K-State College of Agriculture -- An Inside View

National Block & Bridle Convention

Over the weekend of October 18 - 20, K-State Block & Bridle members hosted over 400 Block and Bridle members  from across the nation at their annual convention.  Block & Bridle is one of the largest organizations for students majoring in Animal Science or who have an interest in animal agriculture.  Each year the convention is held in a different part of the country to showcase that region's animal agriculture.  This year, K-State Block & Bridle had the opportunity to host this event.  During the three day conference, members listened to keynote and industry speakers, such as General Richard B. Meyers, Dr. Jerry Jaax, Dr. John Stika, etc, visited different farms across the state of Kansas, and had the opportunity to network with one another. In addition, members were able to attend the American Royal in Kansas City and watch the PBR. Below is a picture from the PBR.

The convention was a great success thanks to all the help from the B&B members here at K-State.  It was an amazing opportunity to be able to host the convention, since a lot of schools are not able to.  I am also extremely thankful for our club advisors and all of the help they gave the club in helping to plan convention.  Without them, I know the convention would not have been such a success. 

Below is a picture of the K-State group at convention.

~Rebecca

Get Involved!

One of the first things I did when I came to K-State was get involved. I went to the University Activities Carnival and picked up brochures and flyers about different organizations and activities. Then, I went to the College of Agriculture Watermelon Feed and signed up for anything and everything that interested me even the slightest bit. It sure didn’t take me long to find out how over involved I had gotten myself. I did not have anywhere close to enough time to do it all! That’s when I really sat down and decided what I was really passionate about and then went from there.

It is always good to get involved. It’s a major part of college and your education as a whole. However, do not do what I did and try to immerse yourself in everything or you will get INCREDIBLY overwhelmed and stressed out. Extracurricular activities and student organizations should be fun!

A good rule of thumb that Dr. Boggs, Associate Dean for the College of Agriculture, always says is get involved in two things when you first get here. The first activity should be something in your major so that you can begin establishing friendships and industry connections within your major, department, and college. The second should be something for you. This is very wide open and being at K-State gives you an incredible array of options. Anything you could possibly think of that you are passionate about, you could probably find as a student organization or group here on campus. Student organizations range from religious groups to skydiving club, from belly dancing to Student Governing Board.

[Below is a picture of my fellow Ag Ambassadors and myself sharing a little leisure time out at the trapshooting range. While we get a lot of work accomplished for the College of Agriculture, we have a lot of fun just being together outside of meetings and activities.]

Go ahead, explore!! When it comes time to figure out what you are going to devote your precious time to though, make sure it is something that is going to help you in the future or something that you are really passionate about. This will bring you the greatest college success. I never regret being active in the organizations I joined because they benefit myself as well as others and most importantly, I have FUN doing it!!

-Morgan

Organized Living

One of my biggest decisions so far in life was to attend Kansas State University. Coming from a state far away made the decision and transition more difficult. However, my living experience my freshman year made that transition a lot easier. My freshman year I lived in Haymaker residence hall on the Ag Cluster floor. Coming to K-State I only knew one other person. But I gained so many friends and have a lot of unforgettable memories from living in the residence halls.

Taking part in an organized living setting allows one to meet others and engage in group activities at all times. In the residence halls, the people I met that first year are still my good friends today. My roommate and next door neighbor my freshman year are the girls I live with today, and are two of my closest friends. I was able to get to know some of my neighbors through various activities, such as floor dinners, playing intramurals, or just hanging out.The picture at left is of myself and some of my close friends who lived on my floor before going dancing on a Friday night. The people I lived with on that floor and in the hall are individuals I see and talk to still today.

One aspect I will never forget about living in the residence halls is the memories made. I will always remember sitting in the hallway with my neighbor, Dalton Henry, and talking about everything from relationships to classes to K-State football. Or seeing how many people we could pile into one room while watching T.V., eating pizza, or catching up after a long weekend. The people I lived with created a memorable chapter in my life that I will never forget.

I strongly suggest organized living during a freshman’s first year on campus, whether that be through a residence hall, scholarship house, or Greek house. Organized living allows students to meet people with similar interests who are going through the same transition they are. It also allows students to create memories that cannot be created anywhere else. For further information about housing options visit http://www.housing.k-state.edu/.

Go Cats!

Kristen Schulte

Food Safety

Many people often ask me why I chose to study the Food Science field.  The answer I often give them, is that I am very interested in Food Safety.  Kansas State is one of the leading universities in the nation in this field, already home to the Biosecurity Research Institute.  The $54 million institute is housed in Pat Roberts Hall, directly east of Bill Snyder family stadium and the Peters Recreation Complex.  The Institute is a level 3 biosafety facility that allows researchers to study pathogens that threaten humans, food, crops, and livestock.  Furthermore, Kansas State is one of 4 finalists for the National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility.  This building would have a biosafety level 4 (the highest level) and would allow for cutting edge research to be done directly in the city of Manhattan! 

This week I also had the opportunity to start working at my first part-time on campus job.  I began working in a Food Safety lab in Call Hall.  On my first day, I helped with a research experiment involving E. Coli and Salmonella in beef jerky.  The experiment required that the beef jerky be tested at various temperatures to compare what levels of the E. Coli and Salmonella had been destroyed.  It is a really great part-time job.  Not only do I get paid, but I get relevant work experience to my field to help build my resume, and I get lab experience that I will likely use in a real world job someday!

For more information on Food Safety at K-State, visits this site: http://fss.k-state.edu/

For more information on Kansas State and the NBAF selection process, please visit: http://www.k-state.edu/media/nbaf/

K-State Proud,

Tyler

Meats Team in PA

The last weekend in September, I had the opportunity to travel to Pennsylvania for the Eastern National Meats Judging Contest. Myself, my seven other teammates, and my coaches left Manhattan at 1:45 a.m. Thursday morning to fly to Philadelphia, PA.  When we arrive in PA, we took a 2.5 hour drive to visit Gettysburg. It was amazing to see all the monuments and battle fields.  Our team really enjoyed being able to tour these fields as there was so much history behind them. The following are a few pictures we took while in Gettysburg.

      

After we visited Gettysburg, we drove to State College, PA to work out at the Penn State meat lab.  We practiced all afternoon, but before we left we were able to take pictures with the legendary Penn State football coach, Joe Paterno. From State College we drove to Wyalusing, PA for the contest.

The contest started at 6:00 a.m. (yes, we have a lot of early mornings on the meats team!) on Saturday. This mean we had to be up by 4:40 to get dressed and eat breakfast. We judged throughout the morning and into the early afternoon. As a team we didn't do as well as we hoped since we placed 6th. However, we hope to improve throughout the rest of the fall.

The day after the contest we spent touring Philadelphia. While we were there we saw the Liberty Bell & Congress Hall. We also ate at Hard Rock Cafe and drove across the Delaware River to set foot in New Jersey. It was an amazing day to tour Philly, since the weather was in the low 70's.

I had an amazing time traveling to PA with my meats judging team.  As a team, we were able to form stronger friendships and make memories that will last a lifetime.  Traveling to places like PA with the meats judging team is just one of the numerous opportunities you will be exposed to when you get involved at K-State!

A Classroom "Down Under"

In May 2006 I traveled to Australia for two weeks with the Animal Science Department at K-State. Our group did an Ag Study tour of Australia, and because the trip was agriculture-based, I was able to see many farms and experience all types of farming practices. The plane trip from Kansas City to Brisbane, Australia, took approximately 15 hours. I know what you are thinking…15 hours on a plane? What did you do the whole time? Well, I had a selection of movies to choose from, I could watch those, play games, read, or sleep. So the time did go pretty fast.
The group arrived in Brisbane, Australia and from there we traveled to the Steve Irwin Zoo. We were able to see kolas, kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, crocodiles, tigers, and native birds of Australia. I got my picture taken with a kola. Don’t let them fool you-they may look cute and cuddly, but they actually smell awful! I was able to appreciate the stop here even more a few months after I returned home. Shortly after our group went to the Steve Irwin Zoo, Irwin died tragically after a stingray stung him in The Great Barrier Reef.
Some other highlights on the trip included, seeing Rainbow Beach, and a rainforest, touring a sheep farm and a cattle ranch, and scuba diving and snorkeling in The Great Barrier Reef. We also went through the mountains and saw the Three Sisters rock formation; we traveled to Sydney and saw the opera house, took a boat tour of the harbor, and in general, experienced the culture of Australia.
Traveling abroad is an experience I would not trade for anything. I had the opportunity to do things I would have never been able to do in Kansas. Traveling opens your eyes to the world and allows you to experience different cultures. You are also able to see new things and learn about different ways of life. I have been infected with the travel bug now and I can’t wait to go out of the country again!

-Melissa