K-State College of Agriculture -- An Inside View

K-State Soil Judging Team Takes National Honors

The K-State Soil Judging Team took home top honors at the 2008 National Soil Judging Contest. This marks the first time the K-State Soil Judging Team has taken first place overall in the national contest. The contest was hosted by the University of Rhode Island, and 21 teams competed.

Individual team members also succeeded in the competition. Leah Ferdinand, senior in agronomy from Reading, Kan., won second place; Paul Hartley, senior in agronomy from Emporia, Kan. won sixth place; Ryan Cyr, senior in agronomy from Miltonvale, Kan., received 14th place; and Adam Heitman, senior in agronomy from Webber, Kan., received 20th.   

Other competing team members include Kelsey McGie, sophomore in milling science and management from Iola, Kan.; Andrew McGowan, junior in agronomy from Prairie Village, Kan.; Andrew Newkirk, freshman in agronomy from Manhattan, Kan.; and Angela Tran, junior in agronomy from Prairie Village, Kan.

Mickey Ransom is the team coach, assisted by Scott Dooley, senior in agronomy from Jewell.   

The Soil Judging Team won second place overall last year and has qualified for the national competition 13 out of the last 14 years. They have also won the regional contest three out of the last five years.

The contests are an activity of the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America.

K-State Powercat Tractors Win 7th International Competition

For the seventh time in the 11-year history of the event, a team from Kansas State University has won the International Quarter-Scale Tractor Design Competition.

The K-State Powercat Tractors Quarter-Scale Design Team placed first overall out of 24 team from schools across the U.S. and Canada by accumulating the most points in the competition categories of performance, written report, oral report, design judging and maneuverability. K-State was first in the 1,050-pound performance pull and tied for first in the 1,300-pound performance pull.

Members of the team are K-State agricultural technology management majors from the College of Agriculture and biological and agricultural engineering majors from the College of Engineering.

K-State Ag in the News: Vincent Hofer Receives Anderson Award

Each year, the K-State Alumni Association recognize four outstanding seniors for their contributions in leadership, service, inspiration and academics. Vincent Hofer, a 2008 graduate in agribusiness from Franklin, Kan., received the Anderson Award for Outstanding Leadership.

As chapter president of the National Agri-Marketing Association, Vincent was instrumental in leading the K-State team to back-to-back wins in national competition. Other leadership activities include serving as president of the Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Club, vice president of Blue Key, and the vice president and treasurer of the Ag Council. Hofer also was a recitation instructor for a class of 40 students in agricultural economics.

Congratulations, Vincent!

Dairy Challenge Contest

What does reproduction, nutrition, facilities, cow comfort, production records, and financial analysis have in common? They are all areas which members of the Dairy Challenge team evaluate to make recommendations to producers and farm owners.

This past weekend I had the honor of participating with three other K-State undergrads at the National Dairy Challenge Contest which was held in Madison, Wisconsin. The contest is centered around the academic classes participants have taken to prepare themselves to work in the industry. The contest consists of a day of evaluating records, visiting the farm, producer interviews, and presentation development in relation to a dairy farm. During the evaluations, farm visit, and interviews each team is looking for areas which the producer can be more successful as well as areas where they are currently succeeding. Based on their observations, the team spends the afternoon preparing a presentation of recommendations which are based on sound data and observations. The following day, each team presents their recommendations to a panel of professions who also have evaluated the farm. Each team is ranked based on the accuracy of their recommendations and presentation skills.

K-State's team consisted of Michelle Sullivan, D.J. Rezak, Billy Brown, and myself and was coached by Dr. Mike Brouk. In K-State's first year being represented at the contest, we received a Platinum rating and placed second!! 

Taking part in this contest has prepared me for the industry as I now can evaluate records more efficiently, develop effective questions, and present logical, useful recommendations.

This is just one of several competition team opportunities available in the College of Agriculture. Many departments in the college have a competition team in correlation to their area of study; a large portion of these teams are national recognizable.

Go Cats!!! -Kristen Schulte-

Informative Classes

Spring semester is flying by!! It seems like just last month I was celebrating Christmas with family and friends! Maybe it is the anticipation of spring coming or excitement of Ag Fest week around the corner. But the main reason why this semester has gone by so fast for me is due to the intense, applicable, and exciting classes I am enrolled in this semester.

One of the classes I enjoy this semester is Food and Agribusiness Management. This class takes all the information I have learned while at K-State in previous economic, financial, and management classes and rolls it into one large concept: company/business success. I have learned how to apply various concepts and ideas to various real life case studies like Sara Lee or McDonald's and evaluate where these companies have/have not been successful.

Two other classes that I am taking which are preparing me for the work force are Agriculture Law and Taxation. In the Ag. Law class I am learning the different aspects of civil, criminal, and regulatory law and how they apply to the agriculture industry. In my Taxation class I am learning all about the taxation process, regulations, codes, and various forms. Although these classes are more intense, I am enjoying them because I know what I am learning now, I can apply to a future job when I am helping farmers, ranchers, or business leaders succeed in their industry.

Dairy Trip to Minnesota

I am a member of the Dairy Science Club where I currently hold the position of President. This past weekend club members traveled to the twin cities for the Regional American Dairy Science Association - Student Affiliate Division Conference.

On our way to Minnesota we toured two innovative dairy farms. The first tour was of Stranshome Dairy. This dairy owns members of some of the greatest cow families in the dairy industry today like Ashlyn, Talnt, and Roxy; they remain competitive because they take advantage of various genetic and reproductive procedures. The second dairy we visited was Durst Bros. Dairy; these three brothers milk over 1,200 cows in a double 24 parallel parlor. They have worked with K-State faculty to design and build a state of the art manure handling facility for their dairy. Both of these farms were neat to tour since they focused their strengths in different areas of the industry.

At the conference, students participated in dairy quiz bowl, club display competition, break out sessions, an awards banquet, and other fun activities. These break out sessions are orientated towards the dairy industry covering a wide range of current issues in the industry. Some of the areas covered in the sessions were: the calving process, genetics of tomorrow, transitioning back to the farm, and networking with the dairy producer. The picture at left is club members who attended the conference after the awards banquet.

Even though the drive was long, the trip was fun, educational, and unforgettable!

Becky's National Officer Update

Konichiwa! (translation—HOWDY)!

I sure hope everyone enjoyed celebrating National FFA Week, I know my
team and I did! Currently, we are in Nashville Indiana (no, not
Tennessee), at a bed and breakfast for the annual National Officer
“Work Week/Retreat.”

To give you a little update on what has been going on in my life the
past few months, here are the highlights:

1) We found out our state conventions for this year! Mine are: Kentucky,
Kansas, Alabama, Massachusetts, Delaware, Ohio, Illinois, and
California! YEA!! My first conventions are Massachusetts and Delaware
(March 15-20th).

2) We experience our first FFA National Board of Directors Meeting in
January

3) The morning of our Board Meeting, my team and I had a special meeting
where they surprised us with our NLCSO partners…Brady and Kari, Zach
and Tyler, Morgan and I!!! WILDCAT POWER!

4) January 4-14th we traveled overseas to Japan! A few fun Japan
highlights are:
    a. Going to the bath house
    b. Eating traditional Japanese food (a lot of raw fish, cow tongue,
Sea urchin, rice, meso soup, and much more)!
    c. Learned to play the traditional Japanese drums as a high school,
and then got to perform during a presentation at a hotel in front of
audience!
    d. Attended a traditional Japanese tea ceremony
    e. Saw Hiroshima and toured the peace museum
    f. Toured MANY shrines and temples, learning about the Shindu and
Buddhists
    g. Got to ride the bullet trains, as well as the CROWDY subways in
Tokyo
    h. Went to Oyster Festival on Niwogima Island
    i. Finally, my BEST experience…my host family where I made a new
best friend named Ami Son, a 17 year-old high school student. We both
cried when we parted ways!

5) National FFA Week: I traveled with Ms. Nina Crutchfield to Texas. I
ended up doing a greenhand leadership conference, toured Texas tech and
attended Alumni luncheon there, did two different leadership sessions
for about 10 schools at Tarleton State University, toured MANY other
schools across state, and got to go skeet shooting with some collegiate
members for the first time!

6) Currently we are in Nashville Indiana at a bed and breakfast (my
first bed and breakfast ever). After this week of work, we will go on
our second week of “partnership” visits (business and industry visits).
I will spend Monday March 3 with businesses in Indianapolis, then Brady
and I will fly to Detroit for two days, then New York City, and finally
Washington D.C.

7) March 9-12 we will all be in Washington D.C. for National Ag. Week;
we will speak with politicians and meet with FFA members from nearby
chapters.

The opportunities and once-in-a-lifetime experiences my teammates and I
have been blessed with we will never forget. As a newly elected
officer, we were told “expect nothing, appreciate everything!” We truly
have A LOT to appreciate.

Thank YOU for being a mentor, coach, supporter, and most of all a friend
in my journey to make it where I am today. I hope to re-pay the
kindness you have shown me with each day of my life!

Miss you all, but know that I am being taken good care of!

God bless,
Becky Sullivan

Getting my money's worth...

As a Kansas State student, every semester, you pay a certain amount of student privelege fees.  These fees help fund different complexes or programs that are available for student use.  This past weekend, and throughout the week I have taken full advantage of my student fees.

One main area where student fees are used is the Recreation Complex.  "The Rec," as it is called by students, has several volleyball and basketball courts, cardio equipment, machine and free weights, racquetball, and other great activities for students to enjoy.  I try and visit the rec at least three times a week, whether that be for a quick 30 minute workout, or to play basketball for several hours.  On Sunday, I was a playing in an intramural basketball game, and unfortunately rolled my ankle (or maybe worse.)  This sent me on to another location where a large portion of student fees are spent, Lafene Health Center.

At Lafene, KSU students can received medical treatment at no charge.  The only thing that you must pay for is x-rays or lab tests, and medications.  The doctor and nurses I visited with treated me very well at Lafene.  They explained to me my X-Ray results and have sent me on further to an Orthopedic Specialist (unfortunately that won't be free!) I will even be able to go back to see a Physical Therapist at no charge once it is determined what steps need to be taken to recover.   

These are just a few of the priveleges you get of being a KSU student!  I just hope I can get better fast, because I leave for my study abroad trip to Italy in 3 weeks!

Academic Quadrathalon

This past week, I had the opportunity to participate in Academic Quadrathalon.  Quadrathlon is an Animal Science Competition between four member teams.  The teams compete in four various categories: quiz bowl, written exam, lab practical, and oral presentations.  Last year, my team placed 3rd Overall in the competition, so this year our goal was to win the competition.  We started on Monday night with the written exam and lab practical. The exam was 14 pages long and we had one hour to complete it. It consisted of various multiple choice, true/false, and problems.  After the exam, we completed the lab practical. The lab practical had eight different stations including beef, swine, equine, sheep, dairy, poultry, meat science, and laboratory.  This part was a lot of fun, especially since we were able to apply some of the hands on knowledge that we had learned in class.

On Tuesday, we participated in the quiz bowl and gave our oral presentation. The oral presentation had to be between 10 -14 minutes long. We gave our presentation on the impact of ethanol on animal agriculture. We ended up placing first in our room, so we were able to move onto finals on Wednesday night. We had to go through three rounds of quiz bowl, before we advanced on to the finals that were also on Wednesday night.  Quiz bowl is always a lot of fun because it is so fast paced.

I was extremely nervous when I woke up Wednesday morning because I knew we needed to win at least one final tonight to have a chance at winning the overall competition. We spent four hours Wednesday afternoon working on our presentation.  When we finally arrived at the Alumni Center Wednesday evening for finals, my stomach was a nervous wreck.  We had to compete in Quiz Bowl first. We were up against the same team that had knocked us out of quiz bowl the year before. We ended up winning the finals by a score of 100 - 50.  We also ended up taking first place in the presentation.  When the results were announced we ended up winning the overall competition by one point.  Whew!! Talk about being close.  Now, we are preparing for the Regional Competition in Des Moines, IA in March.  We hope we can represent K-State well!!

~Rebecca

Telefund

This past week at K-State has been pretty amazing! Not only did we beat KU! Go Cats!!! But it was also Telefund week! Telefund is where current College of Ag students call Alumni and ask for donations for the College of Agriculture. A majority of the money raised goes to student scholarships, but some also goes to research activities and other projects that are going on at K-State.  I had the chance to call for Telefund two nights this year.  Telefund has went through some big changes, so this year was a little different. We started at 4:45 p.m. with supper. We then went through some general orientation and training and began making our calls around 6 p.m. Throughout the three hours that we call, we have opportunities to eat different snacks and win prizes.  I really enjoyed talking to a lot of the alumni, since they were all very excited to hear about K-State. Also, a lot of the alumni were excited about the KU vs. K-State game that was going to be played later in the week.  At the end of the night, I was proud to say I raised over $2500 for the College of Agriculture and came home with a cooler, t-shirt, and water bottle.  Not bad for just three hours of calling.  Go Cats!!

Rebecca