Volume 25, Number 2 - Summer/Fall 2023

50TH ISSUE

Volume 25 Number 2 • Summer/Fall 2023

OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture

Editors

Alyssa Francis

Bree Kisling

Managing Editor

Shelly Peper Legg, Ph.D.

Assistant Managing Editors

Dwayne Cartmell, Ph.D.

Audrey King, Ph.D.

Lauren Quinlan, B.S.

Angel Riggs, Ph.D.

Quisto Settle, Ph.D.

Kaylee Travis, M.S.

Assistant Editor

Savanna Souza

Graphic Coordinators

Rachel Martin

Allie McCracken

Sponsorship Coordinators

Gwen Fowler

Austin Reim

Staff

Braelyn Berlowitz

Sydni Blevins

Kallie Coakley

Allyson Eller

Kelsey Gray

Callie Keaton

Adelaide Mathison

Grant McClure

Chance McGill

Megan Newlon

Jordan Robinson

Molly Sawatzky

Tatum Swink

Emma Welch

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORS

Welcome to the 50th edition of the Cowboy Journal!

Our staff is proud to be listed among individuals who laid the groundwork during the past 25 years to make the magazine what you hold today. This issue’s stories could not have been published without the help of Krista Carroll, Braeden Coon, Adrienne Hughbanks, Kristen Knight, Caley Mayo and Macy Shoulders as well as Dwayne Cartmell, Audrey King, Shelly Legg, Lauren Quinlan, Angel Riggs, Quisto Settle, Kaylee Travis and our Ferguson family. This magazine was built by 50 staffs, 50 sets of stories and 50 semesters of hard work in Agricultural Hall.

Enjoy and Go Pokes!

FEATURED STORIES

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

Okola-homa Soda Co. received an official OSU license with assistance from the OSU Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center.

Photo by Megan Newlon.

A SPLASH OF

orange

At a family barbecue in 2017, twins Garrett and Everett Occhipinti were drinking a good amount of Dr Pepper.

Their father, John, commented, “Gosh, for as much Dr Pepper as you guys drink, we should probably get in the business of making soda just to save us some money.

“And we can name it Okola-homa Soda — Oklahoma and Cola — a take off,” he added as a joke.

Three years passed, and the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which brought the entire Occhipinti family home to isolate.

“Making soda was put on the back burner, then the middle burner,” John Occhipinti said. “Since everyone was home, we just thought, ‘Let’s get Okola-homa Soda going.’”

Occhipinti began his research to see how to transform the idea into a reality. He investigated the market and product ideas, he said.

“Oklahoma ranks fourth per capita in the nation for daily consumption of soft drinks,” Occhipinti said. “No one was doing what we were wanting to do. There’s a market for it.”

He learned approximately 46% of Oklahoma consumers look for a Made in Oklahoma-branded product when they shop. Of those, 85% are likely to buy such a product if they find it, Occhipinti said.

“That catapulted us into a really good starting point as it relates to our competitive landscape because we’ve got the market,” Occhipinti said. “We’ve got the demographic. Now, who will buy it?”

From there, the Occhipinti family traveled to Pops 66 Soda Ranch near Arcadia, Oklahoma, where they bought more than 100 bottles of various root beer, cream soda, cola and Dr Pepperstyle beverages.

“Over a year, we brought the whole family together and did taste tests,” he said. “We took notes. We really took this seriously.”

The Occhipintis narrowed down their top five favorite sodas in each category. From that point, they did blind tastings.

“Once we had our flavors down, we hired a beverage lab,” Occhipinti said. “We gave them our notes — ‘needs more carbonation, a little less caramel,

OSU ADDS NEW SODA TO CAMPUS SHELVES

a little more cream, a little too sweet,’ for example.”

The lab took the samples the family chose and developed flavor profiles based on their notes.

“The lab would send us three or four sample bottles for us to taste, and we would tell them ‘It needs a little more this and less of that,’” Occhipinti said. “We went back and forth with the lab two or three times before we dialed in the final recipe.”

The flavoring the family developed is what sets their soda apart, he said.

“Once we dialed the recipe in, it was finished,” Occhipinti said. “It is uniquely ours — we own it. No one can buy our flavor.”

The next challenge was finding someone to bottle the soda.

“Many breweries have done away with bottles,” Occhipinti said. “They’re all in cans.”

Occhipinti found a small brewery in downtown Oklahoma City with an old, antiquated bottling line that had been “sitting in mothballs,” he said.

John (left) and Cynthia Occhipinti are the pioneering forces behind Okola-homa Soda Co. Photo by Megan Newlon.

The initial four flavors developed by Okola-homa Soda Co. can be found in every independent grocery chain across Oklahoma. Many of these, including OSU Orange, can be found on the OSU campus.

Photo by Megan Newlon.

“I reached out to the brewer and told him we were a family business and what we were doing,” he said.

The brewer agreed to work with them and made the first 100 cases of the Okola-homa sodas. With this inventory, the Occhipinti family attended the Made in Oklahoma Foundation Show, which supports local Oklahoma businesses making products within the state.

“From the time the organizers opened to the time they shut the doors, I didn’t stop talking,” he said. “Everyone commented ‘We’ve been waiting for this. Unbelievable. I love this. How do I buy it? This is so great. This is Oklahoma.’”

From there, the Okola-homa Soda Co. sold 400 cases in less than 10 days.

“We had people calling to ask how to get our product,” he said. “But, the brewery was only able to make 80 cases a week for us.”

At this point, Occhipinti figured the time was right to expand, so he began searching for space, he said.

“There were no warehouses around, and the ones we did find were out of our price range,” he said. “We live in Edmond, and we wanted to be close to the business.”

After an extensive search, the Occhipinti family found the new home for the Okola-homa Soda Co. only 8 minutes from their house.

“The developer said, ‘You’re the type of business we want in here. We’ll work with you and get you started,’” Occhipinti said.

In October 2021, Okola-homa Soda Co. officially moved into the Edmond facility they use today.

“At that point, we were still doing the packing out of the brewery because we’re working with the supply chain to get the equipment,” he said.

In April 2022, the family behind Okola-homa Soda Co. brewed the first batch of its soda in its new warehouse.

“From that point on, our business went through the roof,” Occhipinti said. “We’ve even teamed with two of Oklahoma’s largest grocery distributors to sell our sodas.”

The “Core Four” sodas — Okie Kola, Mr. Twister, Root Beer and Cream Soda — can be found in every independent grocery chain in Oklahoma.

As the business continued to grow, Occhipinti attended the Oklahoma Restaurant Association Show where he received several Most Innovative awards. At this show, he also met Erin Johnson, Oklahoma State University Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center business marketing client coordinator, who has been a pivotal factor in their business, he said.

“We always go to the Oklahoma Restaurant Association Show to support the Made in Oklahoma Coalition, but we also walk around to see if there’s somebody out there who hasn’t found us and might need our assistance,” Johnson said. “That’s when we met John.”

Occhipinti was excited about trying to produce a soda with the OSU brand on it, Johnson said.

“We’ve helped other clients use the brand,” she said. “So, I did some digging and found out who he needed to talk to and what documents he needed to fill out to get that official stamp of approval from the NCAA.”

After working through the extensive process, Okola-homa Soda Co. finally became an official licensee for OSU with its OSU Orange soda.

“Being an OSU licensee further legitimizes us,” Occhipinti said. “You don’t just get a license from this caliber of university.

“I remember exactly when I found out,” he said. “It was a Friday at about 5:30 p.m. Everybody and their brother within 20 minutes found out about it after I heard the news.”

After the Occhipintis learned of their new license, they blasted the news on social media, he said.

“This was one of those things that was very emotional for all of us,” Occhipinti said. “We knew the magnitude of what having an OSU license meant and what it represented.”

Being able to represent the university with their family’s product is such a humbling opportunity, he said.

THE CORE FOUR

Cream Soda

Mr. Twister

Okie Kola

“We’ve had so many wonderful surprises in our business during the past year and a half,” Occhipinti said. “This one is at the top and one we do not take for granted.”

Occhipinti told Johnson he eventually would like to see his product on campus. As both his sons are OSU graduates, he is an avid supporter of the university, he said.

“To get on campus, you have to go through University Dining Services,” Johnson said. “We went over there to tell them about this client we have that would work great on campus.”

With the help of Johnson and FAPC, Okola-homa Soda Co. was soon presenting its product to University Dining Services at OSU.

University Dining Services’ staff members evaluate the products interested in going into university stores. They review each product by its type, its competition, and sometimes, student preference by means of taste testing, said Vedda Hsu, director of University Dining Services.

“We thought his product was so unique,” Hsu said. “We were excited to share John’s story with our audience along with his passion for OSU.”

Now, Okola-homa Soda Co. products, including OSU Orange, sell in many groceries stores across Oklahoma and on the OSU campus.

Ever since the family barbecue in 2017, the Occhipinti family has transformed the Okola-homa Soda Co. from a mere vision to a concrete reality.

Occhipinti said his entire family, including the twins who were partial to Dr Pepper, have been instrumental throughout the process.

MEGAN NEWLON HUGOTON, KANSAS

The FAPC graphics team created the bottle branding. Photo by Megan Newlon.

BIG MISSION. BIGGER DREAMS.

MIAP STUDENT USES PASSION TO SERVE OTHERS

Oklahoma State University offers a wide array of opportunities to help students discover their passions during college.

For 25-year-old McKenzie McCaleb of Sulfur, Oklahoma, her journey of education and service began as she earned a bachelor’s degree in global studies at OSU.

“Studying global studies really helped me develop a deeper passion for helping those in need,” McCaleb said. “I chose to further my education at OSU because of the support system I had here.”

As she completed her degree, McCaleb started in the OSU Master of International Agriculture Program by

taking graduate courses simultaneously with her last undergraduate ones. Now a second-year graduate student in MIAP, McCaleb has spent time in the classroom, in West Africa and in Washington, D.C.

As part of her studies, McCaleb traveled to Sierra Leone in summer 2022. MIAP guidelines require every

McKenzie McCaleb (bottom left) visits palm oil farmers to observe current production practices outside of Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown.

Photo provided by McKenzie McCaleb.

student to have a month-long international experience.

These international experiences help broaden student perspectives of other cultures to create well-rounded individuals, said Magda Rich, MIAP adjunct instructor.

“McKenzie’s trip looked a little different than most who go through the program,” Rich said. “The owner of a palm oil farm in the Sierra Leone area reached out to MIAP wanting someone to help market their product and boost production levels.

“We thought McKenzie would be an excellent candidate, given her past experience with international travel and her Native American background,” Rich added.

McCaleb, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, served as a student ambassador for the OSU Center for Sovereign Nations for four years.

“My grandfather spent the majority of his career working with the Oklahoma tribal community,” McCaleb said. “By developing my passion for

tribal advocacy, I have been able to use those experiences with my international experiences.”

For many students, the most difficult part is not traveling but finding the right place for them, McCaleb said.

Students normally pick what countries they would like to travel to, Rich said, and the program advisers research the country to help ensure each student’s safety before traveling.

“We challenge our students to try and push themselves outside of their comfort zones and experience something new,” Rich said. “In McKenzie’s case, she had an experience few have a chance to have.”

Prior to her travel, McCaleb registered with the U.S. Department of State as being in Sierra Leone so her information would be documented.

This registration is one of the many procedures put in place for safety during international experiences, McCaleb said.

McCaleb researched the country and the culture extensively before

leaving for Sierra Leone, she said. She met with several colleagues who were from the area or knew about the West African country.

She researched the history, what crops were produced in the area, and the impact agriculture had on the country, she said.

“It is respectful to the people and the place you’re visiting to be at least familiar with their culture and their language,” McCaleb said. “You should conduct research before traveling for your safety and security purposes.

“Learning a little bit about the country can also reduce traveler’s anxiety and prepare you for when you arrive,” she added.

Karl Rich, MIAP director, also traveled to Sierra Leone to help McCaleb smoothly transition into the country and culture.

“In MIAP, the best part about traveling is you’ll be helping others,” McCaleb said.

While in Sierra Leone, McCaleb visited Goldtree, a palm oil plant and

plantation, and worked on one of the plantations, Beulah Farms.

“The palm oil farm is located about 45 minutes outside of Freetown, near the town Waterloo,” McCaleb said. “The farm is located in a village called Matindi Town.”

The Goldtree mill processes the palm oil fruit grown by 10,000 farmers on more than 21,000 acres.

“We helped them build a marketing strategy for their product and create accounting strategies for Beulah to use after we left,” McCaleb said.

McCaleb spent two months in Sierra Leone, helping the company develop their strategies and use problem-solving skills to help maintain palm oil plants.

“Typically, palm oil plants take about three to six years to begin to be established and many obstacles can occur,” McCaleb said. “During my time at Beulah Farms, there was an issue with a certain species of giant rat called ‘grasscutters.’

“The rats would eat away at the base of the palm seedlings’ trunks, not giving them a chance to reach maturity,” she said. “The farm workers combated these animals by hunting and eating them when they could.”

McCaleb said she was able to connect with the Sierra Leone community by using her experiences and family history. McCaleb said she enjoys meeting new people, hearing their stories, and experiencing new cultures.

Traveling has become one of McCaleb’s favorite things to do, she said, and the time she spent in Sierra Leone strengthened her passion for serving others.

“When I traveled abroad before, I learned how to adapt to unexpected changes that can occur when moving to another country,” McCaleb said.

McCaleb’s passion to help others succeed and reach their goals drives her to be a voice for those who need one the most, she said.

“When I travel, it never fails to surprise me just how alike we all are as human beings,” McCaleb said. “Even if you are completely unaware of the

culture you are visiting, showing respect and sharing a smile are two things that can often be understood universally. We should share our cultures and not gatekeep them.”

One of the most rewarding aspects McCaleb experienced was how well the different belief systems in Sierra Leone coexist, she said.

“Sierra Leone’s primary religions are Islam and Christianity,” McCaleb said. “The people infuse their traditional beliefs into their everyday lives. In Freetown, there is a mosque or a church on every corner.

“Each morning, I would hear the Islamic prayer, and nearly every afternoon I would listen to attendees at the Methodist church down the street sing their hearts out,” she added.

As McCaleb looks toward the future, she hopes to transition into tribal extension and advocacy after graduation and continue helping others, she said.

In February 2023, McCaleb served as a tribal liaison in Washington, D.C., and advocated for more Native American producer inclusion in the 2023 Farm Bill. Speaking with other tribes and tribal councils was humbling, she added.

“Tribal work is similar to international work,” McCaleb said. “To be successful, you have to find people willing to support your cause, gain the trust of the communities you want to help, and put your heart into what you are doing and why you are doing it.”

GWEN FOWLER ALEDO, ILLINOIS

McKenzie McCaleb, MIAP student, began her master’s program in Spring 2021. Photo by Austin Reim.

While serving on the 2022-2023 National FFA Officer Team, Karstyn Cantrell will spend a year traveling across the U.S. to visit FFA members and sponsors.

Photo by Dusty Oldenburg.

THE JOURNEY TO BECOME A NATIONAL FFA VICE PRESIDENT

The Value of SayingYes

Saying yes can be scary. Taking a risk and putting yourself in a position to be told no can be terrifying.

“I remember someone saying to just show up and say yes, and for me, I have taken that and said yes by being available to others,” said Karstyn Cantrell, the 2022-2023 Central Region Vice President of the National FFA Organization.

Through saying yes as a Skiatook FFA member, she found success.

“FFA is a big family tradition, so I naturally migrated to FFA after being in 4-H,” Cantrell said.

Her older brother, Parker Cantrell, was in FFA and inspired her, she said, but she wanted to find her own purpose in FFA.

“I tried to do competitions that he didn’t do,” Cantrell said.

Growing up in a family with deep roots in the agricultural industry, Cantrell said she tries to bring honor to her family by serving others well.

“At the end of the day, all the FFA jackets have the chapter and the state on the back, but it’s only my name on the front,” Cantrell said.

As a high school senior, Cantrell decided to run for a state FFA officer

position to serve the organization that gave her so much, she said.

Each state FFA officer team has eight members from around Oklahoma who serve for one year. Cantrell was elected by her peers to be the 20202021 Oklahoma FFA Northeast Area Vice President.

After finishing her time as an Oklahoma FFA officer, Cantrell decided in 2021 to pursue a National FFA officer position.

Every state can nominate one candidate to go through the interview process with the nominating committee at the National FFA Convention.

The committee then selects the six members of that year’s National FFA officer team.

Cantrell was not chosen in 2021 to be an officer.

“It was a really humbling experience,” Cantrell said, “but it gave me a drive and passion to see what my life looked like outside of the blue and gold jacket. I found a deeper love for my community and realized my work in the FFA wasn’t done.”

Cantrell was selected a second time to be Oklahoma’s national officer candidate. This time, she sought mentorship from Ryan Best.

“Ryan served as a national FFA officer in 2012, so he truly knows what it is like to walk in my shoes,” she said.

Best, who is an agricultural education doctoral student, met with Cantrell multiple times per week as she prepared for the 2022 National FFA convention.

“Karstyn is incredibly talented and motivated, but when you get to know her at a deeper level, there is such depth in her character,” Best said. “She sees potential in others when they don’t see potential in themselves.”

When the officers’ names were called at the 2022 National FFA Convention, Cantrell was among them.

“As a national vice president, I take a gap year from school and travel the whole year to serve 850,823 FFA members across the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,” Cantrell said. “I work not only for the students, but also I serve as a member for our governing board of directors.”

During her travels, Cantrell has met FFA members and supporters who have a variety of backgrounds, she said.

“In Oklahoma, you meet a lot of people who were raised in agriculture and know what it is like to drive down the road and see a farm,” Cantrell said.

“But, in visiting places like Miami, Florida, I met students who have never seen a production animal operation but still find success in FFA through things like STEM. It has been eyeopening to me.”

One of the first places she and her fellow officers traveled to South Africa to experience agriculture in other parts of the world.

“I saw a lot of similarities in agriculture between South Africa and the United States,” Cantrell said. “It was cool to see the pride farmers have in their work and their involvement in agriculture.

“You see the same kind of practices in irrigation and crop rotation,” she added. “There are so many similarities you wouldn’t expect when taking an 18-hour flight to another continent.”

One of Cantrell’s biggest goals as a national officer is to serve and be available to others.

“Knowing I get to have an impact at a national level and travel to four to six states a month to see other

FFA members is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me,” Cantrell said. “It means the world to me to know I am serving others.”

Though Cantrell travels independently from her fellow officers, she has built a strong bond with each one, she said.

“Karstyn could be described in a lot of ways,” said Jessica Herr, the 20222023 National FFA Secretary. “She is dedicated, intentional, driven, and encouraging. She brings a great balance to the team.”

Cantrell is always ready to answer calls or make her teammates laugh, Herr said.

Even spending the year away, Cantrell stays connected with family and friends in Oklahoma. She plans to return to Oklahoma State University in January 2024 to complete her agricultural communications degree.

“Throughout my time in FFA, I really fell in love with agricultural communications,” Cantrell said.

Through Associated Press style

quizzes and photography, Cantrell found a “little spark,” she said. She is considering going into an agricultural law and policy career, she said, and hopes her agricultural communications background will help her pursue that goal.

“I want it to be known agriculture is something anyone can find hope in,” Cantrell said.

“Getting to wear an FFA jacket is a big deal, but I am not,” she said. “I am in a servant-minded position. I never want to forget that.

“My biggest piece of advice would be to say ‘yes,’” Cantrell said. “That’s the door to every opportunity.”

Karstyn Cantrell runs onstage as her name is called for a National FFA officer position. Photo by Wales Hunter.

ALLYSON ELLER SKIATOOK, OKLAHOMA

Dylan Johnston will graduate in October 2024 with his master’s degree in physician assistant studies. Photo by Savanna Souza.

Made for

Medicine

OSU ALUMNUS CHANGES CAREER PATHS TO BETTER SERVE RURAL COMMUNITIES

Every community needs access to healthcare providers and proper medical care.

However, a need exists for more rural healthcare workers, said Dylan Johnston, a physician assistant student at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences.

OSU’s program exists to train future PAs for careers serving on healthcare teams with physicians and other medical personnel in rural parts of the state, he said.

Johnston was born in West Virginia and spent most of his childhood in northeast Georgia. He then moved with his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he attended Bixby High School.

Throughout his childhood, Johnston was involved in 4-H and FFA, which sparked his interests in science and medicine.

“I showed dairy cattle in middle school,” Johnston said. “Those early interactions taking care of animals and watching our veterinarian are initially what drew me to a career in medicine.”

In 2010, Johnston began his college career at OSU, majoring in animal science with the intent of attending veterinary school. In the final year of his bachelor’s degree, Johnston applied to the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine and was disappointed to not receive admission, he said.

“I thought to myself, ‘What am I going to do from here?’” Johnston said. “At the time, I was dating my now wife,

and we were getting fairly serious. I had to make a decision to chase my vet school dream or change career paths.”

Ultimately, Johnston pursued a master’s degree in agricultural economics and proposed to his college sweetheart, Ashton Mese.

“Dylan is the greatest person I know,” said Ashton Mese Johnston, Dylan’s wife of seven years. “He was a fantastic college boyfriend who turned into a fantastic husband.”

As newlyweds, the pair took a leap of faith to pack their things and move to Washington, D.C., in 2016, she said.

“We got married on a Saturday in Oklahoma City, and on Sunday, we started driving to Washington,” Dylan Johnston said.

Dylan Johnston began working for the Farm Credit Administration while Ashton Johnston was a policy staffer for the House Agriculture Committee at the U.S. Capitol. The couple enjoyed

living and working in the city, he said. However, after living in Washington for less than one year, the couple received devastating news, he added.

“I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer,” Ashton Johnston said. “It was pretty far along, and treatment was going to take surgery and chemotherapy.”

Despite the news, the couple felt Washington was where they were called to be, Ashton Johnston said. They continued to live in Washington while she sought medical treatment with her husband by her side every step of the way, she added.

“Dylan really shined during that time, and it proved so much to me,” Ashton Johnston said. “He was made to work in medicine. I always joke with him that I was his first patient.”

When doctors asked questions about Ashton Johnston’s health, her husband had all of the answers, she said. He took note of all her

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

The new physician assistant program at the OSU Center for Health Sciences aims to support and advocate for rural healthcare in Oklahoma. The 28-month program includes the following:

• 13 months of training in the classroom with in-class lectures and hands-on experiences and

• 15 months of clinical rotations throughout the state.

At the end of the program, students earn a Master of Science in physician assistant studies.

For more information visit https://medicine.okstate.edu/pa/.

Source: OSU Center for Heath Sciences

medications, side effects and symptoms, she said, but she had not noticed until he unveiled a spreadsheet at a doctor’s appointment.

“He is so good at everything medical,” Ashton Johnston said. “We look back at those three years spent in D.C. as a treasure. We got incredible medical care, and it relit a fire in Dylan.”

In 2018, Ashton Johnston received “no evidence of disease” results. The couple celebrated the next year with normalcy as they continued their

careers until they decided to move back to Oklahoma to be closer to family, he said. Then in 2020, COVID-19 affected Ashton Johnston’s parents, who died within weeks of each other, she said.

“Dylan was so helpful through all the healthcare decisions needing to be made,” Ashton Johnston said. “It was a very difficult and heartbreaking way for him to realize the difference he could be making if he were to work in medicine.”

Dylan Johnston decided to leave his finance career with Rabo AgriFinance in 2021 and began working for a medical clinic in Cashion, Oklahoma, to gain experience before applying to OSU’s physician assistant program in Tulsa, he said.

“My experience at the Cashion Community Clinic solidified my passion for a career in rural healthcare,” he said.

Dylan Johnston anticipated the process would take a few years to build

Dylan Johnston (second from left) joins fellow physician assistant students Jennifer Denton (left), Michael Taylor and Brady Fields as they participate in a chest tube intubation lab. Photo by Savanna Souza.

a competitive application given his unique background, he said.

“Dylan was selected for an interview the very first time he applied,” Ashton Johnston said. “He did very well in the interview. One of the interviewers said it was the best interview she had in 12 years.”

Everyone knew he was made for this, Ashton Johnston said.

“I interviewed Dylan,” said Jennifer Stauffer, clinical assistant professor and director of clinical education. “I was very impressed and captivated by his unique journey to becoming a PA.”

Stauffer now serves as Dylan Johnston’s faculty adviser and the adviser for the Student PAs in Rural Communities club.

The SPARC club is the first PA-led club on campus, he added.

Dylan Johnston is one of the founding members of the SPARC club and serves as the treasurer. When founding the club, the goal was to form a community of PAs who are passionate about rural healthcare, he said.

“Dylan is very passionate about rural medicine,” Stauffer said. “He contributes a lot to our program because he helps us meet our mission, which is to help rural Oklahoma.”

Dylan Johnston’s passions for rural healthcare and science are easily seen through his academics, she added.

“I would describe Dylan as professional and humble,” said Rebecca Stephen, clinical assistant professor and director of admissions. “He has worked really hard for his success, but you would not necessarily know because it looks like it comes so easy to him.”

Dylan Johnston’s hard work and professionalism led him to serve as class president, Stephen said. He entered the program with goals, she added, and every day he is accomplishing them.

In August 2023, the class will enter clinical rotation training for 15 months. Dylan Johnston will graduate from the program in 2024 with a Master of Science degree in physician assistant studies.

“One thing that drew me to the OSU program was the focus on rural health,” Dylan Johnston said. “More than half of our rotations are in rural areas. The locations go as far northwest as Beaver all the way down to Durant. We really cover the whole state.”

The amount of rural exposure is unique to the OSU program, he added. After graduation, Dylan Johnston plans to work in emergency medicine at a small hospital in rural Oklahoma, he said.

The 2021-accredited PA program at the OSU Center for Health Sciences helps students earn their degrees while increasing medical access to underserved areas of Oklahoma.

“I want rural students to understand this is a career path that will allow them to serve their communities back home,” Dylan Johnston said. “Ashton and I are thankful our experiences opened this door for me to serve in healthcare, and I hope others see they can, too.”

SAVANNA SOUZA HOLLISTER, CALIFORNIA

Ashton (left) and Dylan Johnston reside in Cashion, Oklahoma. She serves as the industry relations manager for the Oklahoma Pork Council. Photo provided by Dylan Johnston.

&CATTLE

CORVETTES

The itch to go fast has been in Ken Starks’ mind for more years than he can remember. Whether his goal was to give his all at work, to own a muscle car, or to obtain multiple degrees from Oklahoma State University, Starks’ life has always been operating at a faster pace, exactly as he prefers it, he said.

However, since retiring earlier this year from his leadership role at BancFirst, Starks said he has been happy to spend more time with his children and grandchildren.

He has continued to stay involved with the Stillwater community and his alma mater, he said.

“I wouldn’t have retired if I was just going to go home and sit in a chair,” Starks said.

Though his favorite place to be is outside with his Hereford cattle, Starks also has a love of quick-moving automobiles, he said.

“I like to go fast,” Starks said. “I have a collection of muscle cars, which are from the 1960s and ’70s and have high horsepower.”

This love of muscle cars began in high school while he was working at a local gas station with a group of other young men, Starks said.

As the youngest on the job, Starks was directed to wash cars in addition to his typical role of pumping gas for the station’s customers.

“I can remember one customer had a 1967 Corvette, and I got to wash it every Friday,” Starks said. “That was my exposure to that kind of car.

“Once I could afford them, I started buying them,” he added.

CORVETTES

THE LIFE AND PASSIONS OF AN AGEC ALUMNUS

Ken and Kathy Starks, along with their herd of cattle, live in Stillwater near OSU and their family.

Photo by Bree Kisling.

Today, Starks has a collection of 10 cars, including Camaros, Corvettes and a 1979 Trans Am. In the summertime, Starks spends several weekends racing cars in northeast Oklahoma with others from around the region.

“I take one of my Camaros to the racetrack in Hallett,” Starks said. “It’s considered gentlemen’s racing because we don’t crash and we don’t trade paint. But, there’s still no speed limit.”

Even though he may not race his treasured cars through the streets of Stillwater, he still has a strong love for his community and a desire to improve it as he can, he said.

Whether helping develop jobs and businesses with BancFirst, donating

time, talents and resources to OSU, or simply sharing the passion he has for his community with others, Starks has consistently sped toward any opportunity to benefit his town, he said.

Barring three scattered years since 1966, Starks has lived in Stillwater, Oklahoma, surrounded by America’s Brightest Orange.

Moving to Stillwater at a young age from a smaller Oklahoma town, he has watched as people and businesses came and went, as Perkins Road transitioned from two gravel lanes into a major street, and as campus grew in magnitude and prominence, he said.

Once Starks and his high school sweetheart, Kathy Smith, had

graduated high school, they both decided to pursue degrees at OSU.

“I didn’t consider anything else for undergraduate,” Starks said. “Our family bled orange.”

After getting married in 1975, Starks completed his agricultural economics degree in 1976. He then spent two additional years with the department to obtain his master’s degree.

Right after graduating, Starks began a job with OSU Extension in southeast Oklahoma. However, after a year of serving in that position, he knew the right decision was to move back home and pursue his dream career in banking, he said.

“It was about getting back to Stillwater,” Starks said. “I was homesick. I’ll admit it.”

After years of hard work, Starks took on new leadership roles at the company and was given platforms to share his passions with others, he said.

He served as the president of Stillwater’s BancFirst from 1998 to

Alongside his cars, Ken Starks has an old gas pump in his garage that reminds him of his earliest days working at the gas station. Photo by Bree Kisling.

2006 before being promoted to regional executive vice president in 2007, then executive vice president and director of community banking in 2018.

Despite his increasing workload at the bank, Starks remained involved with OSU and the Ferguson College of Agriculture. Besides supporting OSU athletics and attending plenty of campus events, Starks taught an undergraduate agricultural economics class on a temporary basis. Mike Woods, a former classmate from graduate school who had risen to become head of the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics, hired Starks.

“We lost a faculty member and didn’t have anyone to teach the agricultural finance course,” said Woods, who retired in 2019. “Starks told me he would do it, but he wanted to have it as early as possible. He wanted to come in, teach the course, and then go back to his bank job without being behind.”

Starks’ impact has stretched beyond classroom walls in many ways

to the agricultural college and OSU as a whole, said Heidi Williams, OSU Foundation associate vice president of constituent development.

“Ken has continued to stay really involved and has wanted to help make connections with others, as well,” Williams said. “He doesn’t toot his own horn. He quietly and humbly stays involved and gives back time and talents in addition to resources.”

Of the many accomplishments and initiatives Starks championed while at BancFirst, one of his specific plans was to increase BancFirst’s support to his alma mater, he said.

“I always wanted to do as much as we possibly could,” Starks said. “And if I’m going to ask my company to contribute, I need to contribute first as an individual. You have to walk the walk.”

With that motivation in mind, the Starkses created the Ken and Kathy Starks Endowed Scholarship within the agricultural economics department and donated funds to the New

Frontiers capital campaign in addition to their other contributions.

After decades of calling Stillwater his home and OSU his alma mater, Starks is still enthusiastic as ever to support the place that has always supported him and his family, he said.

“My dad always told me that I needed to leave Stillwater better than I found it, so I have always tried to do that,” Starks said.

Though his life has changed in more ways than he can count since he first moved to the town, his love for community, cattle, cars and the Cowboys has not slowed.

BREE KISLING ENID, OKLAHOMA

One of Ken Starks’ prized possessions is his 1969 Z28 Chevrolet Camaro he has owned since 1984. Photo by Bree Kisling.

Turf for Tomorrow

OSU TURFGRASS PROGRAM PUSHES THE LIMITS OF WHAT GRASS CAN BE

Grass. The earth’s carpet. A plant best known for covering soil and giving dads a reason to buy new lawn mowers.

However, some uses of grass require the plant to perform on some of the biggest competitive stages in the world. These specialty grasses require innovative research, extension and education through universities.

“The turfgrass science and turfgrass management programs in the Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture work in harmony to push the limits of what something as simple as grass can become,” said Dennis Martin, horticulture and landscape architecture professor and turfgrass extension and research specialist. “The success of the two programs has made OSU one of the top turfgrass schools in the country.”

For the past 33 years, Martin has filled a leadership role in pushing OSU’s turfgrass program to the top. Martin has an OSU Extension and research joint appointment that includes a variety of responsibilities within the turfgrass program.

“My favorite part of my job here at OSU is there is always something new,” Martin said. “Whether I’m doing

research, communicating with stakeholders, or advising the development team, I enjoy the different tasks of each day.

“Developing new varieties of turfgrass has played a major role in OSU’s rise to prominence in the turfgrass industry,” Martin said. “When you’re constantly pushing the industry forward with new varieties, people begin to notice.”

One of the key players in those developments is plant and soil sciences professor Yanqi Wu.

Prior to coming to the U.S. in 2001, Wu worked at Sichuan Agriculture University in China. After obtaining his doctorate from OSU in 2004, he

was offered full citizenship as a professor in 2006.

Just four years later, Wu released his first turfgrass variety. Since then, he has contributed to the development of five new varieties of turfgrass as a part of the OSU Turfgrass Team.

One of those varieties is Tahoma 31, an interspecific hybrid grass developed through combining common Bermuda grass and African Bermuda grass, Wu said.

The Tahoma 31 variety was released in 2017 and gained popularity because of its beauty, drought resistance, traffic tolerance, and ability to survive winter conditions.

Tahoma 31 has been implemented into several football stadiums across the country, Wu said.

At the college level, the University of Arkansas’ Tahoma 31 football field received the college football Field of the Year Award in 2022.

In the NFL, the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens use Tahoma 31 for its wear resistance and cold tolerance.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels and the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City also use Tahoma 31.

OSU HAS ONE OF THE TOP TURFGRASS PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY. DENNIS MARTIN

Yanqi Wu examines a Bermuda grass sample to evaluate its root structure.

Photo by Grant McClure.

Golf courses in Greece, Australia, and the U.S. plant Tahoma 31 on tees, roughs, collars, and driving ranges.

The OSU Turfgrass Team has developed other varieties of turfgrass such as Latitude 36 and Northbridge.

The Washington Commanders, Texas Rangers and FC Dallas use Latitude 36 in their stadiums. The Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the Kansas City Chiefs use Northbridge.

Wu’s favorite part of his research is creating new grasses, he said.

“I enjoy getting to come to work every day knowing I’m changing the world in a positive way,” Wu said. “At the end of the day, I get to say I’m creating new grasses that will benefit society in some way.”

With the development of a new turfgrass variety, working out the kinks is a part of the process and involves multiple departments.

Nathan Walker, an entomology and plant pathology professor and OSU Extension specialist for turf disease and pest diagnosis, helps with

AT THE END OF THE DAY, I GET TO SAY I’M CREATING NEW GRASSES THAT WILL BENEFIT SOCIETY IN SOME WAY.

turfgrass development. He focuses his work on a fungal disease in Bermuda grass called “Spring Dead Spot.”

While the name “Spring Dead Spot” may not sound familiar, most people have seen the disease at work without knowing it. It causes Bermuda grass to develop dead patches and reduces the plants’ ability to survive in winter.

Walker discovered the different species of Bermuda grass infected by the fungus that causes Spring Dead Spot, known as Ophiosphaerella, have different responses to the fungus. If the grass does not recognize the fungus is present, the disease will not activate, and the grass won’t have any consequences from it, he said.

As a pioneer of Spring Dead Spot research, Walker speaks at conferences about the disease and the progress being made at OSU. His research has taken him to every continent besides Antarctica and Africa.

YANQI WU

In June 2023, Walker will represent the Ferguson College of Agriculture and the entomology and plant pathology department while speaking at the Australian Sports Turf conference.

“In a way, we’ve pulled the curtain back on this disease,” Walker said. “When I first started, there was little to no knowledge on the specific biology of Spring Dead Spot. We’ve forwarded the understanding of the disease, which has helped us in the development of possible solutions.”

Spring Dead Spot is considered a nuisance in any setting; however, playing fields made of turfgrass consider the disease public enemy No. 1, he said.

“The dead patches caused by the disease can create divots, affecting player performance, ball roll and aesthetics,” Walker said.

The goal of Walker’s research is to develop genetically resistant Bermuda grass rather than using pesticides.

“This disease is constantly having to be addressed in areas where you have human interaction,” Walker said. “You have athletes and hobbyists constantly in contact with the grass. The fewer pesticides we can use in these areas the better the health of the people utilizing the playing field, regardless of the sport.”

In addition to Martin, Wu and Walker, the OSU Agriculture Turfgrass Team includes a bigger group of professionals on various projects.

The newest members are Mingying Xiang, an assistant professor, and Shuhao Yu, a research assistant professor. Both Xiang and Yu joined the horticulture and landscape architecture department in 2022.

Justin Moss, horticulture and landscape architecture department head and professor, and Charles Fontainer, horticulture and landscape architecture associate professor, complete the

turfgrass team and have helped invent several varieties.

OSU’s turfgrass program has the prowess to maintain the university’s top-tier reputation across the globe, Martin said. Whether developing new varieties like Tahoma 31 or finding cures for 100-year-old grass killers, the bar is high, he added.

Through research and development, the turfgrass interdisciplinary program at OSU will continue to push the limits of what grass can become, Martin said.

The greenhouses at Oklahoma State University facilitate research and development in controlled environments.

Photo by Grant McClure

GRANT MCCLURE GUNTER, TEXAS

Carli Hawkins practices goat tying for the OSU Rodeo Team.

Photo by Allie McCracken.

The Oklahoma State University Rodeo Team is no stranger to success. Over the past decade, the program has grown and represented the Ferguson College of Agriculture at the national level.

In 2012, the team had 17 members, and today, it averages 50 members. Much of the growth began when Cody Hollingsworth joined OSU as the rodeo program coordinator and head coach 11 years ago.

“The college approached me to help out,” Hollingsworth said. “We discussed what it would take to bring on a full-time coach.”

A short time after, Hollingsworth met with Lou and Wes Watkins, who helped gather support for a head coach’s position.

When OSU Student Life provided funding for the position in February 2012, the OSU Rodeo Team was then placed under the supervision of the dean’s office in the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

“To come into the program and establish rules and structure was interesting,” Hollingsworth said. “I was met with a little bit of resistance because people were used to doing things a certain way.”

Until Hollingsworth started coaching, the team was a part of the OSU Rodeo Club. The team did not have a coach so students ran practices.

“For the most part, students were eager to have the support and structure and to be pointed in a new direction,” Hollingsworth said.

OSU RODEO TEAM CONTINUES TO GROW

OSU RODEO HIGHLIGHTS

The Oklahoma State University Rodeo Association began in 1946 when six students started practicing and competing together.

In 1948, representatives of OSU Rodeo traveled to the first of many National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association rodeos, and the team has been an active member of the association since then.

The team’s recent accomplishments include the following:

• The OSU Rodeo women’s team earned Central Plains Region championship in 2022 after being the Central Plains Region reserve champion team in 2019 and 2021.

• In 2021, four members of the OSU Rodeo women’s team and one member of the men’s team competed at the College National Finals Rodeo.

• In 2022, three members of the OSU Rodeo men’s team and three women’s team members competed at the CNFR.

• LJ Yeahquo, a member of the OSU Rodeo men’s team, was the 2022 champion heeler in the Central Plains Region.

• Kenna McNeill, a member of the OSU Rodeo women’s team, was the All-Around Cowgirl of the Central Plains Region in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Source: agriculture.okstate.edu/rodeo/

Sara Honegger, who now serves as director of marketing and youth programs for the National Reining Horse Association, was a part of Hollingsworth’s first official team in 2012, competing in breakaway and barrel racing.

“There were definitely some growing pains that occurred as with every major change,” Honegger said.

Since the team was a club, they didn’t have any structure when it came to functioning as a team, she said.

“It didn’t take long for us to bond and come together as one unit working toward a major cause,” Honegger said. “We all were thrilled with having Coach Cody and knowing what that meant for the future of OSU Rodeo.”

When Hollingsworth started coaching, the team’s account had $600, he said. The team didn’t have enough funds to lease practice calves or steers, and the students paid for any resources needed.

“We now have had enough people donate and raise enough funds so none of the financial burden falls on the students,” Hollingsworth said.

The OSU Rodeo Team has three arenas they can use for team practices, along with new barns and runs for students’ horses.

“Thanks to our generous donors and the Ferguson College of Agriculture, we have made many improvements to our facilities since I have been on the team,” said Cheyenne Bartling, agricultural leadership master’s student and graduate assistant coach for the OSU Rodeo Team.

Donors and alumni also help students in their academic careers, Hollingsworth said.

“That was one of my biggest goals — to be able to raise enough funds for our student-athletes to help pay for their education just like any other mainstream sport,” Hollingsworth said.

The college provides some scholarships for team members.

The rest are funded through events like the Cowboy Ball, from endowed scholarships, and by donors. Organized by OSU Rodeo Team alumni, the

Cowboy Ball also raises money for arena improvements.

“We are very appreciative of the scholarships available here at OSU,” Bartling said.

Bartling received scholarships throughout her undergraduate career and now she receives a stipend from the university as a graduate assistant coach, she said.

In the last few years, the OSU Rodeo Team added a mental performance coach, Katie Hollingsworth, to help students handle stress and adversities.

“We have seen tremendous growth in our students’ understanding of what mental performance means and what sports mindset means,” Cody Hollingsworth said.

Mental performance makes up a large percentage of what it takes to be successful, he added.

“We practice every day, and we have physical trainers,” Cody Hollingsworth said. “If we feel the mental game is a large part of competing, then we need to be doing something to work on it.”

Although rodeo is often an individual sport, each athlete takes being a part of the team seriously, he said.

“We teach the importance of working on a team because whether it be in their professional careers or professional rodeo careers, they will have to be a part of a team,” Cody Hollingsworth said.

Success comes from working as a team and using the resources available to them, Bartling said.

“I feel supported by my teammates, coaches, and the staff in the Ferguson College of Agriculture,” she said. “We strive to make champions both in and out of the arena.”

ALLIE MCCRACKEN CLAREMORE, OKLAHOMA

WE TEACH THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING ON A TEAM BECAUSE WHETHER IT BE IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL CAREERS OR PROFESSIONAL RODEO CAREERS, THEY WILL HAVE TO BE PART OF A TEAM.

CODY HOLLINGSWORTH

Cody Hollingsworth watches OSU Rodeo

Team member Callie Keaton unsaddle her horse after an afternoon rodeo practice. Photo by Allie McCracken.

UNTIL THEVacas COME HOME

The Beef Cattle Manual is designed to help beef operations increase their production one step at a time. Photo by Molly Sawatzky.

SPANISH VERSION OF THE BEEF CATTLE MANUAL HELPS PRODUCERS WORLDWIDE

Imagine driving 11 hours and 30 minutes from Stillwater, Oklahoma, to the southern New Mexico border with books piled in the back of your car. No stops. Just pushing forward to your destination.

Derrell Peel, professor and Oklahoma State University Extension livestock marketing specialist in the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics, made this trek to meet his colleague Enrique Sanchez Granillo, a longtime associate of the Chihuahua Cattlemen’s Association. Peel brought Granillo copies of the Beef Cattle Manual translated into Spanish for the state of Chihuahua, Mexico.

First published in 1983, the Oklahoma Beef Cattle Manual was a

concise resource on beef cattle production and management developed by various professionals in the agricultural industry.

The main contributor was animal and food sciences professor Keith S. Lusby, who spent 19 years in OSU Extension, research and teaching within the department.

This manual included information about nutrition, reproduction, animal health, genetics and the design of cattle-working facilities.

“The Beef Cattle Manual has always been there to help assist cattle producers no matter where they are from,” said Kellie Curry Raper, professor and livestock marketing extension specialist in agricultural economics.

Raper along with David Lalman in the animal and food sciences department are two of the co-editors of the latest English edition of the Beef Cattle Manual.

“The first four editions of the Beef Cattle Manual were limited to nutrition, reproduction, animal breeding, animal handling facilities and general management topics,” Lalman said.

“In 2004, our interdisciplinary team decided to expand the manual to include business management, industry issues, beef quality assurance, forage production, grazing management, herd health, biosecurity and a few other related topics,” he added.

Lalman served as an editor with Damona Doye, associate vice president

of OSU Extension, for the expanded fifth edition published in 2005.

“Our interdisciplinary team continues to update the manual content,” Lalman said.

Today, the eighth edition of the Beef Cattle Manual focuses on being a valuable communication tool that delivers both production and economic education to producers, Peel said.

“The manual is a technical innovation in animal production used worldwide,” Sanchez said. “We share a lot of common problems. Even with the differences of environmental conditions, the basics of cattle production are likely the same.”

Each new update reflects recent research-based information from across disciplines relevant to beef production systems, Raper said. These disciplines include faculty and OSU Extension specialists in animal and food science, biosystems and agricultural

engineering, veterinary medicine, entomology and plant pathology, plant and soil sciences, natural resource ecology and management, and agricultural economics, she said.

“This approach to the Beef Cattle Manual has enhanced its capability to remain a relevant and valued resource over time,” Raper said.

In 2015, Doye started the process of creating a Spanish version of the Beef Cattle Manual.

Prior to 2016, OSU’s Beef Cattle Manual was distributed to five foreign countries, 37 states and eight universities, Raper said. Now, manuals are distributed to even more states and countries than before with about 1,300 copies of the eighth edition already in use, she added.

“Feedlot operators and other large producers expressed the need for a Spanish version of the Beef Cattle Manual to share with the people who

work with them,” Doye said. “However, finding the translation service that could understand the technical language and translate it appropriately became more complicated than we originally thought.”

As a master’s graduate of the OSU animal science program in 2020, Sanchez collaborated with Peel to provide a complete translation of the new eighth edition of the Beef Cattle Manual into Spanish.

“The most important part of my job was to find the right words and terminology,” Sanchez said. “In Latin America, the terminology is different between the formal social speaking to how these producers talk at home on the ranch.”

In recent years, Peel and Sanchez have worked closely with each other in Mexico and the U.S., Peel said.

“When I first asked Sanchez if he was interested in helping us translate

The Spanish Beef Cattle Manual bridges the gaps among producers worldwide.

Photo by OSU Agricultural Communications Services.

the manual, he right away said yes and translated the whole thing,” Peel said.

The newest version of the Beef Cattle Manual consists of 45 chapters with 37 authors across eight disciplines. Working closely with Peel, Sanchez translated all 45 chapters.

“Sanchez has been a great help in assisting with translating the manual into Spanish, especially when it comes to understanding the technical language of the original Beef Cattle Manual,” Doye said.

The goal of this new translated manual is to help Spanish-speaking cattle producers increase their production value by providing them with new science and methods, Raper said.

“The manual will help communication among people, and it’s going to help with communication among Spanish-speaking individuals who are working on their own,” Raper said.

As the team worked on the Spanish edition, the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, preordered more than 250

copies of the manual for its cattle producers. Peel volunteered to escort the manuals to Sanchez at the border between U.S. and Mexico so the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, could receive copies, Peel said.

“I loaded up my vehicle full of as many manuals as I could and started toward the cattle border in Santa Teresa, New Mexico,” Peel said.

Peel hopes more people will choose to adopt this new Spanish Beef Cattle Manual, he said, whether in more Mexican states, or other Spanishspeaking countries.

Once the Spanish Beef Cattle Manual is out there, more people will be interested, Raper said.

“This manual is an excellent contribution for Mexico and many other countries in Latin America,” Sanchez said. “We expect many more countries will join us in using this manual.”

The manual is now in Central and South America, including Argentina, Sanchez said.

The faculty involved with the Beef Cattle Manual are excited about continuing their international efforts, Raper said.

“The manual will help cattle production be more uniform throughout the U.S. and other countries,” Peel said. “Hopefully this will create an increase in production to meet the needs of the growing population today.”

The Spanish and English versions of the Beef Cattle Manual are available for purchase online at http://extension.okstate.edu/programs/master-cattlemen/ beef-catle-manual.html.

MOLLY SAWATZKY CLINTON, OKLAHOMA

Kellie Raper (left), Derell Peel and Enrique Sanchez Granillo are three of the primary contributers to the Spanish beef cattle manual. Photo by Molly Sawatzky.

MeetPete

The story of the Hammert family legacy began with a 15-year-old boy, a German czar and what would become Oklahoma.

The boy was Bernhard William Hammert Sr., who wrote a poem in the 1800s that started the legacy of the Hammert family.

“My grandfather was in Stuttgart, Germany, and he made some derogatory statements about the German czar,” Pete Hammert said. “He was 15 years old, and they were going to put him into the German Army when he got to be 16.

“His parents didn’t want that,” Pete Hammert added, “and he didn’t either, so he moved to Kansas.”

When Bernhard Hammert got to the U.S., he served as a busboy in an elegant hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, before working as a butcher in a packing house in St. Louis.

“Anadarko, Oklahoma, was up for sale for lots to be developed on August 6, 1901,” Pete Hammert said. “Papa bought a lot for his meat market and a lot for his house, then he made a deal to build them.”

Bernhard Hammert returned home, loaded up his family, household goods, and a Jersey bull, and moved to Anadarko, Oklahoma.

“He got to Anadarko, unloaded everything, butchered the Jersey bull, and opened a meat market,” Pete Hammert said. “That’s what you call a bare beginning.”

That market became the Hammert Grocery Store, which was officially founded in 1901.

“When they first got here, the prairie grass was so high it reached the horse’s belly,” said Pete’s daughter, Rhonda Hammert. “My great-grandpa worked all the time, even on Sundays.

They tried to tell him to close on Sundays, and he said, ‘No, people will buy,’ and he would stay open as late as they needed.”

The Hammert Grocery Store survived the Great Depression and stayed open until the late 1970s. The store closed a few years after Bernhard Hammert died at the age of 94.

In the mid-1920s, the Hammert family sent their son Bernhard Willie Hammert, Pete Hammert’s father, to college in Nevada.

“My dad and brothers were pretty good athletes,” Pete Hammert said. “My dad got a scholarship to go to the University of Nevada. He went there for one year as a running back, then he went to the University of Oklahoma.

“In 1923, my dad was captain of the OU football team,” he continued. “My mother, my dad, my aunts and my uncles all went to OU, as well. So, I came along, and they said, ‘Where are you going to go to school?’ I said, ‘Oklahoma A&M.’”

From then on, Pete Hammert and his entire family have attended either Oklahoma A&M College or Oklahoma State University.

“I was the first one to go to Oklahoma A&M,” Pete Hammert said. “Since then, I have had two daughters

I CAME ALONG AND THEY SAID, ‘WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL?’ I SAID, ‘OKLAHOMA A&M.’

PETE HAMMERT

OKLAHOMA A&M GRADUATE SHARES HIS AGGIE STORY

Pete Hammert is a writer, rancher, father and grandfather. He said he hopes to live to be 100 years old. Photo by Chance McGill.

and three grandsons graduate from there. One of my grandsons was Pistol Pete in 2008 and 2009. We had a lot of fun that year.”

When Pete Hammert first got to Oklahoma A&M, only 5,000 students were on campus, he said. By the time he graduated, about 6,500 students were there, he added. That number has grown ever since.

“Stillwater was a great place to go to school,” Pete Hammert said.

During his time at Oklahoma A&M, Pete Hammert said he and his friends were regulars at the Keyless Café.

“One of my friends would yell at us through the window, ‘Come on, let’s go. We’ve got to go eat,’” he said. “Back then, you could get a cheeseburger and

fries for 40 cents. We’d go down there about every night.

“They were open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” he said. “They didn’t even have locks on the doors because they never closed.”

Pete Hammert earned his degree in animal husbandry from Oklahoma A&M in 1957, right after he voted on the name change from Oklahoma A&M to Oklahoma State University.

“We had everybody trying to figure out a name to put on it,” Pete Hammert said, “and we figured Oklahoma State was as good as any.

“They had some other names like Southwestern, Western, and a whole bunch of others,” he added, “but we all got behind Oklahoma State.”

In May 1957, Pete Hammert was among the last graduating class of Oklahoma A&M. Oklahoma State University was adopted as the official name of the university July 1, 1957.

“After college, my dad served on the school board, he worked for a meat packer, then he went to work for Production Credit Association in Chickasha in October 1965,” Rhonda Hammert said. “He got an offer with the Federal Land Bank after that. Then, he retired. Then, he went back again. Then, he retired again.”

Pete Hammert now raises cattle on wheat pasture and is still not officially retired, she said.

Throughout Pete Hammert’s life, he has stayed connected with OSU, said

Pete Hammert holds a photograph of the Hammert Grocery Store. The original storefront sign now sits on his front porch to welcome visitors to his house. Photo by Chance McGill.

Denise Parr, Hammert family friend and administrative assistant in the Caddo County extension office.

“Pete is so proud to be an OSU graduate,” Parr said. “I always love seeing him come in the office. It makes your day to see him.”

In 2019, Pete Hammert sat down and wrote a book about his family and their lives in Anadarko, Oklahoma.

“He’s got such a good outlook on life,” Parr said. “From what I understand, there is not a lot of written history on Anadarko so what is in his book was difficult to come up with.”

Pete Hammert began his book as a hobby, he said.

“I sat down one night, and I thought, I believe I’ll try to write something about my Uncle Carl,” Pete Hammert said. “So, I went in there and started writing, and I could just write. I had never been able to do anything like that in my life.”

He said his stories would take him back through time and whenever he finished writing he would have lost track of hours at a time.

“I would write until I’d get tired and get up and go to bed,” he said. “I’d look up at the clock, and it would be 4

o’clock in the morning whenever I’d finally go to bed.”

Pete Hammert’s book, “Secondhand Cowboys,” is a selection of short stories from his life he has accumulated over the years.

“I like to never got out of English,” Pete Hammert said with a laugh. “I failed English twice, and the third time I finally passed it.

“It just had to be a gift from God for letting me write like that,” he said. “If I could have written like that in English, I would have gotten out the first year.”

Pete Hammert still feeds cattle every day, sings to the tellers at the bank, and is writing a paper on crossbreeding cattle, Rhonda Hammert said.

“He is 88 years old,” she said. “He’ll be 89 in October.”

Rhonda Hammert said her father keeps his mind sharp by keeping written records of everything he observes throughout the day.

“We call his front pocket his filing cabinet,” she said. “He’s got a little notebook that he’ll write down how much it rains, what the markets are doing and phone numbers. He’s got everything in that pocket.”

Pete Hammert has tried to stay true to his roots throughout his entire life, he said.

“There are not very many of us left who graduated from Oklahoma A&M,” he said. “I am one of the last ones whose diploma says Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College.”

Pete Hammert smiled as he picked up his bachelor’s degree and showed the room.

From Oklahoma A&M to OSU, Pete Hammert said he and his family have stayed loyal and true to Oklahoma and to the Cowboys.

HAMMERTS AND THEIR TIME AT OSU

Pete Hammert 1953-1957

John Hammert (Brother) 1955

DeLois Hammert (Daughter) 1977-1982

Janice Hammert Blasingame (Daughter)

1979-1983

Rhonda Hammert (Daughter) 1983

Steve Blasingame (Son-in-Law) 1979-1983

Holly Hammert (Niece) 1988

John Kord Hammert (Nephew) 1985-1989

Matt Barnes (Grandson) 2003-2010

Lauren Williams Barnes (Granddaughter-in-law)

2003-2010

Patrice Freeny Odle (Step-granddaughter) 2004

Adam “Ty” Barnes (Grandson) 2005-2009

Evan Blasingame (Grandson) 2007-2011

Jilene Osborne Blasingame (Granddaughter-in-law)

2007-2011

Caitlin Freeny Dobecka (Step-granddaughter)

2008-2012

CHANCE MCGILL BARNSDALL, OKLAHOMA

WE HAD EVERYBODY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A NAME TO PUT ON IT, AND WE FIGURED OKLAHOMA STATE WAS AS GOOD AS ANY.

PETE HAMMERT

Beetles Bring back the

In a healthy ecosystem, dung beetles would not have to worry about where their next food source would come from.

Those who look around might think they see a healthy ecosystem. In reality, they do not because dung beetle populations are declining.

In Oklahoma alone, dung beetle numbers have decreased during the past few years. In 2014, when Wyatt Hoback, professor in the entomology and plant pathology department, arrived at Oklahoma State University, he began keeping records on the dung beetle population in the state.

“When dung beetles are around, they clean up the dung, which improves pasture health,” Hoback said. “They reduce parasites affecting cows like face flies and horn flies, and they also reduce internal parasite worms.”

Cattle typically will not feed within 5 or 10 feet of their own dung, said Greg Middleton, an entomology graduate student.

“Dung beetles are important in the nutrient recycling process that occurs when the dung gets decomposed back into the soil,” Middleton said. “The three different kinds of dung beetle all

perform the process in different ways, but all remove dung from the surface.”

The beetles that live in a fresh pile of dung are “dwellers.” Those that just dig holes at the edge of the pile and go straight underneath are “tunnelers.” Those that roll balls of dung away from the pile are “rollers.”

“To have a healthy dung beetle population, you want to have all the different sizes and all the behavioral groups,” Hoback said.

The dung beetle population is decreasing due to three primary factors: Ivermectin © , carbon dioxide levels and habitat loss, Middleton said.

“Ivermectin is the biggest issue for the beetles and is used as a pesticide for many cattle,” Middleton said. “Ivermectin is effective in controlling internal parasites, but it gets passed on easily in cattle dung. When dung beetles use the affected dung, it reduces their reproduction and the survivability from larvae to adults.”

A more recent study found higher levels of carbon dioxide reduced dung beetle size and survivability, Middleton said.

“Previous researchers looked at projections of carbon dioxide, what

RESEARCH DIGS IN TO IMPROVE DUNG BEETLE SURVIVAL

Canthon Pilularis beetles have been preserved for 50 years at Oklahoma State University.

Photo by Savanna Souza.

MASS-PRODUCING DUNG BEETLES IS ONE GOAL SET FOR THE RESEARCH.

WYATT HOBACK

he thought it was in the past, what it is now, and what he projected to be in the future, and he found a dramatic decrease in the adult size of the dung beetle and how many survived to adults,” Middleton said.

The third big issue facing the dung beetle is habitat loss.

“Fragmentation of forests and then urbanization reduces the amount of habitat for the sources of dung, so it’s not a direct impact on dung beetles but still is affecting the population,” Middleton said.

With the insects’ decline, Middleton set out to conduct research to conserve or save dung beetles, he said.

“One of the main goals was to determine a good way to collect dung beetles that would be cost-effective, such as pitfall traps,” Middleton said.

“The traps act as a trap door the beetles fall into,” Middleton said. “They are baited with dung because beetles are attracted to it.”

In Oklahoma, the ground is hard and mostly clay, making it more difficult to dig into the ground to install pitfall traps, Middleton said.

He designed three different traps, tested them, and proved which one would work best for this project.

“One of the ideas was to make the same one-quart container as a pit fall trap, place it on top of the surface, and then build plastic ramps on the side,” Middleton said. “The idea was when the beetles would smell the dung, they would walk up the ramp, they would fall into the cup, and that’s how we assess their population.”

This design had the most success compared to the other above-ground traps Middleton tried, he said.

The second part of Middleton’s research tested how prescribed burns influence dung beetle populations.

“From observational data, prescribed burns don’t seem to have a strong effect on dung beetles,” he said.

Immediately after a burn, the dung beetles preferred a nearby grass patch that wasn’t burned, Middleton said.

As the weeks progressed and the regrowth began, the dung beetles shifted back into those burned areas.

Part of the change may have been due to how quickly cattle and bison returned to those burned areas after new forage grew, he added. Those animals are the source of the dung so the beetles followed, he said.

“Dung beetles are useful, especially for farmers or just in general in

pastures,” Middleton said. “So, one of their main services — one of the more obvious ones — is to spread decomposed dung.”

In one night, a dung beetle can easily use 20 or more times its body weight, Middleton said.

A whole population of them in a pasture will quickly turn the dung back into the ground, allowing cattle to have many areas to eat, he added.

“Another service they provide is nutrient recycling,” Middleton said.

Nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, pass through cattle as they eat, Middleton said.

If those nutrients are not returned into the ground, the nutrients sit on the surface.

Dung beetles return the dung into the ground by their feeding, allowing those nutrients to once again be returned into the soil, Middleton added.

“We need to start thinking in more biological ways,” said Rodrigo Soares, an entomology graduate student.

Soares said he has worked with others in the department to research how dung beetles assist with biocontrol.

“Pest flies, like horn flies and face flies, use dung to reproduce, and they can also spread disease and cause a disturbance with the cattle,” Middleton said.

With dung beetles present, the amount of dung available for the flies is reduced, Middleton added.

“Many studies that have shown that in areas where dung beetles and flies were both present, the number of flies that emerged as adults was greatly

OSU maintains a collection of rainbow scarab beetles gathered in the 1980s. Photo by Callie Keaton.

reduced,” Middleton said. “One study even said up to 90%.”

In general, to help increase the dung beetle population, the best way to encourage population growth is to minimize insecticide use, Hoback said.

It does not matter the type of livestock operation you have, dung beetles can be found, Soares said.

Researchers at OSU are working to help preserve and eventually repopulate dung beetles, Middleton said.

“Mass-producing dung beetles is one goal for the research,” Hoback said. “We are looking for a really good way to breed dung beetles and supply the beetles back to farmers.”

CALLIE KEATON ANDERSON, MISSOURI

Among the rainbow scarab beetle collection rests this specimen collected on June 11, 1958.

Photo by Savanna Souza.

A Move For Better

Everyone has days or moments they remember vividly.

For Martha Rodriguez, that day is April 16, 2004.

On this day, Rodriguez and her two children, ages 10 and 16, boarded a bus in Mexico, took a leap of faith, and headed to the United States.

“Life in Mexico was extremely difficult,” Rodriguez said. “I remember not having shoes growing up, and my family experienced extreme poverty.”

Rodriguez grew up on a farm in Aguascalientes, Mexico, with 14 siblings. She is the first of her family to travel to the United States.

“I came to the United States because I wanted a better life for my children,” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t want my children to live the same life I lived as a child.”

Rodriguez’s first two sons — José Gomez, now 29, and Carlos Gomez, now 35 — were both born in Mexico.

Growing up in Mexico in the ’90s was quite different, José Gomez said. The region of Mexico where the family lived is rural and more agriculturally based, he added.

“Our house in Mexico was by a massive mountain, so hiking was a natural thing for me,” José Gomez said. “To get from one spot to the other, you either had to walk, ride a bicycle, or take the local bus.

“I woke up about 4 a.m. every day to catch the bus and go to school,” he said.

Moving to the U.S. was a big culture shock, José Gomez said. His family was unfamiliar with living in a large

town like Stillwater, Oklahoma, so they had to adjust, he added.

“Coming to the United States was a hard journey, and life here isn’t the same,” Rodriguez said. “However, I like the people here because there is more respect for everyone.”

After moving with her children to Stillwater, Rodriguez gave birth to her third child, Eddie Gomez, who is now 18 and a Stillwater High School senior.

Rodriquez supported her family through various jobs before accepting her current position, she said. For the last seven years, she has been a custodian at Oklahoma State University.

Rodriquez tends to Agricultural Hall, home to the Ferguson College of Agriculture, and has created relationships with many of the students and faculty, she said.

“I arrive on campus around 4:45 a.m. each day,” Rodriguez said. “I have to arrive early to clean the deans’ offices and unlock a majority of the classroom doors.”

During the day, Rodriguez tends to 14 restrooms, she said. She cleans them and ensures they have

necessities such as toilet paper, soap and paper towels, she added.

“My favorite part about my job is seeing all the students and professors,” Rodriguez said. “It brings me so much happiness to see the students and professors because I wouldn’t have the job I have without them.”

Agricultural Hall is her second home, Rodriguez said, and she spends most of her time in the building during the week. She enjoys meeting the students and professors, she added, and she does her best to get to know them.

“As a student, you are constantly going through a lot of emotions,” said Zuri Seymour, a natural resource ecology and managment junior. “I remember meeting Martha in the hallway, and she has been like family ever since.

“She is constantly checking on me and asking me how my day is going,” Seymour said. “She’s like the family I don’t have here.”

Rodriguez is proud of all the students for furthering their education, she said. She wishes she could have experienced an education like this

OSU CUSTODIAN CREATES RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE COLLEGE

WE’VE SEEN STRUGGLES AND EXPERIENCED HARD TIMES, BUT WE ALWAYS FOUND A WAY TO PUSH THROUGH.

MARTHA RODRIGUEZ

Days

growing up, but she had too many siblings, she added.

“My mom always wanted the best opportunities for us,” said José Gomez, who lives in Dallas and manages a Verizon Wireless store. “Coming to the United States was the best thing for my family because it gave us more opportunities and allowed us to change our lifestyle.”

Rodriguez often reminds her children to take advantage of the opportunities and better their future lives, she said.

Carlos Gomez still resides in Stillwater as a professional painter.

“The opportunities my children are experiencing here would not be possible if we were still in Mexico,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve seen struggles and experienced hard times, but we always found a way to push through.”

José Gomez said his mother always finds a way to make it. She instilled a “go-getter” mentality into him as he was growing up, he added.

“Even though bad things happen in her life, she shows up,” Seymour said. “She’s always happy, no matter the situation, and it’s very contagious.”

Rodriguez spreads joy to other people, Seymour said, and her advice and outlook on life are inspiring.

“My family goes in head first,” José Gomez said. “My mom taught me to walk the right path, keep my head up, and not look back.

“It’s what I’ve always seen her do,” José Gomez said. “She always stays positive, and she always has faith.”

Martha Rodriguez moved her family to the United States on April 16, 2004, to live a better life. Photo by Braelyn Berlowitz.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

José Gomez never witnessed a day his mom wasn’t happy, he said. A big part of his mom’s personality is her uplifting attitude, he added.

“I choose to take the best of each day and be happy,” Rodriguez said. “It’s important to enjoy every single day and have a good attitude.”

Rodriguez is thankful her children have a better life, she said, and it’s a blessing to live the life they live now.

“I’m in a really good spot right now,” José Gomez said, “and I give all the credit to my mom.

“My mom really did raise her kids well,” José Gomez added. “We all turned out OK.”

BRAELYN BERLOWITZ CUSHING, OKLAHOMA

Martha Rodriguez (front) and her sons, Eddie Gomez (left), José Gomez (back) and Carlos Gomez, enjoy spending time together when they can. Photo by Braelyn Berlowitz.

Augmented and virtual reality are used as educational tools for the Spotty Rain Campaign.

Photo by Rachel Martin.

A Dry Topic NO LONGER

OKLAHOMA WATER RESOURCES CENTER PROJECT TEACHES COMMUNITIES ABOUT DROUGHT

Approximately 2.5 million Oklahomans were affected by drought from January to March 2023.

Drought occurs when a long period of low rainfall leads to a shortage of water. However, drought is more than just loss of rain as the impacts can be tremendous, said Nicole Colston, assistant research professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management.

The Spotty Rain Campaign is an Oklahoma Water Resources Center project funded by the National Science Foundation Advancing Informal STEM Learning. The program was designed in 2018 to bring education about drought monitoring and adaptation to communities in Oklahoma.

Colston saw a need for something like the Spotty Rain Campaign while working to complete her post-doctoral fellowship research in the Oklahoma Panhandle. She was there in 2014 and 2015, the years after a 10-year period of drought.

“Rural communities are important because spatially they are not well represented in weather monitoring and reporting,” said Colston, who became co-principal investigator of the Spotty Rain Campaign. “There are a lot of stations and gauges in urban spaces, not rural areas.”

The idea behind the name “Spotty Rain Campaign” came from the inconsistent patterns of rainfall during drought times.

A need exists for more rain gauges in rural areas to give scientists a better sense of when and where rain falls at the county level, Colston said.

Drought can be a slow-onset disaster that starts as something invisible before it affects people on a large scale, Colston said. The public’s feelings about drought can be explained by the hydro-illogical cycle, she added.

“The hydro-illogical cycle illustrates how we think illogically about drought,” Colston said. “We get rain and are apathetic. Then, drought hits, and we become increasingly aware. Then, we panic until rain comes and we become apathetic again.”

Drought education helps people avoid the panic stage and plan ahead for drought, Colston said.

To begin more conversations about drought, Colston had an idea of bringing education tools to rural libraries by partnering with the Southeast Oklahoma Library System.

Through the partnership, Colston made the Spotty Rain Campaign accessible in 15 libraries.

“I thought it would be more for land owners, but the Spotty Rain Campaign has really captured youth and family audiences,” Colston said.

“The partnership with the Southeast Oklahoma Library System and Backyard Explorers is a virtual program for kids and families.”

The Backyard Explorers program covers six topics to encourage young people to get outside and explore nature around them, according to the Southeast Oklahoma Library System.

“These are citizen scientists in training,” Colston said.

The Spotty Rain Campaign works alongside Backyard Explorers to discuss the topic of drought. Colston collaborates with libraries to co-design the Spotty Rain Campaign programs for both librarians and patrons.

“Our library system worked with the Spotty Rain Campaign to place rain gauges outside our libraries and to give to families of library users as a form of citizen science,” said Michael Hull, executive director of the Southeast Oklahoma Library System. “The rain gauges heightened awareness about water scarcity and engaged families in a constructive learning activity, which helped them feel involved with the community and the environment.”

The NSF grant has allowed investigators for the Spotty Rain Campaign to bring educational materials to rural libraries through various tools.

“We are answering questions about how can we better offer science-based learning in informal spaces,” Colston

said. “In this case, ‘How can we work with libraries to do STEM education?’”

The grant has allowed principal campaign investigators to bring more than rain gauges to communities.

During COVID-19 closures, the Spotty Rain Campaign started using educational tools like augmented and virtual reality to reach their audiences.

“Augmented reality is being able to use virtual objects in a physical world,” said Tutaleni Asino, co-principal investigator on the project and associate professor in the OSU School of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Aviation. “Virtual reality is similar, but you transport yourself into a computer-generated environment.”

As principal investigators, Colston and Asino use augmented and virtual reality to engage people who might not communicate about drought.

“Augmented and virtual reality have helped us communicate some complex ideas about drought in a simple way,” Asino said. “It has also really allowed us to engage with younger people. That is something I didn’t expect.”

One of the virtual reality tools principal investigators use is the Virtual Citizen Science Expo, which

was created by Asino and graduate research associates in the Emerging Technologies and Creativity Research lab on the OSU campus.

“The Virtual Citizen Science Expo is a virtual reality exhibit hall for learning about citizen science and drought monitoring,” Colston said. “Backyard Explorers and the general public can access cool tools for nature observation, learn about volunteer opportunities, and meet real scientists.”

Rural librarians who have been a part of the Spotty Rain Campaign have seen the effects of the campaign’s tools, said Heath Stanfield, manager of McAlester Public Library of the Southeast Oklahoma Library System.

“Spotty Rain’s greatest accomplishment is teaching the next generation that anyone can be a scientist,” Stanfield said. “It doesn’t require degrees or equipment.”

The Spotty Rain Campaign has partnered with two national organizations — the National Drought Mitigation Center and the Community Collaborative for Rain, Hail and Snow to allow citizens to be involved with science through local environmental monitoring, Colston said.

“Citizen scientists can help us predict and prepare for drought,” Colston said. “Scientists really use the data for a whole range of things.”

Scientists and citizens work together to track, report, and share data through the Spotty Rain Campaign. The NSF grant for the Spotty Rain Campaign ends in June 2023, and although Colston and Asino hope to continue their work, they already know they have made an impact.

“When we started, I thought I would be doing dusty room meetings with farmers, and that’s not really how it happened,” Colston said. “I know I have made an impact on how rural and small libraries think about doing citizen science.”

To find more information about the program, visit spottyrain.org.

RACHEL MARTIN MCKINNEY, TEXAS

The inside of the Virtual Citizen Science Expo provides multiple options for visitors to explore. The virtual reality website was designed by the Spotty Rain Campaign’s principal investigators and associates. Photo courtesy of Oklahoma Water Resources Center.

Above: Clement Abai, graduate research associate and doctoral student in learning, design and technology, works with a virtual module for the Spotty Rain Campaign. Right: The Spotty Rain Campaign distributed rain gauges like this one to Backyard Explorers. Photos by Rachel Martin.

Composting the Plastic

RESEARCHERS TEST PRETREATMENT METHODS ON COMPOSTABLE PLASTICS

Reading the small print on plastic can provide information about proper disposal.

Photo by Austin Reim.

Landfills are home to discarded fast food containers and daily trash. However, products described as recyclable also can be found in piles of garbage when not properly thrown out.

To combat this, researchers in the Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture continue to develop new techniques to allow compostable plastic products to decompose more quickly.

“By giving compostable plastics a ‘pretreatment,’ such as heat, and placing them in a compost pile containing microbes, they can fully break down in as little as 19 days,” said Danielle Bellmer, a professor both in the OSU Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering and in the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center.

The current standard for degradation with compostable plastics is around 45 days, she said. Compostable plastics are able to break down but don’t degrade as quickly as food scraps in a compost pile, she added.

The BAE department and FAPC plan to work with the OSU Office of Sustainability to research compostable plastics with additional pretreatment processes, Bellmer said.

Bellmer tests the degradation of compostable plastics in a FAPC lab with help from Tatumn Kennedy, a BAE freshman.

“Simply, most plastics are made from finite resources that plague the environment because there is no easy way to break them down, especially in a landfill,” Kennedy said.

Compostable plastics are one type of biodegradable plastic, Bellmer said. Made from polylactic acid, they can break down when composted more than a few months, she added.

Single-use plastics, such as water bottles, plastic bags, utensils and cups,

RECYCLING PLASTICS

Recycling plastic involves separating products based on type, followed by melting and remolding the plastic for another use, said Kristeena Blaser, former coordinator for the OSU Office of Sustainability.

The seven major categories of recyclable plastics are polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and others. These are labeled 1 through 7 on the recycle chart.

“If there is no number on the plastic item or you are unsure if it is recyclable, it is best to put the item in the waste bin to avoid contaminating the recycling bin,” Blaser said.

Even if the item has a number, not all numbers are accepted in recycling streams.

“Numbers 1, 2 and 5 are the only plastic items OSU can accept at this time,” Blaser said.

“If enough plastic items not accepted by your local municipal recycling facility are found, the entire group could be considered contaminated and sent to the landfill,” she added.

are the main contributors to microplastics in the environment, Kennedy said. Compostable plastics are a better option; however, few facilities can process these plastics using a traditional composting method, she added.

The OSU Office of Sustainability has investigated the process of switching to compostable plastics, said Kristeena Blaser, former coordinator for the department.

“No local compost facility would allow for the proper treatment,” Blaser said. “Without a facility to process the compostable plastics, it would do little good to switch to them as they would still end up in the waste stream going to a landfill.”

The same issue occurs with biodegradable plastic as with compostable — a facility is needed to create the conditions for these products to break down, which most landfills do not have, she said.

Over many years, biodegradable plastics break down in ideal conditions, Bellmer said.

“If the conditions are not created or met, these plastics will not biodegrade,” Bellmer added.

“Take an OSU Dining cup, for example,” Bellmer said. “It says, ‘Biodegrades 92% over 4 years.’ Many people miss the fine print below stating, ‘Tested under conditions that simulate both wetter and more biologically active landfills.’”

Using aluminum, glass or reusable containers is a better option for the environment, she said, and aluminum can be recycled more efficiently.

Using reusable containers, bags and utensils can be a better option than choosing plastics, Kennedy said.

“We may have had it right when stores had glass milk jugs and collected container deposits and restaurants washed dishes,” Bellmer said.

OSU officials are developing goals and objectives for the next decade as part of the Campus Sustainability Plan, Blaser said.

It is a slow process for the OSU campus to switch to biodegradable items; however, the future looks promising, Blaser said.

“Being aware of plastic options around you and playing your part in properly disposing of waste plays a small part in this large issue,” Kennedy said. “Just be mindful of your waste and think green.”

AUSTIN REIM DRUMMOND, OKLAHOMA

Biosystems engineering freshman Tatumn Kennedy stops by the lab daily to record data by weighing beakers containing dirt, microbes and plastics that have had different treatments. Photo by Austin Reim.

Making Better Men

Cowboys in Costa Rica

STUDENTS EXPLORE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN CENTRAL AMERICA

As morning nears, howler monkeys call out to each other to signal the start of the day in Costa Rica. In the nearby housing, 17 students and their faculty leaders awake for a new day of learning.

In January 2023, members of the Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture traveled 2,000plus miles on an 11-day excursion.

Coordinated through the office of multicultural programs, students explored sustainable development practices in Costa Rica through a study-abroad course.

“It was amazing,” said Monica Ferris, an agribusiness and agricultural communications freshman. “I’d definitely recommend it to future OSU students. The trip is a complete step out of the box.”

Destiny Hamilton, an animal science senior, wanted to have a studyabroad experience before graduating from OSU in May 2023.

After attending the college’s information night and learning about the places the Costa Rica group would visit, Hamilton signed up, she said.

Hamilton’s motivation to follow through was because the Costa Rica course was one of the more affordable options for her.

“Study-abroad faculty worked to make the course a cost-effective option for students,” Hamilton said. Preparing for the course consisted of scheduled meeting times for participants to discuss the itinerary, packing tips, rules, guidelines and any other questions students had about the course, Ferris said.

After five hours of traveling, the group landed in Atenas, Costa Rica.

Ferris was surprised by how different everything was compared to her hometown in California, she said. She was nervous about traveling to another country, she added, but once she arrived, she couldn’t have been more ready to take on the experience with her fellow students.

While in Costa Rica, the OSU group stayed eight nights in dorms on the campus of the National Technical University Atenas. Throughout the course, students participated in lectures in the evenings and received hands-on experiences.

The course itinerary was packed full of travel to different locations that each contribute to the country’s sustainable agricultural industry.

Kylar King (back left), Jared Stone, Noah Jewell, Tate Robertson, José Uscanga-Aguirre, Calla Regier, Marcella Stephenson, Destiny Hamilton, Cadi McLain (front left), Monica Ferris, Ravi Jadeja, Hannah Wilcocks, Delaney Jones, Xin Mei Teng, Tess Haddock, Emma Ward, Eriak Grum, Hannah Silensky and Alyssa Hardaway spend time on the National Technical University Atenas campus. Photo courtesy of Alyssa Hardaway.

“We were waking up at 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. and going until 9 o’clock at night,” Hamilton said.

A few of the places the students visited included the Poas Volcano National Park, El Toledo Organic Farm, and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center, which is known as the CATIE Research Center.

Each of these sites are interconnected, meaning products produced at each place are dependent upon one another, Hamilton said.

At the Poas Volcano National Park, the students learned about the Costa Rica National Park System, which produces coffee, strawberries and ferns for export. The fertile volcanic soil is a reason Costa Rican flora and fauna flourish, Hamilton said.

“We learned about how the national park systems and agricultural

Above Left: Xin Mei Teng visits the La Paz Waterfall Gardens National Park. Top Right: Noah Jewell hikes in the Poas Volcano National Park. Bottom Right: Coffee beans cool after roasting at El Toledo organic coffee farm. Photos by Alyssa Hardaway.

industry work together in Costa Rica,” Hamilton said. “Protecting the integrity of the environment has its benefits.”

The OSU study-abroad group also visited the El Toledo organic coffee farm, Ferris said. The farmers use the skin of the berry and the coffee bean to create a variety of coffee-related products, he added.

“We learned the entire coffee production process from picking the berries to getting the berries down to the bean,” Ferris said.

Visiting El Toledo coffee farm gave Kylar King, a food science freshman, a good understanding of the amount of work that goes into coffee production and a deep appreciation for the people who work on the farms, he said.

The small Costa Rican farming communities reminded King of the

farms he grew up around in Oklahoma, he said, and were one of his favorite parts of the study-abroad course.

“I learned a lot about how more sustainable practices could be integrated into large-scale agriculture,” King said.

When the group toured the CATIE Research Center in Turrialba, they attended a lecture from Eliecer Vargas, director of graduate programs at the research center and agricultural economics alumnus.

“We were able to hear about some of the projects she and her team were working on,” Hamilton said.

The course allowed Ferris to make new friends while learning about different types of agriculture in an exciting new place, she said.

“Don’t be afraid to try new things,” Ferris said.

The best advice for students signing up for a study-abroad course is to find the right program that works for them, Hamilton said.

“You can learn all you want about a place,” King said. “But if you don’t learn anything about its people, then you’re missing the point.”

Learn more about study-abroad courses at agriculture.okstate.edu/ students/multicultural-programs/ study-abroad/.

JORDAN ROBINSON BROKEN ARROW, OKLAHOMA

Alyssa Hardaway (left), Hannah Silensky, Tess Haddock, Marcella Stephenson, Destiny Hamilton, Delaney Jones and Tate Robertson visit La Paz Waterfall Gardens National Park. Photo courtesy of Alyssa Hardaway.

Brett Carver began researching wheat varieties at OSU in 1985.

Photo by Adelaide Mathison.

The Man Behind the Plant

CARVER RECEIVES RECOGNITION FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO OSU

Described by co-workers as hardworking and dedicated, Brett Carver leads the Oklahoma State University Wheat Improvement Team while researching and breeding wheat to find better ways to feed the world.

Carver, who received the 2022 Eminent Faculty Award from OSU, grew up in Atlanta and attended the University of Georgia for his bachelor’s degree in plant science and agronomy. After earning his bachelor’s, he continued his education by earning master’s and doctoral degrees at North Carolina State University.

Growing up, Carver was undecided about pursuing music or science, he said. Ultimately, he chose science after seeing research showing an unstable food supply unable to feed the growing population, he added.

“I didn’t grow up thinking I was going to be a wheat breeder or a plant breeder or even an agronomist, for that matter,” Carver said. “Later in college at UGA, I thought that would be a worthy occupation — going into science where you’re trying to make a better, more reliable food supply.”

In February 1985, Carver joined the faculty of the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. He later transitioned to leading the OSU Wheat Improvement Team in 1998.

Carver’s work is his passion, he said. He cannot talk about himself without talking about wheat because it is a part of who he is, he added.

“You’ll never meet anyone as passionate about their job as Dr. Carver is,” said Jason Ray, a senior agricultural operations lead in the plant and soil sciences department. “This is his life. This is his everything.”

Carver’s dedication and ability to do the same thing for so long and still have passion is something Nathan Stepp, a senior agricultural operations lead in the plant and soil sciences department, said he admired.

Tina Johnson, a plant and soil sciences senior research specialist, said she has known and worked with Carver for more than 28 years. They attended the same church, First Presbyterian, where Carver would play the organ.

“I love music,” Carver said. “I’ve been involved with music since I was 6 years old, playing piano.”

Music is one of Carver passions, he said, and playing piano is one of the ways he decompresses.

A self-proclaimed morning person, Carver goes to the gym at 5:45 a.m. as a way to step back from his work and relax, he said. Taking care of his health is important, he added, and having a healthy body keeps a healthy mind. He also walks to work.

Carver started biking in 2012, after his car was stolen from his garage while he and his wife, Terri, were out of town.

“I just never bought another car,” Carver said. “We live so close to campus, and it’s healthy to walk. I use my bike as a way for commuting a distance of more than 2 miles.”

Until recently, Carver rarely took a vacation from his work, Stepp said. Carver started going on biking tours after wheat harvest in 2015.

“My wife and I decided to try a bicycling vacation,” Carver said. “We just go meet people we’ve never met before and bike with them for a week to decompress. You really get to see the country in a different way than you can from a car.”

In 2012, Carver also served as a witness in a court case between two plant breeding companies. He said the court case set a new direction for his own research.

“Some of the things we’re doing today resulted from the research I did during that court case,” Carver said. “It was a landmark moment for sure. I was exposed to some other ideas, and it’s taken me this long to flush them out. That experience opened my eyes to a lot of different consumer-oriented opportunities in wheat breeding I had not fully appreciated.”

HONORING THE BEST FACULTY

The Eminent Faculty Award honors one Oklahoma State University faculty member each year who has made sustained contributions to scholarly and creative activity, teaching, and service, bringing honor and recognition to OSU.

The selection process begins with the OSU provost and senior vice president appointing the Eminent Faculty Award Committee: two members from the Research Council, one from the Graduate Faculty Council, one from the Faculty Council’s academic standards and policies committee, one Regents professor, one undergraduate student and one graduate student.

The award winner from the previous year serves as chair of the selection committee to ensure the group and administration review the criteria as well as the nomination and screening process.

The committee selects three finalists. A three-member OSU Selection Committee chooses the awardee from those finalists.

Six faculty members from the Ferguson College of Agriculture have received the award:

• C. Thomas Haan, biosystems and agricultural engineering, 2000

• Stanley Gilliland, animal and food sciences, 2001

• Marvin Stone, biosystems and agricultural engineering, 2005

• Chang-An Yu, biochemistry and molecular biology, 2007

• William Raun, plant and soil sciences, 2009

• Wade Brorsen, agricultural economics, 2014

• Brett Carver, plant and soil sciences, 2022

Source: OSU Academic Affairs

Mike Schulte, director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, works directly with Carver through the OWC. Carver is unwavering in his research and the pursuit of a better product, Schulte said.

“I suspect Dr. Carver’s contributions and findings for the betterment of our industry will be written with high esteem 50 to 100 years from now,” Schulte said. “The thought comes to mind, ‘One reaps what he sows.’ When producers are in the fields during variety trial season, they know Dr. Carver is in those fields giving Oklahoma farmers the opportunity to grow something they may never have the opportunity to grow.”

OSU’s wheat program would not be the same without Carver’s leadership and determination, Johnson said.

“Dr. Carver is probably one of the most ambitious people I know,” Johnson said. “He is passionate about wheat, and he gets all of us excited

about wheat. He’s basically the reason OSU has a wheat program. He’s trying to come up with a wheat variety that will feed the world.”

During harvest season, Carver is active in the fields, often working alongside student workers through the heat and long days, Stepp said.

“Wheat is a piece of me,” Carver said. “It’s what I want to leave, a piece of innovation I am emotionally and intellectually attached to, and let people reap the benefits of it. We’re trying to solve problems. I can’t think of a better thing to do for a job.”

ADELAIDE MATHISON WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON

In the OSU Agronomy Research Center, Jason Ray and Nathan Stepp grow sample varieties and assist Brett Carver in collecting data. Photo by Adelaide Mathison.

A SHIFTING LANDSCAPE

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM

When it comes to competition, you need to know how you match up with your opponent. Then, adapt to give yourself an edge.

Until Fall 2022, the landscape architecture program in the Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture was a 150-credit-hour degree program that took students five years to complete.

Landscape architecture involves the designing and planning of everything outdoors, including gardens, plazas, streetscapes, parks, resorts, trails, golf courses and neighborhoods, said Michael Holmes, director and a professor in landscape architecture.

REALIGNS CURRICULUM

To remain a competitive program, the faculty followed the recent trend of realigning curriculum to fit within four years, Holmes said. Today, the tightened curriculum allows students to finish in four years with 126 credit hours.

“When we decided to begin the process of comprehensively realigning the curriculum, it was not a quick decision and took an incredible amount of time to complete,” Holmes said.

The program’s faculty did not want to minimize students’ education although the shift decreases the amount of time spent in the program, said Bo Zhang, an associate professor in landscape architecture.

“We identified efficiencies and adapted course content to respond to current trends in the profession,” Holmes said.

Landscape architecture faculty members — Holmes and Zhang as well as associate professors Cheryl Mihalko and Qing Luo — worked to prepare for the shift.

“We realized it was necessary to eliminate outdated content and consolidate technical courses to amplify the learning experience,” Mihalko said.

The updated curriculum includes general education courses, three core classes relating to hand-drawn and digital landscape architecture, a series of contractor courses in which

Michael Holmes (left) mentors OSU senior Charlotte Craft regarding her planned unit development landscape architecture project. Photo by Kallie Coakley.

THE INDUSTRY

The new curriculum is being transitioned in over several semesters, Holmes said. Since the integration, five students have graduated early from the landscape architecture program because of the curriculum shift, he added.

“When I came into college as a freshman, I had my mind set on the landscape architecture program,” said Adrian Alexander, a landscape architecture senior. “I never thought I would have the ability to graduate earlier than planned and begin the career that I have worked so hard for during my time at OSU.”

architecture program in Oklahoma. The program, which is housed in the OSU Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, may get overlooked by many students when they explore potential degree programs, Mihalko said.

“Because we are the only accredited, professional program in Oklahoma, we want all students to be aware of the opportunities and the academics our landscape architechure program offers,” Mihalko said. “The industry is rapidly growing. So, the need for professionals is growing, as well.”

students learn to design in a hands-on environment, and an internship.

“We are eager to work with students to help them re-plan their schedules for the upcoming semesters following the shift in curriculum,” Holmes said. “The students have been great to work with. They adapted well to the new curriculum sequence.”

Alexander has enjoyed his time as a student in the landscape architecture program, he said.

The professors care about the students and do whatever is necessary to better the program and its students, Alexander added.

OSU’s program has approximately 40 students and is the only accredited undergraduate landscape

KALLIE COAKLEY HOBART, OKLAHOMA

Adrian Alexander (left) and Abby Parks simultaneously work on their planned unit development project at their work stations. Photos by Kallie Coakley.

IS RAPIDLY GROWING. SO, THE NEED FOR PROFESSIONALS IS GROWING, AS WELL.

CHERYL MIHALKO

THEY WILL COME. If you feed them,

FERGUSON COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH EXPANDED STUDY OPTIONS

If a student studying in agriculture is looking for an inviting place to study or work on their homework, a great place to go would be Study and Snacks in the Ferguson College of Agriculture Student Success Center. Study and Snacks is a free program open to all undergraduate students hosted Tuesdays through Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Students meet in Room 103 Agricultural Hall, known to most students as the Fish Bowl.

In Fall 2017, José Uscanga, the director of multicultural programs for the Ferguson College of Agriculture, noticed students in Agricultural Hall could use drop-in resources for getting help with their classes.

Although the LASSO Center in the Classroom Building offers tutoring, some students needed a more comeand-go environment specific to their curriculum, he said.

“Students and their successes are important to me,” Uscanga said. “I

wanted to make sure our students felt like they had a place to get help.”

Uscanga researched the student drop rate in various classes, he said.

“I looked into reasons why students were leaving,” Uscanga said. “There was no tutoring offered for some of the classes. Students who were dropping out were failing.”

At that time, Uscanga also noticed few food resources were available for Ferguson College of Agriculture students, he said.

Mentors Aaron Guzman (left), Tess Haddock, and Hannah Silensky prepare to help students who attend the Ferguson College of Agriculture’s Study and Snacks. Photo by Sydni Blevins.

This inspired him to incorporate snacks into the program, he said. In Fall 2017, Study and Snacks was born.

The Ferguson College of Agriculture as well as various companies who work with the college donate the snacks for the program.

Tess Haddock has served as a Study and Snacks mentor for three years. She started attending Study and Snacks after pandemic online courses because she felt detached from campus and missed interacting with others, she said.

Once she started attending, she wanted to learn more about how she could be a part of the program and give back to the college at the same time, she added.

Haddock and the other students who serve as mentors are more than just tutors, she said.

“A lot of students are nervous to get tutoring, but this program is about more than just classwork,” Haddock said. “We not only help with homework and exams, but also we help answer questions about how to succeed in

college and life.”

She was one of only five mentors when she started. Now, the program includes 12 mentors and continues to improve, expanding from once a week to three days a week, she said.

“Students can come and go as they please, even if it’s just to grab a snack and hang out,” Haddock said. “It really is a comfortable environment with a great community. It’s not like regular tutoring that students think of.”

Elizabeth Pribil, a food sciences senior, is one of the newest mentors. She started attending the program during her freshman year when classes moved online. She received help with the classes she needed and was able to network with other students, she said.

“After I started attending the program as a freshman, I noticed it was relaxed and a student-friendly environment,” Pribil said. “The mentors there assisted me with classwork and also provided me with a lot of valuable advice about navigating my way through college during COVID-19.

“The impact these students had on

me inspired me to do the same for others,” she said. “I still visit with some of these students today and am grateful Study and Snacks provided me with lifelong connections.”

Uscanga plans to offer more space and times for the Study and Snacks program when the college moves into the New Frontiers Agricultural Hall in Fall 2024, he said. He would like to install a refrigerator so the program can expand to offer cold products and healthier options, he added.

Students looking for ways to be involved in the college can become a mentor and get paid. Uscanga interviews potential mentors and ensures those hired receive training on how to help others.

SYDNI BLEVINS KELLYVILLE, OKLAHOMA

The mentors for Study and Snacks each specialize in a wide variety of courses to best serve the needs of Ferguson College of Agriculture students. Photo by Sydni Blevins.

People in agriculture will take a tremendous amount of risk to feed the world, and I admire that. They do so much to provide the things we take for granted every day. That’s why we made a gift to New Frontiers.”

Jeff Hilst, Ferguson College of Agriculture ’84

BS Agricultural Economics and Accounting and Spears Business ’87 MBA

Lynn Hilst, Spears Business ’84 BS Accounting and ’92 MBA New Frontiers Cornerstone Donors

When you give to the New Frontiers campaign, you are investing in OSU Agriculture and the e cacy of its research, the quality of education, the power of Extension and OSU’s important role in feeding the world.

To learn more about the campaign and to view construction progress, visit OSUgiving.com/New-Frontiers

to From Edmonton EMT

OSU JUNIOR BALANCES STUDENT AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE

Twenty-year-old Trinity Austin has a unique balancing act at Oklahoma State University as a student, lab assistant, club president and EMT.

Austin is a biochemistry and molecular biology junior at OSU.

Austin and her family moved from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2011, when her dad transferred jobs.

“Moving to America was just putting us in a different place,” Trinity Austin said. “My brother and I didn’t really notice much of a difference.”

Julie Austin, Trinity’s mother, said she noticed differences between U.S. academics and academics in Canada.

“Canada doesn’t have anything like the National Merit Scholarship or the Presidential Scholarship program,” Julie Austin said. “Trinity just heard about all these new things and said, ‘I want those.’”

Trinity Austin was determined to earn those prestigious awards, so she pursued them. She earned the National Merit Scholarship, was a semifinalist for the U.S. Presidential Scholarship program, and was the valedictorian of her class, Julie Austin said.

“In Canada, the government subsidizes students’ tuition,” Trinity Austin

said. “No big merit scholarships are available there.”

Trinity Austin initially applied to schools outside of Oklahoma. However, her plans changed.

“I was looking at what other schools I applied to, and my brother was already at OSU,” Trinity Austin said. “So, I decided to just go for OSU.”

Once on campus, Trinity Austin set out to get involved in as many extracurricular activities as she possibly could, she said.

“I basically just signed up for every club and extracurricular that sounded interesting to me,” Trinity Austin said.

These extracurriculars included The Biochemistry Club, iGEM, and the MMA and Karate Club.

“iGEM stands for Internationally Genetically Engineered Machine and is a competition originally created by MIT to promote synthetic biology and the advancement and research of synthetic biology for undergraduate students in colleges across the world,” Trinity Austin said.

iGEM is a new club at OSU and brings a new concept to the table. Trinity Austin found her spot within iGEM as the club president and as a member of the cloning lab. In the lab, members work with E. coli bacteria for

Trinity Austin works more than 40 hours each week while also pursuing her bachelor’s degree.

Photo by Kelsey Gray.

their project and work to manipulate their DNA to express desired proteins and program their new functions into the bacteria, Trinity Austin said.

iGEM includes a diverse membership and has a spot for nearly any major at OSU, so the new club does not fall underneath any specific college.

“We are keeping it open because a lot of times clubs get assigned to one specific college,” Trinity Austin said. “We want to make this a university-wide opportunity because there are not many things people can do that are competitive on an intellectual basis.”

iGEM is unique because students gain real-world experience working in a lab as a team to make their ideas come to life and build their résumés at the same time, said George Huang, iGEM adviser and biochemistry and microbiology assistant professor.

If a full-time class load and extracurriculars were not enough, Trinity Austin also makes time to pursue her passion for medicine as she plans

to apply to medical school after she completes her undergraduate degree, she said.

“I started looking into training to become an EMT,” Trinty Austin said. “I found an eight-week course, took that over the summer after my freshman year, and became an EMT.”

She now works full-time at LifeNet in Stillwater, Oklahoma, as an EMT, which provides her with firsthand experience before she applies to medical school, she said.

“When I came to college and started working as an EMT, I truly got the firsthand account of what it’s like to have someone’s life in your hands,” Trinity Austin said.

“We are invited into the worst of situations on the worst day of someone’s life because no one calls 911 for something good,” she added.

Trinity Austin found a passion for the medical field at a young age.

She originally wanted to become a veterinarian but changed her mind as

she grew older and started job shadowing at hospitals, she said.

“I always knew I wanted to practice medicine of some kind, but I fell in love with human medicine because there are so many different avenues you can approach with this one singular discipline,” Trinity Austin said.

Trinity Austin’s goal is to practice medicine internationally because it would combine two of her favorite things, she said.

Trinity Austin fills many roles and must balance them all, but she said her key to success is enjoying everything she does.

KELSEY GRAY BROKEN ARROW, OKLAHOMA

Trinity Austin (right) and Ben Upton sample DNA in the iGEM lab for their project.

Photo by Kelsey Gray.

BRICK BRICK by

Although the $50 million campaign goal has been reached, more support is needed to enhance OSU Extension, teaching and research efforts. For more information, visit osugiving.com/newfrontiers. Photo by Alyssa Hardaway.

CONSTRUCTION IS ONGOING FOR THE FERGUSON COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

The new home for the Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture continues to grow on the northeast corner of Monroe Street and Farm Road on the Stillwater campus.

With more than 100 people working on the building every day, construction has stayed on schedule, said Randy Raper, assistant vice president of facilities in the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“It’s moving rapidly right now,” Raper said. “We may surpass having 200 people simultaneously working on this building.

“This is the time when it really makes a big difference,” he added. “We have been able to keep everything on schedule, and that really has to do with the great weather we have had during this project.”

When complete, the state-of-the-art OSU Extension, teaching and research facility will gross 194,091 square feet across three floors.

The construction of the New Frontiers Agricultural Hall requires one of the largest cranes ever used in the Stillwater area. The crane stands 143 feet tall and is 265 feet long.

When in use, one worker makes the trip up the 140 steps to the operator’s seat and stays until the end of the workday. Climbing to the top of the crane takes approximately 35 to 40 minutes.

The crane will be used for the duration of the project and is used to set column forms, pour concrete, unload trucks, and complete other tasks as part of the construction process, Raper said.

The building’s infrastructure is made of concrete, and the last pour was completed in early March, Raper said.

Generally, the workers poured concrete between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m., he said.

This allowed the concrete to have a constant temperature, so the concrete would not cure too rapidly, he added. It also allowed workers to finish in a timely manner.

“We do not have enough concrete trucks in Stillwater to handle a job like this,” Raper said.

Concrete trucks were brought in from Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

“It took 22 large concrete structure pours to complete all four levels of the building,” said Devon Madden, office engineer for Flintco and 2022 OSU engineering technology graduate.

“Each concrete truck can hold up to 10 cubic yards of concrete,” Madden added. “It took a minimum of 35 concrete trucks to complete one of our larger pours.”

On the technology side of the construction, the building is unique to

anything else in Oklahoma, said Mandy Gross, senior manager of strategic and vice president of communications for OSU Agriculture.

The workers use the Hilti JAIBOT, a semi-automated anchor/hanger point layout and drilling robot programmed to drill holes in the concrete structure, Raper said.

In March 2023, several OSU Agriculture officials joined the project’s construction partners in celebrating the “topping out” of the New Frontiers building, Gross said.

A “topping out” is when the builders celebrate the installation of one of the last beams or the highest point in the construction process.

One of the highest beams was the orange beam with signatures from the college’s alumni, friends, students, faculty and staff.

“The topping-out milestone with the installation of the signed beam was a great way to bring additional recognition to the New Frontiers project,” Gross said. “The beam signing and topping out provided opportunities to celebrate reaching the campaign goal in record time and keep the buzz going for New Frontiers.”

The New Frontiers Agricultural Hall is scheduled to open Fall 2024.

TATUM SWINK PERKINS, OKLAHOMA

Drone photos provide a bird’s-eye view of the New Frontiers building construction.

Photo by Craig Woods.

Thomas and Rhonda Coon plan to move to Portage, Michigan, following retirement. Photo by Emma Welch.

LIFE

AFTER RETIREMENT

COON FAMILY LOOKS FORWARD TO A NEW CHAPTER

After nine years at Oklahoma State University serving as the vice president and dean of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Thomas G. Coon decided the time had come to complete his career with the Cowboy family at a place he will always call home.

Coon started his academic career teaching at Luther College in 1980 and the University of Missouri in 1983. Later, he spent 25 years at Michigan State University as a professor in the MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and served as director of MSU Extension for nine years.

When he decided to move to OSU, Coon knew he had an opportunity to make an impact and embrace a new challenge, he said.

“I had to learn a lot, and that was my favorite part about my position here at Oklahoma State,” Coon said. “My job is to be a story accumulator — learn those stories and share them with others who want to learn more about the division and be supportive.”

OSU is a special place, Coon said. People need to realize and understand

how unique the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is, he added.

“The sense of community and the sense of common purpose capture so much of what this division is about,” Coon said. “That is something I will miss the most.”

After retiring, Coon is excited to spend time with family, he said.

“My wife, Rhonda, and I are fortunate and blessed with four healthy grandsons as well as our sons and their

wives,” Coon said. “We want to be involved in their lives as much as possible, and that is really a key motivator for me.”

The pair is happy for this new chapter in life, Rhonda Coon said.

“I’m happy for Tom because he has always been one of the hardest working people I’ve ever known,” she said. “He’s worked hard his whole life — he earned this.”

In the eyes of his wife, the way Thomas Coon looks at the value of every person is what made him a great dean. He is compassionate and empathetic, Rhonda Coon said, and those two traits helped in every position of his career.

“He’s a very successful administrator — he’s also an incredible husband and father,” she said.

Recreational fishing and contributing to managing fish populations as well as preserving natural resources have always interested Thomas Coon, and he looks forward to pursuing more aquatic interests, he said.

“I’ve told people there are fish I’ve been neglecting for too long,” Thomas

THE SUPPORT I’VE HAD HERE IS INVALUABLE COMPARED TO OTHER INSTITUTIONS.

THOMAS G. COON

Coon said with a smile. “I look forward to getting back into my fisheries work.”

The couple has created a bucket list of adventures on which their top items are an Alaskan cruise and trips back to the Caribbean, Rhonda Coon said.

“We went to the Caribbean for our honeymoon, and we’ve been going back ever since,” she said. “That’s our place — we will continue to travel there, but we are interested in visiting more places in the U.S.”

Following the dean’s retirement, the Coons plan to move to Portage, Michigan, where their older son, Robbie, lives.

“It has been incredible watching my parents integrate themselves into Stillwater and the OSU community,”

Robbie Coon said, “although my dad earned this moment to unwind and take his foot off the gas.”

The Coons bought a cottage on the lake next to Robbie Coon’s cottage where they will spend time in the summer as a family.

Robbie Coon and his wife, Emily, look forward to “Nonna and Grandpa” being a part of their daily lives, he said.

“We all enjoy spending time outside,” Robbie Coon said. “I know there will be plenty days spent fishing, kayaking and cross-country skiing.”

As the Coons’ grandsons grow older, it will be fun to have their grandpa around to watch soccer games, band practices or other activities the boys will be involved in, Robbie Coon said.

Still, the Coons are already starting to plan days when they will travel back to Stillwater, Rhonda Coon said.

“We met so many amazing friends who feel like family out here,” she said. “We can’t wait to be back for the

dedication of the New Frontiers building in 2024.”

Thomas Coon values the mission of the Ferguson family, he said. People express that mission at OSU and continue to motivate others around to bring greatness, he added.

“The support I’ve had here is invaluable compared to other institutions,” he said. “I want people to know to never take this unique sense of community for granted.”

EMMA WELCH LAFAYETTE, INDIANA

When Thomas Coon (right) and wife, Rhonda (third from right), retire, they plan to have extra family time with Bailey Coon (left), Charlie Coon, Trey Coon, Emily Coon, Robbie Coon, Reece Coon, Theo Coon and Baker Coon. Photo courtesy of Thomas Coon.

The Ferguson College of Agriculture recognizes the Louis and Betty Gardner Outstanding Senior each year. This year’s award recipient is Rio Bonham. Photo by Alyssa Francis.

by

FERGUSON COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE NAMES 2023 OUTSTANDING SENIOR

Distinction Diligence

An outstanding senior is someone who sets the standard. However, Rio Bonham of Madill, Oklahoma, has gone above and beyond the standard for the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

“I cannot say I fully understood what I was signing up for when I chose biosystems engineering as my major,” Bonham said. “I only knew I was intrigued by the dynamics at the interface of agricultural production and natural resource conservation and had the goal of being a top researcher.”

Bonham’s positive attitude along with strong agricultural passion earned him the distinction of being the 2023 Louis and Betty Gardner Outstanding Senior for the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

“It was easy to sort him to a top group because he not only got involved, but also he found his home,” said Deb VanOverbeke, assistant dean of the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

Bonham said his college success did not come easily.

“Going into freshman year, being nonchalant and ambitious was how I approached things,” Bonham said. “I could join every club, devote little time to class work, and solve the world’s worst water problems at 18 years old, right? Wrong. Very wrong.”

He continued to face hardships through complex courses and curriculum, he said. Bonham felt disappointed after he was not accepted into the Wentz Research Scholar Program in his sophomore year, he said.

He thought about taking a break from research for a year; however, the support from faculty and staff in the Ferguson College of Agriculture allowed him to persevere, Bonham said.

“Even working through difficult class work brought me closer to peers in the same classes,” Bonham said. “It helped me get to know professors, which allowed me to continue to pursue new experiences, attend a study-abroad course, perform research, and be involved in clubs.”

The math, science and physics general education classes began to apply when he developed an interest in water research, Bonham said. The design hydrology class in biosystems and agricultural engineering is where all the tough lower-division courses started to mean something, Bonham said.

“It is definitely where everything came together and confirmed I was on the right track with what I want to do,” Bonham said.

Scott Frazier, BAE associate professor, first became acquainted with Bonham in a survey class required for biosystems engineering freshman

students and quickly recognized Bonham was top notch, Frazier said.

Frazier tasked Bonham with a high-level research project associated with a continuing grant to determine how to install and pull data from a piece of power monitoring equipment.

“It’s a bit much to ask an undergraduate student to do,” Frazier said. “I asked other faculty their thoughts on tasking Rio to do the project, and they said, ‘If anyone can do it as an undergraduate, Rio could.’”

After Bonham was assigned the task, he quickly completed the design portion. Frazier and Bonham tested the device in Guymon to ensure its success. To Frazier’s surprise, it worked the first time and resulted in retrieving usable data from the device, Frazier said.

“Being involved in research throughout college has definitely been something that helped keep me grounded to what I want to do moving forward,” Bonham said.

As he began advancing his skill set throughout upper-level classes, Bonham became self-sufficient and

IT WAS EASY TO SORT HIM TO A TOP GROUP BECAUSE HE NOT ONLY GOT INVOLVED, BUT ALSO HE FOUND HIS HOME.

DEB VANOVERBEKE

independent with different projects, he said.

“Research provides a way to take what you’re learning and make it apply in a way you can’t get outside of other experiences,” Bonham said.

Bonham took the BAE senior design project course as a capstone experience to do a real-world industry sponsored project, said Paul Weckler, BAE capstone professor. Bonham served as the team’s point leader, spearheaded the technical design process, and interacted with the client’s engineers at the Koch Industries’ fertilizer plant in Enid, Oklahoma, Weckler said.

“He really has done some pretty remarkable and interesting computer programming and modeling for the team,” Weckler said. “He is very talented and confident in what he does.”

Bonham’s professionalism and communication between his fellow team members and their client allowed him to get upper management from Koch Industries in Wichita, Kansas, to travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to

listen in on their final presentations, Weckler said.

Aside from research projects and academic achievements, Bonham has given back to OSU through community service, VanOverbeke said. Bonham developed curriculum for rural high school students interested in computer coding. He also was active in OSU Homecoming, Agriculture Future of America and FarmHouse Fraternity.

“That’s a part of what we try to get all students to do — to find where they belong, be engaged, and thrive — and Rio did that,” VanOverbeke said.

During the past four years at OSU, Bonham has been involved in many capacities in his academic department, the Ferguson College of Agriculture, the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

“Taking stock of all that OSU gave to me, I made a conscious effort to pay forward all that was poured into my development,” Bonham said. “I have served as an ambassador for both my academic department and the Office of Scholar Development.”

One can look at anything Bonham has done in the last four years and will see it left a positive reflection on the OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture, said John Long, BAE associate professor and Bonham’s adviser.

Biosystems engineering is a challenging major, Long said, and the ability to maintain academics, extracurricular involvement, volunteer work, and work or other experiences is a testament to Bonham’s ability to balance all these things and still excel as a student.

As a high school senior, Bonham toured other universities but realized he had every reason to attend OSU, he said. Every bit of his four years at OSU has been packed full of experiences and lessons, he said. Bonham said he is forever grateful to be selected as the 2023 Ferguson College of Agriculture Outstanding Senior.

“The family and the support system that characterizes the Ferguson

College of Agriculture is second to none,” Bonham added.

Bonham has accepted an offer to attend the University of Florida following graduation to focus on a doctorate in hydrological modeling. Bonham said he will continue the educational journey he started and learned to love at OSU.

“I wish we could have kept him at OSU, but he is going to get a different perspective, viewpoint and environment,” Frazier said.

Professors, advisers and mentors describe Bonham as a professional and committed individual with drive to pursue opportunities while maintaining a positive attitude toward learning and bettering himself, the community and the university.

“When you look at what Rio has done and how he’s been involved since he stepped foot on campus, he’s taken a path where his goal was to not only be successful academically but also to grow personally and professionally,” VanOverbeke said.

Bonham believes his story shows how success does not come easy and comes with many transformative moments, he said.

“My goals have shifted from just getting through the week to seeking a Ph.D. in a field of study I once thought was beyond my reach,” Bonham said. “I have watched myself grow from just another small-town kid to a capable researcher with a deep technical skillset and a broad world perspective.”

Bonham achieved success by learning from mistakes, working hard, and devoting time to help others, he said.

“After my experience, I now know this is what it means to be a Cowboy,” Bonham said.

ALYSSA FRANCIS PARIS, MISSOURI

The Outstanding Senior receives a Remington bronze sculpture along with a scholarship for their achievements. Photo by Alyssa Francis.

2023 FERGUSON SENIORS OF DISTINCTION

Natalie Battaglia Okemah, Oklahoma ANSI/AGCM

Rio Bonham** Tishomingo, Oklahoma BAE

Jerret Carpenter* Poteau, Oklahoma NREM/PHIL

Hunter Gibson Glenpool, Oklahoma AGCM

Roy Grant* Muskogee, Oklahoma AGBU

Stephanie Gripp Sheffield, Illinois ANSI

Tess Haddock Stillwater, Oklahoma AGEC

Grace Harris Horatio, Arkansas ANSI/FDSC

Cade Jenlink Jet, Oklahoma AGBU

Hannah Kay Kirby Buffalo Gap, Texas AGCM

Bree Kisling Enid, Oklahoma AGCM

Hunter McConnell* Owasso, Oklahoma ANSI

Chance McGill Barnsdall, Oklahoma AGCM/AGBU

Hoyt Nebgen Jacksboro, Texas AGLE/FDSC

Megan Newlon Hugoton, Kansas ANSI/AGCM

Macy Rosselle Adams, Oregon AGBU

Traber Smithson Enid, Oklahoma AGBU

Kaitlin Taylor* Milton, Tennessee ANSI/POLS

Addison Wall Lubbock, Texas BIMB

Jade Wilkinson McKinney, Texas ANSI

* Dean’s Award of Excellence

** Outstanding Senior

The Ferguson College of Agriculture presents the 2023 Seniors of Distinction at the annual banquet: Cynda Clary (front left), associate dean of the OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture; Megan Newlon; Chance McGill; Natalie Battaglia; Rio Bonham; Addison Wall; Tess Haddock; Macy Rosselle; Jerret Carpenter; Cade Jenlink (back left); Hunter Gibson; Roy Grant; Traber Smithson; Hannah Kay Kirby; Bree Kisling; Stepanie Gripp; Hoyt Nebgen; Kaitlin Taylor; Grace Harris; Hunter McConnell; and Thomas Coon, vice president and dean of the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Not pictured Jade Wilkinson. Photo courtesy of Genesee Photo Systems.

Thomas Coon

vice president and dean

OSU Agriculture, award the 2023 recipients: Craig Edwards (second from left), agricultural education, communications and leadership, Excellence in Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring Award; Shelly Peper Legg, agricultural education, communications and leadership, Excellence in Teaching Award; Mellissa Crosswhite, animal and food sciences, Excellence in Undergraduate Student Advising and Mentoring Award; and Nathan Smith, agricultural education, communications and leadership, Early Career Excellence in Teaching Award. Photo courtesy of Genesee Photo Systems.

2022 NEW STUDENT FALL AWARDS

CHARLES & MAGDA BROWNING OUTSTANDING FRESHMAN

Jeronimo Lara

Shattuck, Oklahoma Animal Science

OUTSTANDING TRANSFER STUDENT

Cal Schultz

Faribault, Minnesota Animal Science

FRESHMAN EXCELLENCE AWARDS TRANSFER EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Emma Long Jasper, Georgia Agricultural Education

Jared Stone Chandler, Oklahoma

Animal Science and Agribusiness

Blake Robbins

Pauls Valley, Oklahoma Food Science

Tony Caruso

Benicia, California Agribusiness

Kallie Clifton

Soper, Oklahoma

Agribusiness

The Ferguson College of Agriculture recognizes four faculty each year. Cynda Clary (left), associate dean of the OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture and

(right),

of the

ALUMNI SOCIETY NEWS FERGUSON COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

ALUMNI EARLY CAREER

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

An enterprising entrepreneur in the plant and soil sciences industry, Jerry May specializes in precision agriculture and farm consulting.

May received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture in plant and soil sciences in 2008 and 2010, respectively.

While at OSU, he was a member of the Agronomy Club and served the department as a small grains weed science research assistant.

In addition to managing his family’s ranch west of Kiowa, Kansas, May owns three businesses, including May Precision Ag, Ninja Ag and Stateline Precision Ag. The precision

agriculture and production deliverables provided by his companies have impacted hundreds of thousands of acres across the Great Plains.

May is often invited to share industry insights on agricultural news podcasts and radio shows.

He also mentors youth leaders in his local 4-H club and FFA chapter and helps them discover opportunities in agriculture and natural resources.

May continues to support the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences by serving as a guest lecturer on entrepreneurship and precision agriculture.

May is a member of the Soil Science Society of America, American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society of America.

As a landscape architect, Cody Klein specializes in the design of public places. His accomplishments in the field helped earn him an Early Career Achievement Award from the Ferguson College of Agriculture Alumni Society for 2023.

Klein received his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the college in 2009.

While studying at Oklahoma State University, Klein earned national recognition from the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Klein joined OJB Landscape Architecture as an associate in April 2011, rising in six years to his current role as partner overseeing the firm’s East Coast division.

He is a nationally recognized speaker on landscape and urban design and

is a frequent invited critic in studios at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, North Carolina State University and OSU.

In 2022, Klein’s project at Mass General Brigham in Somerville, Massachusetts, was recognized with an honor award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. His projects for Ford Motor Co. and American Airlines also earned honor awards from the Boston Society of Landscape Architects.

Klein continues to give back to the OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture by serving on the Landscape Architecture Professional Advisory Committee, which advises the faculty on curriculum and current trends in the industry.

JERRY MAY

CODY KLEIN

FERGUSON COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

HOMECOMING CELEBRATION

Please join fellow alumni and friends at the Ferguson College of Agriculture Homecoming Celebration, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Refreshments, giveaways, activities and more for the whole family to enjoy will be provided.

The Ferguson College of Agriculture Homecoming Celebration will be hosted at the Charles and Linda Cline Equine Teaching Facility, which is located at 2601 W. McElroy Road, just east of the Totusek Arena.

Parking will be available at the Totusek Arena.

At 3:30 p.m., the 50-, 25- and 10year graduates of the college will be recognized and will receive a pin.

Following the graduate recognition, the Ferguson College of Agriculture Alumni Society Board will host a brief annual meeting, including the election of new board members and acknowledgment of the retiring members.

“Homecoming is a great time to reconnect with your Ferguson College of Agriculture family, old friends,

faculty, staff and current students,” said Herb Lengel, Ferguson College employer and alumni relations coordinator. “We invite all college alumni to join us for our Homecoming celebration and alumni annual meeting. America’s Greatest Homecoming and Walkaround is a can’t miss event!”

For more information, visit agriculture.okstate.edu/alumni.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Rick Reimer President

Claremore, Oklahoma

Northeast District

Meg Stangl

Vice President

Okarche, Oklahoma

At-large Member

Travis Jones

Secretary/Treasurer

Roff, Oklahoma

At-large Member

Herb Lengel

Executive Secretary

Stillwater, Oklahoma

Justin Anderson

Stillwater, Oklahoma

At-large Member

Phillip Cowley

Morrison, Oklahoma

At-large Member

Matt Gard

Fairview, Oklahoma

Northwest District

Mechelle Hampton

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Northeast District

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 Ferguson College Roundup, annual Homecoming Reception and Alumni Meeting, 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.

Jon Marc Holt

Sharon, Oklahoma

Northwest District

Charles Rohla

Roff, Oklahoma

Southeast District

Becky Walker Chandler

Stratford, Oklahoma

Southeast District

Marcus Washington

Oklahoma City

Southwest District

FERGUSON COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE ALUMNI SOCIETY

OKFFA

PROVIDES THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS WHO WILL CHANGE THE WORLD.

For the next generation for all Oklahomans

Cowboy Journal

Oklahoma State University

Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership

448 Agricultural Hall

Stillwater, OK 74078-6031