and opportunities to think about in this rebuilding cycle,” Kelsey said.

KYLIE WATERS WAURIKA, OKLAHOMA

Haley Butler tends to wheat plants, which serve as sustenance for colonies of aphids she uses in her research. Photo by Jaden Brunnemer.

Global IMPACT

A JOURNEY FROM PEACE CORPS SERVICE TO A DOCTORATE

In a world where wanderlust

tugs at the hearts of many, Haley Butler’s adventurous life path stands out.

Butler’s roots run deep at Oklahoma State University, where she not only earned her undergraduate degree in natural resource ecology and management but also completed her master’s in entomology and plant pathology with unwavering determination, Butler said.

Yet, in 2017 she stepped into the unknown, signing up to serve in the Peace Corps and charting a course filled with challenges, cultural immersion, and profound personal growth, Butler said.

“A normal Peace Corps service is 27 months,” Butler said. “I started serving in the Peace Corps in September 2017. I was selected to serve in Paraguay. I ended my service in October 2019.”

Many people have heard of the Peace Corps but do not know what the organization is or what volunteers do, Butler said.

“The Peace Corps is a governmental organization dedicated to helping community development in other countries,” she said.

Butler’s love of travel paired with her passion for helping others led her to apply with the Peace Corps, she said.

“It’s hard to get selected for the Peace Corps,” Butler said. “So, when I got the message that I was picked, I was shocked and excited.”

Butler was nervous about the training assignment because the locations are given at random, she said, but her enthusiasm for traveling helped her make a smooth transition.

“I had never been to Paraguay before, but the first three months you’re in Paraguay, you go through training,” Butler said. “Everyone within my cohort was thrown into a new situation since most of us had never been to Paraguay before.”

Being 5,000 miles away from home was an experience, Butler said, and having multiple cultural differences in a country she had never visited before was a hurdle.

“Training consisted of four hours of language training every day,” Butler said. “I came in with almost no knowledge of Spanish. However, because of the time spent in the classroom learning the culture and language from a Paraguayan teacher, I was able to learn quicker than I thought.”

While learning Spanish, Butler also was learning an Indigenous language of Guaraní, Butler said.

“I served as a volunteer in the environmental sector,” Butler said. “We focused on waste management recycling and reusing because there is not waste management in the rural areas of Paraguay. We also worked on the issue of deforestation, which is one of the biggest environmental threats to Paraguay’s ecosystem.”

“I worked with a local nonprofit organization to plant trees at my local elementary school,” Butler said. “We also focused on deforestation and conservation education with young kids in the community.”

After serving in the Peace Corps, Butler faced the choice of what to do next in life, she said.

During her time in undergraduate and graduate school, Butler always had a passion for knowledge and challenged herself to continue to learn more, she said.

This passion led her back to OSU to pursue her doctoral degree in entomology, she added.

“She was always passionate about her work, but when she spoke of her time in the Peace Corps, you could see a completely different perspective on identifying important things in her life,” said Justin Talley, head of the OSU Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology.

“She always has a positive outlook, and her time abroad brought about a world perspective that really communicates the message with a more meaningful impact,” Talley said.

Butler’s experiences allow her to apply what she learned within the Peace Corps to what she is doing now, Talley said.

“Within a classroom and outside of class, Haley motivates students to have a deeper understanding of the concepts they are learning so that they can communicate it to a broader audience,” Talley said.

“Her approach and experience bring a unique perspective by being positive but always challenging those around her to address hard questions,” he said. “Overall, Haley has been a tremendous advocate for our department.”

Her experiences in the Peace Corps were a huge stepping stone for her doctorate, Butler said.

“I learned to be flexible when projects don’t go the way you anticipate,” Butler said. “And I had a ton of learning experiences that pushed me outside of my comfort zone during my time in Paraguay.”

Growing in a place where you’ve never been leads you to gain resilience, she said.

“Haley has brought her experiences and background to the department,

which is a benefit to her fellow students,” said Kris Giles, OSU entomology and plant pathology professor.

To Butler’s knowledge, no one within the department had served within the Peace Corps, allowing her to provide insights no one else could, she said.

Butler’s journey shows her dedication to living a life of service and pursuing knowledge, Butler said.

Butler will graduate with her doctorate in summer 2024. She plans to pursue a career within the biological control field, she said.

“I’ve been taking advantage of opportunities when they come my way,” Butler said, “even if I was not expecting them.”

JADEN BRUNNEMER STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA

Left: Haley Butler examines the young larvae of parasitoids, known as “mummies,” discovered within winter wheat crops. Right: Yerba mate tea is the traditional drink of Paraguay. The tea is consumed in this traditional cup called a guampa. This tea is shared between friends and family multiple times a day. Photos by Jaden Brunnemer.

International

MIAP ALUMNUS PROMOTES GLOBAL TRADE

Initiatives

In his adopted home state of Nevada, Oklahoma State University alumnus Dillon Davidson continues what he started in Stillwater, Oklahoma: a mission to expand awareness and elevate the agricultural industry.

“Agriculture has been in my blood since birth,” Davidson said. “I love being around it and advocating for it.”

Raised in rural Upper Sandusky, Ohio, Davidson developed a love for the agricultural world, which took root early through active involvement in 4-H and FFA.

Davidson’s path led him to Ohio’s Wilmington College where he was a member of the Aggies and a founder of the Collegiate Farm Bureau. Here, he built his leadership skills while exploring different facets of agriculture.

Unsure of his purpose initially, Davidson helped create his own degree by specializing in international agriculture with a business focus, he said.

“My undergraduate professors helped develop my passions and allowed me the opportunity to educate people on how agriculture works and its immense importance,” he said.

Studying areas like foreign language, political science, and international agricultural development expanded his horizons as did studyabroad course experiences in Kenya, Tanzania, and Costa Rica, he said.

After earning his undergraduate degree in 2017, Davidson headed to the OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture to pursue a Master of Science in the OSU Master of International Agriculture Program.

Davidson was involved at OSU as a graduate teaching assistant and student organization member. He also conducted research on crop

production efficiency with the late Bill Raun, Regents Professor of plant and soil sciences.

While most of his peers in MIAP pursued international projects, Davidson used his previous global experiences to focus his master’s thesis on more traditional agricultural practices within OSU’s plant and soil sciences department, he said.

Karen Hickman, professor and director of the environmental science undergraduate program, believed in Davidson and encouraged him to challenge himself, he said. Her support guided his decision to cultivate his thesis and apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture outlet program, Davidson added.

“Developing my thesis pushed me to dive deeper into determining my purpose and passions,” Davidson said.

Upon earning his master’s degree with an economic and trade focus in 2019, Davidson headed to Reno, Nevada, to join the Nevada Department of Agriculture.

He became the NDA’s industry and global trade coordinator, but his dedication and innovative spirit paved the way to his current role as senior trade officer, Davidson said.

“My main focus is expanding awareness of Nevada’s food and agriculture across the country and internationally,” he said.

“What pushes me is creating new programs Nevada has never had before and becoming the face and spirit of such initiatives,” Davidson added.

One program he developed is the Nevada Craft Beverage Passport to promote breweries, wineries, distilleries and tap rooms statewide.

Dillon Davidson uses his agricultural experience to grow global markets. Photo by Avery Callis.

Davidson’s initiatives inspire colleagues, said Casey Jones, president of Primo Animal Health.

“Dillon is always willing to step up and figure out what needs to be done,” Jones said. “He just wants to help out in the best ways he can.”

Their partnership has since expanded to boost western U.S. agricultural exports worldwide, Jones added.

Supporting local businesses is pivotal, Davidson said, as demonstrated by his guidance of Jones’ company.

“Dillon has taken pride in continually exporting Nevada agriculture and finding new businesses and struggling farms to ensure no one is left behind,” said Nathaniel Brown, a Nevada Department of Transportation analyst.

In addition to Davidson’s NDA role, he volunteers his time with Urban Roots, a Reno nonprofit educating the community about urban farming.

His active participation on the nonprofit’s board left a lasting impact on Daphnne Ekmanis, former Urban Roots farm director.

“Dillon loves his work and it shows,” Ekmanis said. “He is ambitious, not just in agriculture but also in uplifting entire communities.

“A lot of board members are quiet, but he was always at meetings ready to lend a hand, which inspired us to give more of ourselves,” she added.

Davidson’s giving spirit stems from his core values, he said.

“Whether it be your community or your people, giving back is not always about money,” Davidson said. “Giving back your time and engaging with others matters most.”

As first vice president of the North American Agricultural Marketing Officials, Davidson will become the youngest president in the organization’s history and the first representing Nevada.

“Something that sets Dillon apart is his ability to do the work of someone who had been in his position for 50 years,” Jones said. “And he’s only 28.”

For Davidson, being able to pursue his passions circles back to using his

voice and leveraging his platform to enact positive change, he said.

“People don’t realize how multifaceted agriculture is and how many areas of life revolve around and gain support from it,” Davidson said. “Those of us in this field have a voice, and people think theirs isn’t strong enough, but it will make a difference.”

As Davidson looks ahead, he is guided by the principles he inherited from his rural Ohio upbringing, he said.

Through advocacy, innovation and a lifelong connection to agriculture, Davidson exemplifies OSU’s mission of cultivating leaders who will shape a brighter, more sustainable future for agriculture worldwide, Jones said.

2024 FERGUSON COLLEGE TEACHING AWARDS

MOLLY MOODY JENKS, OKLAHOMA

The Ferguson College of Agriculture presents the 2024 Teaching Awards: Cynda Clary, associate dean; Wade Brorsen, Excellence in Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring Award; Gretchen Mafi, Excellence in Undergraduate Student Advising and Mentoring Award; Hannah Shear, Early Career Excellence in Teaching Award; Bruce Dunn, Excellence in Teaching Award; and Jasyon Lusk, vice president and dean. Photo courtesy of Genesee Photo Systems.

2024 FERGUSON COLLEGE SENIORS OF DISTINCTION

André Abit*

Stillwater, Oklahoma Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Brandy Bassham Plymouth, California Animal Science

Kate Buckmaster

Porter, Oklahoma Animal Science

Elizabeth Carlson

Haslet, Texas Entomology

Rhiannon Curley

Redmond, Oregon Animal Science

Georgia Eastham Davis, California Plant & Soil Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Kyra Elliott

Calumet, Oklahoma Animal Science and Agribusiness

Charlcie Gatewood* Miami, Oklahoma Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Rylan Jordan Mason, Texas Agribusiness

Dylan Kottkamp Clayton, Indiana Agribusiness

Brook Langford Elgin, Oklahoma Agricultural Education

Payton Lyyski Ellensburg, Washington Agribusiness and Accounting

Keona Mason Tishomingo, Oklahoma Agricultural Communications

Elizabeth Perdue Kingfisher, Oklahoma Agribusiness and Agricultural Communications

Elizabeth Pribil Hennessey, Oklahoma Food Science

Erin Slagell** Hydro, Oklahoma Food Science

Caleb Snodgrass* Owasso, Oklahoma Plant & Soil Sciences

Ke’Shawn Solomon

Houston, Texas Plant & Soil Sciences

Scotland Souders Stillwater, Oklahoma Environmental Science

Sydney Vieira* Ripon, California Agribusiness and Agricultural Communications

*Dean’s Award of Excellence **Outstanding Senior

The Ferguson College of Agriculture presents the 2024 Seniors of Distinction at the annual banquet: associate dean Cynda Clary (front left), Rhiannon Curley, Georgia Eastham, Dylan Kottkamp, Elizabeth Carlson, Erin Slagell, Elizabeth Pribil, Elizabeth Perdue, Kate Buckmaster, Scotland Souders, Keona Mason, Brook Langford, Charlcie Gatewood (back left), Rylan Jordan, André Abit, Ke’Shawn Solomon, Caleb Snodgrass, Payton Lyyski, Sydney Vieira, Kyra Elliott, Brandy Bassham, and vice president and dean Jayson Lusk. Photo courtesy of Genesee Photo Systems.

Erin Slagell, 2024 Ferguson College of Agriculture

Outstanding Senior, found an educational home at OSU and in the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center studying food science. Photo by Kate Jackson.

ACHIEVING FERGUSON’S Highest Honor

FERGUSON COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE HONORS 2024 OUTSTANDING SENIOR

Growing up on a farm in southwest Oklahoma, Erin Slagell learned what it meant to work hard, show integrity, and think critically. During her four years at Oklahoma State University, she applied those skills in a way that earned her the 2024 Louis and Betty Gardner Outstanding Senior award for the OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture.

Slagell, a 22-year-old food science major from Hydro, Oklahoma, accepted the honor during the college’s annual scholarship and awards banquet April 4, 2024.

“Coming from a small town, Erin had a leg up on everyone to get involved,” said Morgan Pfeiffer, animal and food sciences assistant professor. “In a small town, everyone gets involved in everything, and she knew she had to get involved on campus.”

In her first year at OSU, Slagell knew she had found her career path with her first food science class, she said. Beginning as a shy freshman, she made the most of her time at OSU, joining the Food Science Club, the 2022 Meat Judging Team and the Oklahoma Pork Council’s Pork Industry Group.

Slagell also served on the Student Success Leader team as a career liaison. In this role, she helped students with résumés and cover letters and served as a tour guide for companies when they came to campus.

“Serving as a career liaison was the most meaningful opportunity I participated in at OSU,” Slagell said. “It was

really rewarding to see a fellow student who was really nervous come in, hand you a blank sheet of paper, and let you help them build their professional documents from there.”

The most rewarding aspect of being a career liaison was building up the students’ confidence, Slagell said. Getting to know students through their cover letters and résumés was a way to gain their trust and to get them to share their interests, she said.

“When you look at what Erin has done and how she’s been involved since she stepped foot on campus, she’s taken a path where her goal was to not only be successful academically but also to grow personally and professionally,” said Cynda Clary, Ferguson College of Agriculture associate dean.

Taylor Harbuck, OSU Career Services assistant director, established a connection with Slagell when she interviewed for her career liaison position. At the time, he was the adviser for the career liaisons. She came onto the team during a pivotal time of rebuilding the SSL program, he said.

“When she came onto the career liaison team, I knew with her skill set and leadership style she could help grow the program,” Harbuck said.

Slagell was paired with Empirical Foods to serve as an on-campus guide, Harbuck said, a pairing that later helped her secure an internship.

Her role as a career liaison put her in the right place at the right time to make a connection with the company she will start her career with, he said.

Slagell has shown the value of the SSL program and how it can impact a student’s college career, he said.

“Slagell has been selected to wear the orange gown at commencement to represent the Ferguson College of Agriculture,” Pfeiffer said. “Erin is someone a lot of students should aspire to be like.”

After graduation, Slagell will move to South Dakota to begin her career at Empirical Foods. In her position as a technical services supervisor, she will continue to work with students, claimed products and logistics within the company.

“My time in the Ferguson College of Agriculture has prepared me for my future because it has given me the opportunities to grow as a leader, work on my communication skills, and have the chance to work one-on-one with students,” Slagell said. “It has given me the chance to do hands-on learning.”

Her experiences at OSU make her confident in her future career, she said.

“That’s a part of what we try to get all students to do — to find where they belong, be engaged, and thrive — and Erin did that,” Clary said.

ALUMNI SOCIETY NEWS

ALUMNI EARLY CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Kyle Hilbert is a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, representing House District 29.

Hilbert received his bachelor’s degree in agribusiness from the Ferguson College of Agriculture in 2016. While at OSU, Hilbert served the Ferguson College of Agriculture as a student academic mentor, college ambassador and Student Council vice president of business affairs. He also led OSU’s Student Government Association as president in 2015-2016 and was named an OSU Outstanding Senior.

During his senior year, Hilbert was encouraged to campaign for state representative. He was elected in 2016 and is currently serving in his fourth term as state representative for House District 29.

Jered Davidson is an attorney practicing municipal bond law with a focus on economic development.

Davidson received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the Ferguson College of Agriculture in 2009. As a student, he served as a teaching assistant in the Department of Agricultural Economics and was a member of the Aggie-X Club and the Homecoming Steering Committee.

Additionally, he was a Harry S. Truman Scholar National Finalist and the 2009 Paul and Mary Hummer Outstanding Graduate of the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

He continued his education at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, earning a juris doctorate and joining The Public Finance Law Group

Hilbert has carried more than 40 bills signed into law. In 2022, Hilbert was elected by his colleagues to the position of Speaker Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

In March 2024, he was elected by the House Republican Caucus as speaker-designate to serve as the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives in its 60th legislative session in 2025.

Hilbert remains connected to the college by serving as a guest speaker in a variety of classes and through his mentorship of students serving in the agricultural legislative internship program at the state Capitol and students who are interested in policy and legislative careers.

PLLC in 2012. His clients consist of Oklahoma cities, municipalities, rural water districts, public trusts, colleges and universities, and Native American Tribes. He was named to the National Order of Barristers in 2015.

Growing up in 4-H had a positive impact on Davidson’s life of service and leadership.

He recently completed his term as president of the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation Board of Directors, working to provide resources and encouragement to Oklahoma youth.

Davidson and his wife, Lindsey, are committed to supporting the Ferguson College of Agriculture and are among the youngest major gift donors to the New Frontiers capital campaign.

KYLE HILBERT BRISTOW, OKLAHOMA

JERED DAVIDSON EDMOND, OKLAHOMA

FERGUSON COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE HOMECOMING

CELEBRATION

Nov. 1, 2024

3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

New Frontiers Agricultural Hall

Tucker Dotson, northwest district representative; and Herb Lengel, Ferguson College of Agriculture employer and alumni relations coordinator.

Alyssa Hardaway.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

You can stay connected with and show your support of the college by becoming a member of the OSU Alumni Association and the Ferguson College of Agriculture Alumni Society.

A portion of all OSU Alumni Association membership dues received are returned to the college to support alumni-sponsored events, scholarships and student programming.

Each year, the Ferguson College of Agriculture Alumni Society Board of

Directors coordinates and is involved with several events, including the Ferguson College Roundup, the annual Homecoming Celebration and Alumni Meeting, the Ferguson Week cookout, and more.

If you are interested in getting involved with these activities, consider becoming a board member. Visit agriculture.okstate.edu/alumni-friends to learn more.

FERGUSON COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE ALUMNI SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Justin Anderson President

Stillwater, Oklahoma At-Large Member

Becky Walker Chandler Vice President

Stratford, Oklahoma Southeast District

Travis Jones Secretary/Treasurer Roff, Oklahoma At-Large Member

Herb Lengel

Executive Secretary Stillwater, Oklahoma

Barry Bessinger Stillwater, Oklahoma Northeast District

Will Chaney Roff, Oklahoma Southeast District

Tucker Dotson Enid, Oklahoma Northwest District

Matt Gard

Fairview, Oklahoma Northwest District

Danielle Metz Binger, Oklahoma Southwest District

Meg Stangl Okarche, Oklahoma At-Large Member

Marcus Washington Oklahoma City Southwest District

Members of the Ferguson Alumni Society Board of Directors help serve a meal to students to celebrate Ferguson Week 2024: Dani Bellmer, Ferguson College of Agriculture assistant dean; Justin Anderson, board president;

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