Volume 24, Number 1 – Winter/Spring 2022

OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture Volume 24 Number 1 • Winter/Spring 2022

THE VOICE OF

FAMILY AGRICULTURE

EDUCATION | LEGISLATION | COOPERATION

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

(j@)CJ @AFRYouth WWW.AFRCOOP.ORG 405.218.5400

COOPERATIVE

MINDY BRASHEARS

RAYMOND CAMPBELL

MICHAEL GALYEAN

BRETT RAMSEY AND GREG RAMSEY

FRANK C. ROBSON

MARTHA BURGER

ARLAN RICHARDSON

BRENDA SIDWELL

JOYCE TAYLOR

MARTA WHITE

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S T O O U R 2 0 2 1 H O N O R E E S D I ST I N G U I S H E D A LU M N I

CHAMPIONS

MINDY BRASHEARS, 1994 and 1997

MARTHA BURGER

RAYMOND CAMPBELL, 1963 and 1965

ARLAN RICHARDSON

MICHAEL GALYEAN, 1975 and 1977

BRENDA SIDWELL

BRETT RAMSEY, 1993

JOYCE TAYLOR

GREG RAMSEY, 1995

BARBARA PASS (POSTHUMOUSLY)

FRANK C. ROBSON, 1953

MARTA WHITE agriculture.okstate.edu/about/honors

Inside Cowboy Journal

Editors

Molly Faught Devin Griffith Baylee Hogan

Managing Editor Shelly Peper Legg, Ph.D.

Assistant Managing Editors Dwayne Cartmell, Ph.D. Ruth Inman, Ph.D. Tyler Price, M.S. Angel Riggs, Ph.D. Quisto Settle, Ph.D.

Social Media Coordinator Sydney Miller

Sponsorship Coordinator Bobby Marchy

Carli Eubank Juliann Hale

Photo Coordinator Caley Mayo

Fact Checker Kaylyn Branen

Staff

Abigail Anderson Austin Anderson Breanna Barker Lauren Brockman Jeanette Furlong Jenna Henson Lindsey Jones Allison Lollis Emile Mittelstaedt Shadi Nettles Kaylee Piatt Malcolm Rodriguez Taylor Scott Kelsee Smith Andrea Vandever-Moore Derrick Wood

4 WINTER/SPRING 2022

Cowboy Journal Vol. 24 No. 1

Graphics Coordinator

Beyond the Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Ferguson Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 A Rewarding Return . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Crossing New Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Football and Ferguson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 From Vine to Wine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 No Horsing Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 More to the Ordinary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Taste the Iberico Difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Star of the Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Next Gen Composting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 An Agricultural Olympian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Roots and Rocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Tribute to a Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Exceeding Excellence Early On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Ramsey’s Ripple Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Pie, Anyone?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 World Traveler Turned Cowboy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Serving up Good Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Bravery over Everything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Riding for Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 A Site for New Opportunities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 The Road to Resiliency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Preserving the Prairie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 On to New Adventures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Centennial Celebration of Cowboys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

From the Editors

On our first day of class, our staff selected 25 words to represent the Cowboy Journal magazine. These three ultimately brought our vision to life: intentional, modern and simple.

It took hard work and dedication to build this masterpiece. We could not have accomplished this without Shelly Legg, Tyler Price, Samantha Siler, Kristin Knight, Braeden Coon, Sarah Palmer, Todd Johnson, Bryan Arnall, Mandy Gross, the AGCM faculty and our Ferguson Family.

While you may see the printed culmination of our work, you may not see the countless hours, the late nights in 404 Agricultural Hall and the tedious edits our staff completed this past semester. We cannot thank them enough for all of their hard work.

Thank you, Ferguson Family, for allowing us to share your diverse, impactful and meaningful stories. Enjoy and as always — Go Pokes!

Molly, Devin and Baylee

Featured Content 10

22

56

6 On the Cover OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture Volume 24 Number 1 • Winter/Spring 2022

TreBee Farm is owned and operated by agricultural communications senior Tré Smith. With his passion for beekeeping and communications, Smith has combined the specialized skills he has gained through his coursework. The students in the OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture, like Smith, are making a splash in the agricultural industry. Photo by Shadi Nettles.

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

COWBOY JOURNAL 5

Tré Smith makes weekly trips to Bristow, Oklahoma, to care for his beehives. Photo by Shadi Nettles.

6 WINTER/SPRING 2022

beyond the

AGRICULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS SENIOR CULTIVATES A YOUTHFUL OPERATION

W

hat if the world’s perception of the agricultural industry was one of innovation, opportunity and youthfulness?

One Ferguson College of Agriculture senior is determined to make this idea a reality.

Tré Smith, an Oklahoma State University agricultural communications student, is the owner of TreBee Farms, a new beekeeping operation in Bristow, Oklahoma.

Smith began his agricultural journey through FFA. While his parents are not involved in production agriculture, they supported his interest in the industry and laid the groundwork for his work ethic, Smith said.

Smith exhibited swine throughout high school and attended the Oklahoma Pork Council Youth Leadership Camp in 2016.

“This is where I found my love for the pork industry,” Smith said. “After camp, I knew I wanted to attend OSU and work at the swine unit.”

In 2018, Smith achieved that goal.

He worked at the OSU Swine Research and Education Center for two years.

Smith used the knowledge he gained there to advocate for pig farming

across the nation during his term on the National Pork Board’s student social forces team.

Working with other young agriculturists on the social forces team inspired him to create a production agriculture experience that appealed to young people, Smith said.

While his love for agriculture lies within the pork sector, Smith believed beekeeping was a better introductory species for new agriculturists, he said.

In 2018, Smith attended the Young Farmers National Leadership Convergence and met Kamal Bell, chief executive officer of Sankofa Farms.

Smith was inspired by Sankofa Farms’ agricultural academy, he said. The academy targets African American youth and is designed to show them careers in the agricultural industry through beekeeping and crop production, Smith said.

“Beekeeping lets you enter the field without much overhead,” Bell said.

“The youth get to learn business and all these different aspects of agriculture at an earlier age.”

Bell said Smith was clearly capable of owning a beekeeping operation but had potential for more.

COWBOY JOURNAL 7

Tré Smith has found a passion for showcasing agricultural opportunities, such as his beehives, to young people. Photos by Shadi Nettles.

I WANTED TREBEE FARMS TO BE A PLACE THAT INSPIRED YOUNG PEOPLE. I WANTED TO SHOW THEM THEY COULD DO ANYTHING. TRÉ SMITH 8 WINTER/SPRING 2022

“I see Tré reviving agriculture,” Bell said. “I think more people will be inspired to enter the agricultural field because of him.”

After Bell’s encouragement, Smith was determined to make his dream a reality, he said.

Smith began saving money, accepted a young farmer grant sponsored by the Young Farmers Coalition, and received a donation from an anonymous business owner from his hometown, he said.

In 2020, Smith purchased four beehives, but has expanded to 10 hives.

While he achieved the main goal of becoming a beekeeper, Smith envisioned a component of TreBee Farms beyond the bees, he said.

“I wanted TreBee Farms to be a place that inspired young people,” Smith said. “I wanted to show them they could do anything.”

When it comes to innovative thinking and being a visionary for the

agricultural industry, Smith is a shining star, said Kylee Deniz, Oklahoma Pork Council executive director and Smith’s internship supervisor.

“Tré is full of ambition,” Deniz said.

“When a new opportunity hits his radar, and he determines it’s the right fit for his goals, there is no stopping him.”

Through his involvement with the Oklahoma Pork Council, Smith developed a passion for showcasing career opportunities in agriculture to young people, Deniz said. Now, he has woven that passion into his business model for TreBee Farms, she added.

“I wanted TreBee Farms to empower and uplift young people,” Smith said.

“This business is about ensuring we still have young people coming into the agricultural industry.”

Whether Smith is hiring for the production side or for the business side of TreBee Farms, he said young people are his preference.

Employment at TreBee Farms gives

young people the experience required to apply for future opportunities, Smith said.

The vow to invest in young people through TreBee Farms does not stop at his hiring process, Smith said.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, TreBee Farms will present a series of scholarships to deserving college students, Smith said.

Tyler Harris, a marketing senior at the University of Oklahoma, is one of five TreBee Farms employees.

“Tré wants TreBee Farms to be young people supporting young people,” Harris said. “You never hear about college students giving out scholarships to other college students.”

As Smith examines the future of TreBee Farms, he plans to produce honey and beeswax products such as lip balm and lotion, he said. Production will begin summer 2022 when the bees are mature enough to begin harvesting products, he said.

Smith has arranged a partnership

with Airpark Coffee in Oklahoma City to market his products in their storefront. When honey production begins, the coffee shop will use TreBee Farms’ honey in their recipes, he added.

While Smith waits for his bees to mature, he hopes to provide Oklahoma FFA members access to his operation for educational purposes, he said.

Through a sponsorship with TreBee Farms, FFA members could have a unique supervised agricultural experience, Smith said.

“At the end of the day, I want people to know I tried to make sure young people are represented and they have a shot,” Smith said. “Anything is possible if you work hard enough for it.”

WANT TO BE A BEEKEEPER? Honeybees are great introductory species for individuals or groups — young or old — wanting to enter production agriculture.

With little overhead and several resources available to learn best practices, you can become a beekeeper, too.

Oklahoma State University Extension is here to help. Visit extension.okstate.edu/programs/ honeybees to learn more about becoming a beekeeper.

SHADI NETTLES

ALVA, OKLAHOMA

COWBOY JOURNAL 9

FERGUSON

FRAMEWORK T NEW BUILDING TO BRING EXPANDED OPPORTUNITIES

he smell of dust and green grass filled the air on a hot summer day as construction began on a new home for Oklahoma State University Agriculture.

“The agricultural facility funded by the New Frontiers campaign will serve as a foundation for the future, present and past members of the Cowboy family as a place to commemorate their common passion of agriculture,” said Tom Coon, vice president and dean for OSU Agriculture.

Sparked by this passion and drive for the new building, the idea for a state-of-the-art teaching, research and extension facility for faculty, staff and students was born, Coon said.

Four years ago, the conversation of creating a new home for OSU Agriculture began with the struggles of repairing classrooms and the overall structural integrity of Agricultural Hall, said Randy Raper, OSU Agriculture assistant vice president for facilities.

“Something the current building is lacking is the space for student involvement,” Raper said.

When looking at the new building,

10 WINTER/SPRING 2022

visitors will feel more welcomed from the openness of the structure with various glass walls, Raper said.

He hopes all guests will feel a part of the Ferguson Family as soon as they walk through the doors of the New Frontiers Agricultural Hall, he added.

“If we were going to listen to somebody in terms of how this building was going to function and be put together, we really needed to ensure the faculty members were the ones to drive this process,” Raper said.

Located on the northeast corner of Farm Road and Monroe Street, the new facility will feature several new additions, including group study and department huddle rooms, teaching labs, and other spaces for student involvement, Raper said.

The installation of the research facilities has become one of the most prized components to the new building in addition to the student gathering spaces, said Tess Haddock, agricultural economics junior.

During one of her class projects shadowing the New Frontiers campaign, Haddock worked with the OSU Foundation to give donors a tour of the

Construction for the New Frontiers Agricultural Hall began in May 2021. Photo by Baylee Hogan.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES Groundbreaking Removal of parking lot Ag North demo Groundwork Dirt work Gravel work Utility work

April 2021 May 2021 June 2021 July 2021 August 2021 September 2021 October 2021-present

COWBOY JOURNAL 11

The New Frontiers Agricultural Hall is projected to be open for classes for the Fall 2024 semester. Graphic provided by OSU Agriculture.

current Agricultural Hall and expressing her gratitude for their investments in current and future students.

“It is a big thing for the donors to have their name on a building because it encourages them to come back throughout the years,” Haddock said.

“Students get to see those names and have another networking opportunity through OSU.” New Frontiers Agricultural Hall will not only encourage students to gain more hands-on learning opportunities but also will provide the facilities to conduct in-depth research and have a gathering place within the college, Haddock said.

“New Frontiers Agricultural Hall will bring a lot of alumni back,” she said. “It will excite them because they can be at their alma mater and a part of the Stillwater community.”

As of November 2021, the New Frontiers campaign was at 94.8% of the $50 million goal in support of the new facility, Coon said.

12 WINTER/SPRING 2022

“Considering the volatility and instability of the construction market, we continue to be prudent stewards when making decisions regarding the bidding process,” Coon said. “However, we are making steady progress on the new home for OSU Agriculture.”

The team will continue to work on finding the remaining $3 million to finish the campaign, he added.

“We are beyond excited about seeing a new facility at the university, which was originally founded on agriculture and a critical part of our state’s economy,” said Brady Sidwell, agricultural economics alumnus and Enid Brewing Co. owner and co-founder.

“It is really important for OSU Agriculture to have high-tech and upto-date facilities to be able to keep up with the agricultural industry,” Sidwell said. “OSU continues to play a critical role in a majority of agricultural innovations that impact the local farmers of Oklahoma.”

To honor the memory of the late

Raymond Sidwell, past North Central OSU Research Station senior station superintendent, the Sidwell family invested in the New Frontiers building to support students, Sidwell said.

The Sidwell family is funding the office of the associate vice president of OSU Ag Research in the New Frontiers Agricultural Hall, naming it the Sidwell Family for Agriculture office.

“As a good stadium attracts the best athletic talent, so will a well-equipped and state-of-the-art college facility for students to conduct research and interact as they represent the commitment of OSU to the agricultural industry,” Sidwell said.

By understanding the need and impact of giving back, the Sidwell family views their donation as an investment in future leaders, researchers and educators, he said.

Through the three pillars of a land grant university, students are exposed to innovative technologies, leadership development programs and top tier

“The New Frontiers Agricultural Hall is really cool because of the focus on both student spaces and research spaces,” Eastham said. “Having access to more opportunities and new facilities will encourage students to become more involved.”

The impact of the New Frontiers campaign and building is an investment in current and future students, Eastham said. As they become alumni,

students will be proud to come from a supportive program, she said.

“New Frontiers will be a generational, transformative building that will help OSU Agriculture prepare students for the future,” Coon said.

Ii

research opportunities, Sidwell said.

These qualities serve as fundamental reasons to donate to the New Frontiers campaign, he added.

“Research has been a big part of my experience at OSU and a large reason why I came to OSU over other schools,” said Georgia Eastham, who is a sophomore earning degrees in plant and soil sciences and in biochemistry.

“The opportunity to start research and gain the hands-on experience early as a Freshmen Research Scholar was the most impactful.”

Students’ passion for research efforts begins during their undergraduate education to discover how to learn from failure and bring what they learned from the classroom and apply this knowledge in the research lab, Eastham said.

Through her mentorship in the Freshmen Research Scholars program, her passion for seeking graduate school with the end goal of becoming a professor was ignited, she added.

BOBBY MARCHY

CERES, CALIFORNIA

PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRESS Investing in the New Frontiers campaign helps prepare students to grow into individuals who seek to make a positive difference in their communities and beyond, said Heidi Williams, senior director of principal gifts and New Frontiers Campaign lead at the OSU Foundation.

Opportunities to contribute toward and then name specific areas

within the building still are available.

For more information about giving to the New Frontiers campaign, contact Williams at 405-385-5656 or at hwilliams@OSUgiving.com.

You also can visit osugiving.com/ new-frontiers.

To view progress on the live construction camera, visit agdivision. okstate.edu/new-frontiers.

COWBOY JOURNAL 13

Steve Dobbs, OSU director of landscape services, provides tours of the Stillwater campus. Photo by Carli Eubank.

14 WINTER/SPRING 2022

HORTICULTURE ALUMNUS BEAUTIFIES CAMPUS TO CREATE MEMORIES

A Rewarding Return W

hen a young Sequoyah County boy stepped onto Oklahoma State University’s campus for the first time with his fellow 4-H’ers, he never expected to return many years later to transform all that surrounded him.

Steve Dobbs, OSU director of landscape services, has been beautifying the Stillwater campus, almost 900 acres, for nearly 12 years.

“I found my niche and my passion, so I have been very pleased with the path I chose,” Dobbs said. “I never envisioned what it has turned out to be since then.”

Growing up in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, Dobbs was involved on his family’s ranch and local 4-H club where he discovered an interest in plants and gardening. His connections and experiences within 4-H led him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in horticulture at OSU in 1981.

During an undergraduate internship with OSU Extension, Dobbs worked with the county office in Claremore, Oklahoma, on various outdoor projects and became a resource for the public’s questions, Dobbs said.

“I have always thrived on being

creative and on how to educate and teach people,” Dobbs said.

As the intern, he wrote weekly columns and taught classes about gardening. He eventually found a way to tie together horticulture and education with his creative nature, Dobbs said.

After graduation, Dobbs accepted a job with OSU Extension as an agriculture/horticulture agent in Muskogee County to answer consumer horticulture questions, work with 4-H’ers, present agricultural programs, and start the county’s first Master Gardener Program, he said.

The Master Gardener Program is a national program Dobbs was involved with in locations across Oklahoma.

Within this program, Dobbs led volunteers through demonstration gardens to gain knowledge and experience of working in the outdoors, he said.

Three years later, Dobbs began his master’s degree in horticulture at the University of Arkansas. Upon graduation in 1986, Dobbs took a job in Pensacola, Florida, where he hosted gardening television shows, wrote weekly columns and collaborated with the Master Gardener Program in the state, he said.

Later, Dobbs was promoted to an administrative role in southern Florida for a year and a half before returning to OSU Extension in the early 1990s as the state Extension consumer horticulture specialist.

“Never again in my wildest dreams would I have expected to be back at OSU,” Dobbs said.

In this position, Dobbs coordinated the Oklahoma Master Gardener Program with other state specialists and was a resource for OSU Extension horticulture educators across the state for five years. In addition, he hosted the “Oklahoma Gardening” TV show from 1990 to 1995.

This role allowed him to combine education and entertainment through creative media by sharing timely gardening segments with gardening enthusiasts and the horticulture industry, Dobbs said.

Dobbs then made a career shift to help his mother run their family’s ranch after his father’s death, he said.

During this time, he built his own greenhouse business and began writing gardening books, such as the “Oklahoma Gardening Guide.”

A few years later, Dobbs said he took COWBOY JOURNAL 15

Above: OSU horticulturists spend many hours each week maintaining the Formal Gardens. Center: The Cowboy Family Tree art piece, located near Theta Pond, recognizes those who donate to the campus urban forest. Right: Welcome Plaza invites potential students on their visit to campus. Photos by Carli Eubank.

a job at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith with ground maintenance and was later promoted to an administrative role. Then, a new opportunity would plant him, his wife and kids where his roots run deep.

“It is really interesting how life works,” Dobbs said. “God has orchestrated my life, and all the doors opened and everything came together to prepare me for this bigger challenge.”

In 2010, Dobbs accepted the director of landscape services position at OSU and worked tirelessly with former OSU President Burns Hargis and other administrators to bring life to their vision of beautifying the Stillwater campus, he said.

After many updates in the OSU Landscape Master Plan, focus on expanding irrigation and standardizing elements began in 2011, Dobbs said.

Transforming the grounds has been an ongoing process ever since then.

“It has been a great decade at OSU because of student growth, campus beautification, new buildings and sports,” Dobbs said. “It has been fun to 16 WINTER/SPRING 2022

be a part of that, and the landscape services staff have worked hard to make campus beautification happen.”

Tyler Troppman, a horticulturist for OSU Facilities Management Landscape Services, said Dobbs has been a huge help in guiding him through his role on campus. Troppman said he enjoys picking Dobbs’ brain about plants and horticulture trends.

“Dobbs is cutting edge when it comes to plants and what we use in our gardens,” Troppman said. “He likes to have the newest, best and brightest for campus in all our plantings.”

One of Dobbs’ favorite projects was creating the Welcome Plaza in collaboration with staff, faculty and students.

“When people get out of the car, we want a ‘wow’ moment,” Dobbs said.

“We want a garden that when they walk through, they know what OSU is all about.”

Extensive amounts of time and effort went into planning this garden area, Dobbs said. The OSU letters are strategically placed to be in the background of photos taken on the saddle,

Dobbs said. The foal, named Immortal, represents students ready to change the world. The mare, named Proud, represents faculty, staff and alumni keeping a watchful eye on the foal trying to sprint ahead, Dobbs explained.

“You cannot get better OSU branding than going to that garden,” Dobbs said. “It’s a perfect example of using a space to relay a message and to connect with people. That is the garden’s whole purpose.”

Another project that means a lot to Dobbs is the Cowboy Family Tree near Theta Pond.

His vision for this project was to create an art piece recognizing the importance of trees on campus and those who donate to the planting and maintenance of OSU’s urban forest, Dobbs said.

“Steve looks and strives to always make the most out of all our spaces on campus,” said Nicholas Ouellette, OSU landscape design coordinator.

“He is the mastermind when it comes to coming up with a layout and figuring out how to portray it.”

GIVING OPPORTUNITIES The Campus Beautification Fund, the Campus Tree Planting and Maintenance Fund, and more donation opportunities help to further and maintain landscape visions across campus.

Your support helps the overall care of campus and restoration efforts after severe weather events.

After the October 2020 ice storm and February 2021 freeze, more than $500,000 worth of trees were lost.

Donor recognitions can be placed throughout campus on benches, lamp posts, bricks and planters. Those who give amounts of $1,800 or more will be recognized near the Cowboy Family Tree art piece.

Dobbs said he constantly reminds his staff that they work every day to change the lives of students.

“We love to have student input,” Dobbs said. “That’s why we’re here, and that’s why we try to involve them in so many things.”

Many landscape projects were initiated by students, Dobbs said. When a student approaches him with an idea, he collaborates with them through the process of gaining funds, creating designs, and guiding conversations of maintenance, he said.

Ouellette said landscape services staff take student and faculty involvement seriously and work with them to piece their ideas together.

“I don’t think people realize how much the facilities management staff really does interact with students and try to gain understanding of what they want in a lot of projects,” Ouellette said. “Dobbs is willing to listen to anyone’s idea.”

Some student-initiated projects include the Orange Grove hammock area, the Christmas lights display and an

upcoming remembrance garden honoring those lost in the Cowboy Family.

“The best thing about this job is working with the students and their enthusiasm,” Dobbs said. “Their ideas are creative.”

Dobbs emphasized the tremendous value and hard work the OSU facilities management landscape services staff offer to him and the campus. He credited them for how their teamwork helps make the campus what it looks like today.

“We’re the lucky ones to have him,” Ouellette said. “He really has a good ability to gain people’s respect and to get people devoted to come to work and accomplish tasks on campus.”

John Lee, landscape installation services assistant manager, followed Dobbs’ work for years leading up to applying to be on his team at OSU. Lee said Dobbs’ friendly nature and ability to problem solve make him a special leader.

“Dobbs is always pushing the envelope of new and better plans,” Lee said.

“When you have such talented people

who can work together and can be on the same page, campus sure shows what that looks like.”

Ouellette said Dobbs puts the “big picture” ideas in the hands of staff to help make them come to life.

“There are so many people who admire Steve and admire what he does and stands for,” Ouellette said.

Dobbs works hard to direct and focus his team on moving forward and prioritizing projects that will make the most impact on campus, Lee said.

“The message still stays the same,” Dobbs said. “It is all about the students’ education and how those experiences here change their lives, hopefully for the better, and part of that is what we do because of their experiences outside.”

CARLI EUBANK

POCASSET, OKLAHOMA

COWBOY JOURNAL 17

Many of the cattle used in the dairy/beef crossbreeding project come to the Willard Sparks Beef Research Center from a Purina calf ranch. Photo by Caley Mayo.

18 WINTER/SPRING 2022

Crossing

New Lines

F

OSU AGRICULTURE LEADING CATTLE RESEARCH

or decades, crossbreeding in beef cattle has resulted in hybrid vigor and more beef for consumers. But, what happens when you cross beef bulls with dairy cows?

In the spring of 2020, Oklahoma State University animal and food science researchers started a cattle genetics research project to see how offspring from this cross would fit in the production change, said Paul Beck, animal and food sciences associate professor and OSU Extension beef nutrition specialist.

The research took place at the Willard Sparks Beef Research Center, an OSU research facility used to conduct beef cattle research, teaching and extension programs.

Various dairies have crossed purebred dairy cows with purebred beef bulls to add value to the offspring, Beck said, and OSU’s research is seeing if these hybrid cattle would be more cost effective for dairy farmers.

“We’re doing this research because we wanted to look at these half-blood beef by dairy crossbreds and see where they fit production wise,” Beck said.

Dairy cattle are known for meat quality and higher marbling, but not

for heavy muscling, productivity or feed efficiency, Beck said. Beef cattle typically have higher muscling and growth but have less marbling in the meat, he added.

“Dairies breed their cattle to improve milking efficiency, whereas cow-calf operations breed to improve feed efficiency and carcass quality,” said Garrett Farran, research coordinator at the center.

Holsteins take longer to put on fat because they grow at a faster rate, Farran said.

“This creates a larger frame, which some rails at a packing plant are not tall enough to hold, bringing carcass discounts, and in some cases, rejection of that steer,” Farran said.

Breeding these two types of cattle can achieve greater profitability for the dairies and hybrid vigor for the calves, Beck said.

Hybrid vigor, or heterosis, comes from the mating of two different breeds within the same species so the offspring get the most beneficial genes from the two parents, Beck said.

Researchers discovered the new hybrid cattle carcasses contained more marbling than purebred beef cattle.

COWBOY JOURNAL 19

OSU’s dairy/beef crossbreeding research project began in spring 2020. This research is expected to continue with interest from other U.S. feedlots. Photo by Caley Mayo.

20 WINTER/SPRING 2022

The more marbling meat has, the juicier and more tender the meat cuts can be, said Blake Wilson, assistant professor of ruminant nutrition and Willard Sparks Beef Research Center faculty supervisor.

Among the four grade standards for beef — prime, choice, select and standard — prime is the highest quality grade. Grades are determined by marbling, or fat, in the meat.

With the added marbling, the hybrids produce more prime or choice carcasses than usually produced with beef cattle, Beck said.

“When we add in the beef breeds’ muscling, performance and efficiency increases,” Beck said. “This is so these cattle could fit better into our beef production system and provide the benefits of higher quality marbling, more muscling than a dairy animal, and better gains and efficiency than a 100% dairy animal.”

Although meat from dairy cattle is typically of high quality, it looks different to consumers, making the meat less desirable from a retail standpoint, Wilson said.

“The main issue with Holsteins is that the yield is not there,” Wilson said. “They have a larger frame, but they have less muscle mass along that frame. The steak size and steak shape is less than ideal.”

The hybrid dairy/beef cattle have a high quality meat without having misshapen steaks, Wilson said.

This improvement will allow the hybrid the calves to be worth three to four times more than what the dairy producers would get from a purebred dairy animal, he added.

The dairy industry is mostly dependent on the heifers and cows because they produce the milk, Beck said. The only need for male dairy cattle is reproduction, Beck said.

The dairy industry wants to use the best genetics possible, but almost always uses artificial insemination, Wilson said, because dairy bulls are aggressive and expensive to feed.

“The top half of the cows will be bred to a Holstein bull, and those

calves will be held back as replacements to improve milking genetics,” Farran said.

The purpose of this research is to help find a new source of revenue for dairy farmers, Beck said. The dairy industry uses sexed semen to yield mostly female calves, Beck said. The dairy industry makes most of their profit from females but loses money on their purebred males, he added.

“The dairy industry has a lot of profitability issues because of the rising cost of feed and low value of the male calves they’re producing,” Beck said.

The researchers have used the lower quality genetic dairy cattle to produce these dairy/beef crossbred steers, Wilson said.

Breeding beef breeds, such as Angus or Limousin, to dairy breeds, such as Holstein and Jersey, results in offspring with different physical characteristics and collective genetics.

This mating also creates hybrid vigor, Wilson said.

However, harvesting stages of the hybrid dairy/beef crossbreds have not come to normal stages of production.

Beef calves are put on pasture for about five months to raise them to 650 to 800 pounds, Beck said, and then they are fed grain for finishing.

“The dairy calves will leave the dairy at a day or two of age and go to a calf ranch where they are put on milk replacer and started on texturized mixed feeds,” Beck said.

At around 90 days old, the dairy/ beef calves leave the calf ranch and are sent to the research facility weighing at 250 to 280 pounds.

Although these calves are at an extremely light weight they go directly into a feedlot, Beck said.

“We’re realizing we can’t really manage them like a traditional dairy animal,” Wilson said. “We also can’t really manage them like a traditional beef animal. The genetics and carcasses are somewhere in between.

“We manage these calves more

similar to a beef animal later in the feeding period and more similar to a dairy animal earlier in the feeding period,” Wilson said.

Researchers are in the early stages of this project, but overall, the OSU researchers have found the dairy/beef crossbred cattle are more profitable, Wilson said. They are still learning how these animals will fit into the U.S. system, he added.

This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual report showed a decrease in licensed dairy operations.

The hope is hybrid dairy/beef cattle will become popular for dairy farmers to bring more revenue, Beck said.

“Everyone is still trying to find out what that ideal management strategy is for the hybrid cattle because they are still fairly new,” Wilson said.

JULIANN HALE

SHERIDAN, ARKANSAS

STEADFAST SUPPORT Our job is to serve and support you through the ever-changing challenges of a life in agriculture. From unpredictable weather to market shifts to global crisis, we are committed to supporting your financial needs. We remain dedicated to facing today’s challenges with you, while working toward a better tomorrow.

~~~ ~-AMERICAN AGCREDIT Call 800.800.4865 today or visit AgLoan.com A part of the Farm Credit System. Equal Opportunity Lender.

COWBOY JOURNAL 21

Football AND FERGUSON FAMILY ON AND OFF THE FIELD

22 WINTER/SPRING 2022

E

xcitement fills the air as the sound of rattling keys roars through Boone Pickens Stadium. The Cowboys prepare for kickoff, determination for success written on their faces. Yet, this determination goes beyond the field.

“Success is something we strive for on and off the field,” said Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State University quarterback and junior in the Ferguson College of Agriculture. “The major you pick impacts you more than you think.”

Sanders said he values the leadership skills he has learned from the Ferguson College of Agriculture and applies them in all aspects of life.

“My job on the field is to be the best leader I can be,” Sanders said. “My

studies have helped me become better on and off the field.”

The life of a student-athlete is much more difficult than people realize, Sanders said.

“We have practice Tuesday through Thursday with a bunch of meetings, lifting sessions and walkthroughs in between,” Sanders said. “Then, of course, we have regular class schedules like other students.”

Sanders said he spends a lot of time watching game film in between his practice and academic schedule.

Finding a routine and staying ahead is important, he added.

“We spend about 40 hours watching film and in practice combined,” said Malcolm Rodriguez, OSU linebacker and senior in the Ferguson College of

OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture faculty and staff take pride in their student-athletes: Luke McEndoo (left), Spencer Sanders, Malcolm Rodriguez, Sean Michael Flanagan and Aden Kelley. Photo by Andrea Vandever-Moore.

COWBOY JOURNAL 23

I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CULTURE AND THE PEOPLE IN THE FERGUSON COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE. JARRICK BERNARD-CONVERSE

24 WINTER/SPRING 2022

Agriculture. “This does not account for the extra practice and film we do on our own time.”

Enrolling in the classes needed to complete their degree requirements is not an easy task as student-athletes because of their set practice schedules, Rodriguez said.

“Our advisers in the Ferguson College of Agriculture play a huge role in making sure athletics and academics do not overlap and we are on target to graduate,” Rodriguez said.

Even though the players have help getting their schedules organized, Rodriguez said they have to be determined for success on their own.

“Being a student-athlete is challenging, but you can avoid stress by staying organized,” said Jarrick BernardConverse, OSU cornerback and senior in the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

The most important aspect for student-athletes to grasp is ensuring they

maintain a balance between school, sports and life, Bernard-Converse said.

“It is easy to just focus on football, but in order to succeed on and off the field, we have to get the job done academically,” Bernard-Converse said.

Getting schedules organized, building relationships with professors and working ahead of time are all things student-athletes have to do to remain successful, said Aden Kelley, OSU defensive tackle and freshman in the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

Kelley said finding his way to the Ferguson College of Agriculture was an easy choice based on how he grew up. However, not every football player in the program came from an agricultural background.

“I grew up on a small farm in western Oklahoma where my dad has a wholesale company,” Kelley said. “My goal is going back home to help run things and sell for my dad.”

Sanders spent a lot of time growing up at his mother’s ranch near Kingfisher, Oklahoma. The Ferguson College of Agriculture was an opportunity to educate him about his interests, Sanders said.

Bernard-Converse said his decision to choose the Ferguson College of Agriculture was different than the other players in the program.

“I did not come from an agricultural background,” he said. “But, I fell in love with the culture and the people in the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

“This culture is what drew me to OSU and made me want to continue my education there,” Bernard-Converse added.

The Ferguson College of Agriculture faculty push you to be the best version of yourself, Bernard-Converse said.

“The Ferguson College of Agriculture is full of individuals who are very knowledgeable and

resourceful,” Bernard-Converse said.

“They want to do their best to help you succeed. They look out for you and have your best interest at heart.”

Bernard-Converse is applying to OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine to continue his education after he graduates, he said.

The Ferguson College of Agriculture provides a family atmosphere for all of its students, even the athletes, Rodriguez said.

“Our professors get to know us inside the classroom and treat us like their own family,” Rodriguez said. “The atmosphere the Ferguson College of Agriculture provides is hard to find in other places.”

ABIGAIL ANDERSON

FERGUSON FOOTBALL FAMILY

Langston Anderson, AGLE/BUS-AG Ryan Baker, AGBU Jarrick Bernard-Converse, ANSI** LD Brown, AGCM Sean Michael Flanagan, AGBU Blaine Green, ANSI Bo Hardy, AGBU Aden Kelley, AGBU Luke McEndoo, AGBU Dillion Metcalf, AGBU Joseph Michalski, AGBU* Malcolm Rodriguez, AGCM* Eli Russ, AGBU Spencer Sanders, BUS-AG Jake Schultz, NREM* * 2021 Academic All-Big 12 1st Team ** 2021 Academic All-Big 12 2nd Team

RINGWOOD, OKLAHOMA

The Ferguson College of Agriculture family is proud of its Cowboy Football family: LD Brown (top left), Aden Kelley (bottom left), Malcolm Rodriguez (center), OSU fans cheering on Cowboy football (top center), Jarrick Bernard-Converse (top right), Sean Flanagan (bottom second from right), and Spencer Sanders. Photos

by Bruce Waterfield.

COWBOY JOURNAL 25

The Cimarron Valley Research Station in Perkins, Oklahoma, is home to OSU’s viticulture research and the grape management course.

Photo by Jenna Henson.

26 WINTER/SPRING 2022

From

Vine Wine to

OSU AGRICULTURE ASSISTS THE STATE’S VINEYARDS

O

klahoma residents often wind down their days with a glass of wine. However, few know about the 70 local wineries in their home state. When thinking about wineries, most people picture states like California or Oregon.

Knowing the lack of awareness about the local wine industry, the Oklahoma Grape Industry Council members sought a qualified viticulturist, which is someone who grows grapes, to lead the grape and wine industry members.

OGIC members were searching for a viticulturist who would be able to connect with winemakers and help expand the industry throughout the state.

Oklahoma State University Extension hired Andrej Svyantek, assistant grape and wine specialist, who completed his undergraduate degree and earned his master’s degree at Auburn University in Alabama.

For his doctoral degree, Svyantek studied grapevine breeding at North Dakota State University.

“During my master’s degree, I studied Pierce’s disease resistance at Auburn, and that is where I fostered my passion,” Svyantek said.

When studying Pierce’s disease, a

deadly bacteria in grapes, Svyantek connected with people in the industry, he said.

“It was exciting and opened doors for me with our grape growers,” Svyantek said.

Svyantek is excited for the opportunity to impact the industry as most Oklahoma growers are on a small scale, he said. Svyantek took his OSU Extension position at in June and is focused on working with the producers, he added.

“I work with our farms that grow grapes and our wineries that make ethanol from those grapes to try to improve the quality and quantity of production in the state,” Svyantek said.

Svyantek is in the office as much as he can be, but he mainly travels all around Oklahoma as a statewide specialist, he said.

“My job is mainly communicating with growers and visiting the vineyards,” Svyantek said. “Connecting and communicating with the growers to help them make a profit is the most important thing I can do.”

In June 2021, the council members provided input about hiring Svyantek and helped get the grant approved, said Cynthia Duncan, OGIC president.

To help fund his position, the council members applied and received a grant from the viticulture and enology fund through the horticulture department, Duncan said.

“We were able to get a grant specifically to provide help to our growers,” Duncan said.

Part of Duncan’s role is to keep in touch with the industry leaders and communicate programs available to help assist growers, she said.

She is a frequent contact for Svyantek so they can discuss vineyard conditions and plan trips to wineries, Duncan said.

“Dr. Svyantek has collaborated with a lot of people in the industry and all across the United States,” Duncan said.

Grapes are highly susceptible to disease and require extensive care and attention. In Oklahoma, the vineyards are not accustomed to harsh conditions so last winter caused a lot of damage to them, Duncan said.

“Dr. Svyantek instructed us on what to do since we had a lot of issues because of one winter,” Duncan said.

Coming from North Dakota, Svyantek adjusted to Oklahoma’s climate and got right to work, she said.

“He’s already making COWBOY JOURNAL 27

A bunch of Norton grapes grows at the Cimarron Valley Research Station. Photo

by Jenna Henson.

recommendations for new varieties that he believes will work well here,” Duncan said.

More recently, the OGIC members have noticed a younger audience is interested in the wineries and are beginning to enter the industry, Duncan said. The council members believe Svyantek can attract this age group, she added.

“I think Dr. Svyantek is going to bring our industry more attention,” Duncan said. “His background in working with wine is going to really benefit our winemakers.”

Svyantek has mentioned introducing new styles of wine that could also be taught through wine-making classes, Duncan said.

Making wine in Oklahoma can be challenging for local growers as temperatures can be unpredictable, Duncan said.

“We’ve got to realize that we cannot grow the same varieties as California wineries,” Duncan said. “The vines can easily die, which means we need to grow those cold hardy varieties.”

Until 2021, OSU did not have an 28 WINTER/SPRING 2022

Andrej Svyantek, OSU Extension assistant grape and wine specialist, is eager to connect with grape growers throughout Oklahoma. Photo by Jenna Henson.

OSU Extension grape and wine specialist position at the university.

“Growers were pretty demanding to get somebody in this position,” Svyantek said.

A grape and wine class is available in the spring to anyone who is interested in the grape management course, which meets one Thursday a month, Svyantek said.

The class has been taught at the Cimarron Valley Research Station and Svyantek plans to teach the class in the spring of 2022, he added.

“The class is geared toward people who are not yet growers to give them a basic understanding of grapevine production concepts and put them on the right path to ways they can grow,” Svyantek said.

Varieties of grapevines are being studied for disease resistance at the research station, Svyantek said.

“The research is a nonstop process, and the vines are green from late March until early October,” Svyantek said. “The harvest season is July through September.”

The grape and wine industry started

gaining more attention by the year 2000, and industry leaders want to continue the expansion, said Becky Carroll, Extension fruit and pecan specialist. Svyantek will travel across the state and answer any questions or concerns by growers, Carroll said.

“It’s important to keep building relationships with the growers and winemakers,” Carroll said.

The people involved in Oklahoma wine production are excited to see Svyantek’s contribution to the industry by working closely with growers, Carroll said.

Research focused on disease resistance and preventatives provide an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students, Carroll said.

“The industry is excited to see his contributions in grape and wine production throughout Oklahoma,” Carroll said. “And I can’t wait to see how all of this comes together.”

JENNA HENSON

BIXBY, OKLAHOMA

ALPHA GAMMA RHO To Make Better Men

OSUAGRS.COM

NO Horsing AROUND O

YOUTH LEARN STEM THROUGH EQUINE WORKSHOP

n a chilly morning in November, 40 high school students came together eager to learn about their favorite animal — the horse.

What they did not know was they also would learn about STEM disciplines through the Oklahoma State University Horse Science Academy.

Kris Hiney, OSU Extension’s equine specialist, founded the youth academy seven years ago to share her passion for horses and for science, technology, engineering and math, she said.

“I was never a person who just liked the riding part,” Hiney said. “I really appreciated the horse as a unique animal and its physiology.”

During Hiney’s 12 years as a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, she liked getting her students interested in science through unique and elaborate lab opportunities, she said.

When she moved to OSU in 2014 she realized she missed teaching students, Hiney said.

30 WINTER/SPRING 2022

“I have a passion for doing all these cool things and no way to do them,” Hiney said. “So, why not offer this chance to high school students?”

Horse Science Academy was created to educate high school students with an interest in horses about science and math, she said.

Hiney took what she did at UWRF and modified the curriculum to be applicable for high school students, she said.

“They say when you know something well enough, you should be able to teach it, and that is what Dr. Hiney is doing with this event,” said Mandy Brace, veterinary medicine student and former undergraduate volunteer for the 2019 Horse Science Academy.

“It’s a lot of deep information, but Dr. Hiney is really gifted at taking something that is in-depth and condensing it into understandable chunks.”

Hiney said she structured the academy to have a four-year topic rotation.

The benefit to having a four-year rotation is the youth can participate every

The OSU Horse Science Academy allows youth interested in horses to learn science and math in a fun way.

Photo by Andrea Vandever-Moore.

COWBOY JOURNAL 31

Each year, the students receive a lab manual that includes worksheets for the students to complete throughout the day, giving them the resources to teach to others after the academy. Photo by Sydney Miller.

year and learn new material each time, she added.

“Each topic is based on something I am interested in and like to teach,” Hiney said. “I try to take my interests and turn them into something fun for the kids.”

The annual one-day academy presents one of the following topics: equine 32 WINTER/SPRING 2022

anatomy, internal parasites, the equine athlete, equine behavior, immunology and wound care.

Hiney said the idea is to present these topics in a way the students will understand by starting with a short lecture followed with hands-on applications. In addition, team-building exercises conducted in their small

groups get them interacting with others, she added.

“Students get more excited and interested when they can actually see and touch what we are talking about,” Hiney said.

Brittani Kirkland, Hiney’s graduate teaching assistant from 2017 to 2019, said the process for teaching the material is to ensure they start with a good foundation of knowledge and progress throughout the day.

In 2018, the academy’s topic was equine anatomy. At the end of the event, the youth participated in an equine limb dissection. Building on their foundation throughout the day allowed them to better understand what they were doing in the dissection process, she said.

The 2021 academy started with learning simple equine anatomy terms followed by labeling the horse skeleton through competitions to make the process interactive and fun, Kirkland said.

Building on that knowledge, the students went outside and labeled a horse then labeled their peers to compare their skeleton anatomy. They then palpated the horse’s legs to feel for muscles and tendons before finally getting to dissect an equine limb.

“Horse Science Academy taught me how effective hands-on learning is,” Kirkland said. “It’s highly likely these kids will not go into a career with horses, but they have still learned these STEM pieces effectively that can go with them everywhere.”

In addition to Hiney’s graduate student, at least five undergraduate students serve as group leaders during the academy.

Kirkland said each year the student helpers meet once a week for a month in advance to learn the topics and labs that will be taught.

“One thing we always try to incorporate is active learning with the theory to keep them engaged,” said Will Funk, former student volunteer who completed his OSU bachelor’s degrees in biology and natural resource ecology and management.

During the active learning portion,

In 2021, students conducted experiments testing the horse’s senses. After interpreting the results, they observed how the horse’s heart rate changed after different sounds, objects and actions. Photo by Sydney Miller.

the students were separated into groups of four to five and participated in activities or games led by a college student to get them thinking and interacting with each other, Funk said.

“The small groups definitely helped because we were able to interact with kids one on one versus the lecture teaching method,” Funk said. “Seeing them really get into the topics and getting to be involved with active learning was really cool. It was definitely just as much of a learning environment for me as it was the kids.”

Funk said he enjoyed seeing the students thinking about theorical science and being excited to answer questions.

The youth already had a background with horses, but the Horse Science Academy provides them with a deeper knowledge into the physiology and science of horses, he said.

Karson Frans, a fourth-year Horse Science Academy attendee, said he attended the academy because he could

learn more about horses through an experience he wouldn’t get elsewhere.

“The lectures just scratch the surface,” Frans said. “Whenever we get hands on is when I learn more then someone speaking at me.”

This year’s topic was equine behavior and the science of wound healing.

Hiney said the youth started the day with learning the science of training horses and their natural behavior and biology of equine sciences. Students made observations as scientists and conducted experiments on how the horses’ senses work and create a reaction, Hiney added.

In the afternoon, the students learned the basics of first aid, how wounds heal and an introduction to surgery, she added.

The cost of attendance was $40 per student, which included a day of hands-on learning, lunch, a lab notebook and supplies they could take home with them, Hiney said.

“The program touches casual horse kids who may not be science-minded,” Hiney said, “but it gets them excited and helps them relate to what they may be doing in their science classes.”

The horse itself can be an effective tool to teach youth numerous STEM aspects, she added.

“What I love about this program is Dr. Hiney is fueling the curiosity and desire to learn through providing these cool opportunities they normally wouldn’t get in high school or even in their undergraduate degrees,” Brace said. “Kids were inspired that day, and imagine seven years of that. Horse Science Academy is certainly the future of agriculture and veterinary medicine we need.”

SYDNEY MILLER

ARCATA, CALIFORNIA

COWBOY JOURNAL 33

More TO THE

W

ORDINARY

BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY ALUMNUS GIVES BACK TO STUDENTS

hen entering an operating room, it gives the impression of a tense environment. Guests flood the hallways and waiting rooms, doctors tend to their patients, phones ring and chairs squeak. What sounds like chaos is a normal day in the office for an ordinary man.

Dr. James Stuart Jackson, anesthesiologist at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, views his life to be ordinary, he said, and yet his everyday actions are extraordinary to some.

Working hard and sacrificing time with his loved ones has allowed him to give back to his alma mater, Oklahoma State University, he added.

Originally from Stillwater, Oklahoma, Jackson always wanted to attend OSU and had a passion for science since he was a young child, he said. After graduating from OSU in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, he attended the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, he said.

During his time at OU, Jackson said he found his interest in anesthesiology.

Upon graduation in 1987, he moved to Texas to complete his residency training at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.

“While at OU, it was 60 to 80 hours per week of commitment to studying and attending class,” Jackson said.

After completing his medical training, Jackson moved to Austin, Texas, to work with Capital Anesthesia from 1991 to 1995. He then moved to Houston, where he still resides with his family, to work at what is now known as U.S. Anesthesia Partners.

As one of 125 founding partners in USAP, he helped grow a company that started with 15 anesthesiologists and now has expanded nationwide, Jackson said.

“It’s a grueling amount of work for 20 to 30 years to build up a successful business, but that’s what we did,” Jackson said.

After moving to Houston, Jackson met his wife, Dr. Julie Jackson, in

NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGY IN BIMB The Illumni Miniseq is a next generation DNA sequencing device. The volume of data the machine is able to produce is extraordinary. DNA sequencing is becoming more commonly used in the health sector.

“This next generation sequencing tool will be a part of students’ studies to prepare them for becoming a dentist, physician or veterinarian,” said John Gustafson, BIMB department head.

Students are thankful for Dr. Stuart Jackson and his donation, because without it they wouldn’t be able to work on research projects, said Nolan Veenis, BIMB junior.

“This machine is so incredible that it actually does most of the work for 34 WINTER/SPRING 2022

us,” Veenis said. “I just have to isolate the DNA and the machine will run the sequence and tell us the exact sequence it is.”

Veenis’ research project looks at bacteria from oral and anal secreations by the American Baring Beetle to see if the antimicrobial enzyme substances can slow down meat preservation, Veenis added.

Jackson wanted a way to memorialize his parents, James and Jeralyn Jackson, and mentor, Franklin Leech, Gustafson said.

Through his donation and with this technology, he has made an incredible impact on the students at the OSU BIMB department, Gustafson added.

Nolan Veenis works with the Illumni Miniseq for his research project. Photo

by Baylee Hogan.

1996. They have been married for 23 years and have two children, Rebecca and Jay. “Stuart is a very caring person with a bubbly personality and a servant’s heart,” Julie Jackson said.

Stuart Jackson wanted to help OSU students by having a positive impact on their research, Julie Jackson said.

Donating the funds for an Illumni Miniseq, a next generation DNA sequencer, was the exact fit he was looking for, she added.

Her husband is someone who carefully looks at his surroundings, analyzes the situation, and asks how he can further help, she said.

“Stuart has always struck me as one of the most highly intelligent people I have ever worked with,” said Dr. David Walker, USAP anesthesiologist.

Stuart Jackson has always been a larger-than-life person and you will never doubt him in any situation, Walker added.

While at UTMB, Jackson earned his pilot license, allowing him to travel wherever he likes in a short time frame, he said.

“When we were dating, we lived 45 minutes apart from each other, and on the weekends Stuart would jump in his plane to visit me and take me out to dinner,” Julie Jackson said.

His life’s passion now is to spend time with his children because of the demanding hours he had when they were little, she said.

You will either find him with his son on Boy Scout adventures, hanging out with his beagle, Paco, or volunteering

Stuart Jackson, an anesthesiologist for more than 30 years, is looking forward to witnessing the growth of educational opportunities. Photo courtesy of Stuart Jackson.

at the local food bank, she added.

OSU is near and dear to his heart, and he has always been a believer in giving back, Julie Jackson said. He likes to see physical change, she added.

Biochemistry is a hands-on learning experience, Stuart Jackson said. The BIMB department did not have access to equipment of this magnitude at the time, he said.

“With this DNA sequencer, they can take real-world problems and use them in a teaching setting to generate data and analyze it,” Stuart Jackson said.

Not many colleges have this innovative technology among their teaching programs, he added.

“This provides the department the ability to show students how easy it is to operate this complex machine and how to produce a complete bacterial closed circular chromosome in real

time,” said John Gustafson, BIMB department head.

Hands-on exposure in a research setting gives students the opportunity to answer questions they have in the classroom, Gustafson said.

“This technology has massively changed the world of medicine and will continue to do so for years to come,” Gustafson said.

With the donation made by Stuart Jackson, an ordinary man working hard to be successful, students can analyze data in a way they have never seen before, Gustafson said.

BAYLEE HOGAN

FRANKLIN, TEXAS

COWBOY JOURNAL 35

Unlike conventional pigs, Iberico pigs are allowed to be free range livestock. Photo by Macee Hammack.

N

ovember 2018 changed the direction of one Oklahoma State University alumna’s life.

An unexpected phone call allowed Paige Dowdy to start her own business — Scissortail Steading — and bring a new delicacy to the Oklahoma agricultural industry.

Her swine operation, located in Glencoe, Oklahoma, now is home to more than 250 head of Iberico pigs.

“In December 2019, we imported 28 Iberico pigs from Portugal, which is where they originate,” said Dowdy, who earned her bachelor’s degree in animal science in May 2019. “My plan is to build up the herd and educate people on the rarity of the pigs.”

The Iberico breed is unlike conventional swine breeds for many reasons,

36 WINTER/SPRING 2022

TASTE

Dowdy said, but the main differences are the pigs’ unusual appearance, the meat’s unique look and flavor, and the amount of time the pigs need to reach processing weight.

While other swine breeds can reach the 275 pounds needed to process in a few months, Iberico pigs take about one year, she added.

“Their meat is very special,” said Keegan Pagett, OSU animal science junior and employee at Scissortail Steading. “They are considered the ‘wagyu’ of the pork industry.

“Iberico meat is fattier than regular pork and more of a red color instead of the traditional pinkish color,” he said.

Iberico meat is tender and flavorful like a steak because the meat is heavily marbled, Padgett said.

“The meat has a high fat content,” Padgett said. “Including a thick, soft fat layer. When you cook the meat, the fat begins to disintegrate.

“The fat is so sensitive that even warm hands can start to disintegrate the layer of fat,” he added.

Iberico meat is processed like traditional pork, allowing for the typical cuts of pork chops, bacon, ham and summer sausage.

“My favorite cut is the pork chop because the taste is like no other,” Padgett said. “It tastes like a pork chop and a steak put together all in one.”

Scissortail Steading is the only Iberico swine operation in Oklahoma.

However, several Iberico facilities operate in California, Florida and Texas, Dowdy said.

Iberico meat is dark in color, almost like a beef steak, but the cuts are the same as with other pork. Photo by Derrick Wood.

THE IBERICO DIFFERENCE Dowdy said the limited number of Iberico swine operations in the U.S. means the meat from these pigs is a delicacy for consumers.

“All of the meat that comes off the farm is certified by the Made in Oklahoma Coalition,” Padgett said.

“This means our meat and company is promoted and advertised by the Made in Oklahoma Coalition.”

When the Iberico pigs reach their target weight, Scissortail Steading employees take the butcher-ready hogs to the Walke Meat Co. in Claremore, Oklahoma, to be processed.

The challenge of processing the hogs is not the largest hurdle to overcome, Padgett said.

“The main hurdle we have had to get over when marketing the meat has

Paige Dowdy offers consumers a new variety of pork. Photo by Macee Hammack.

ANIMAL SCIENCE ALUMNA BRINGS PIGS FROM PORTUGAL TO OKLAHOMA

been educating people on why to pay the extra premium,” said Mary Clare, Scissortail Steading sales coordinator.

Each week, Scissortail Steading employees attend the Rose District Farmers Market in Broken Arrow and the Edmond Farmers Market to promote their meat and educate people, Clare said.

“At the farmers market, we cannot cook the meat for people to taste, so we bring our different variations of summer sausage for people to try,” Clare said. “This is one of our best ways to show people the difference because they can actually taste it.

“Education is key to our product,” she said. “It is new and unique. Paying the extra cost for a different pork product is hard to get your head around.”

By allowing the public to see and taste the differences in Iberico pork, customers can observe the quality firsthand, she added.

“Once the general consumer understands they are getting what they pay for with Iberico meat, they are willing to pay extra cost,” she added.

The public also can purchase the meat at Scissortailsteadingmeats.com.

“We have the ability to ship to all 48 of the continental states,” Clare said.

“The end goal is for the pork industry to recognize Iberico pork in the way the beef consumers see Waygu.”

DERRICK WOOD

BIG CABIN, OKLAHOMA

COWBOY JOURNAL 37

Lenny Hughes, PLA regional practice leader, started at Halff Associates 26 years ago and has helped grow the number of landscape architects within the company. Photo courtesy of Halff Associates.

38 WINTER/SPRING 2022

S

tar

A

of the

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE ALUMNUS RECEIVES RECOGNITION

mong the bills and magazines piled high on Lenny Hughes’ desk sat a letter from his alma mater, Oklahoma State University.

When he opened the letter, the contents recognized the significance of his 26-year career in landscape architectural design and urban planning.

On Aug. 21, 2021, Hughes walked across a stage in front of peers, alumni, faculty, and staff to accept the 2021 OSU Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Distinguished Alumni Award.

“I don’t take it lightly because I know there have been landscape architects and horticulturalists that have come before me,” Hughes said. “It is definitely a distinguished honor.”

Hughes’ body of work is significant and impactful, said Michael Holmes, program director and professor of horticulture and landscape architecture.

“He is known for engaging community members in a way that is respectful and then integrating the citizens’ ideas into his design and planning proposals,” Holmes said.

Hughes started at Halff Associates in the fall of 1995, where he was among three other landscape architects.

Throughout his 26-year career, he completed hundreds of projects ranging from urban planning and design to architectural design and has helped grow the company to 70 landscape architects and planners, Hughes said.

Hughes’ successful career has led him to be one of the most reputable landscape architects known throughout the south, especially in Texas, Holmes said.

“Lenny has a strong reputation within this field while still being humble and approachable,” Holmes said.

Eastern Oklahoma State College is where Hughes discovered his passion for taking plants and incorporating them into beautiful designs that not only enriched the spaces they were in and brought happiness to those viewing them, he said.

“In my last class there I was fortunate enough to design a landscape planting plan for a church,” Hughes said. “Truly, that’s what got me excited.

Once I knew the plants forward and backward, I was able to put a design into place that would help beautify the church grounds.”

With his knowledge and passion for horticulture, Hughes decided broaden

his career path by pursuing a degree in landscape architecture when he transferred to OSU, he said.

Hughes faced many hurdles during college, he said, among them being the only African-American student in the program at the time. Although the situation was difficult, he was able to overcome, he said.

Throughout his time at OSU, it became clear the program was full of highly competitive individuals who later became close friends, he said.

Like many students on the first day of class, Hughes said he was faced with the daunting question: Is this major the right fit for me?

Hughes said he was overwhelmed during his first day in Paul Hsu’s design class. Once class concluded, Hughes told Hsu, “Well, take a good look at me because this is going to be the last time that you see me.”

Hsu took time to engage with Hughes to encourage him to stay in the program and explained how landscape architecture couples design with planning and management, Hsu said.

He told Hughes that if he were to stick with the program, he would make it through.

COWBOY JOURNAL 39

“I saw the strength of his background but also understood his hesitation in the challenge ahead with art and design,” Hsu said.

Hsu said teachers fill many roles, but most educators are friends and mentors to students. He also added many college educators find student motivation is an important attribute that inspires successful learning.

Little did Hsu know those same ideas would lay the foundation to Hughes’ successful career as a landscape architect. Two simple words — passion and purpose — have helped define Hughes’ time in college and the successful career he has today, he said.

“If you find what makes you happy and apply that to your work, are you truly working?” Hughes asked.

Lenny Hughes (right) and his colleagues review plans for an upcoming project. Photo courtesy of Halff Associates.

KAYLEE PIATT

YUBA CITY, CALIFORNIA

ONE ♦ MANY MISSION f VOICES

When these hands are ready to retire, we are here to help the next generation with all their ag financing needs.

OK L A HO M A

AgCredit ®

OKAGCREDIT.COM | 405-938-1700 | 1-866-245-3633 | NMLSR ID 809962 40 WINTER/SPRING 2022

believe education is the way to solve the ► We economic problems of our country. This gift is

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

◄

about more than just education. This is a way of helping feed the world. It is our sincerest hope that our fellow alumni will invest in the future of OSU

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture and join us in the New Frontiers campaign.”

Kayleen and Larry Ferguson Lead Donors | New Frontiers Campaign

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

Holly Pasmore, senior agriculturist in the OSU Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, puts green material into the Earth Cube. Photo by Baylee Hogan.

42 WINTER/SPRING 2022

NEXT GEN

Composting

OSU EXPLORES NEW SUSTAINABILITY SYSTEM

N

ew facilities bring fresh, transformed opportunities to the Oklahoma State University campus. The Greenhouse Learning Center opened on campus in Fall 2019, providing the perfect space for unique and state-of-the-art composters called Earth Cubes.

“We are trying to find a way to reuse all the consumer food scraps from the kitchens around campus,” said Adrian Alexander, student worker for the Greenhouse Learning Center. “The goal is to recycle all the food scraps and make campus more sustainable.”

Green Mountain Technologies designed Earth Cubes as an entirely enclosed composting system said Holly Pasmore, senior agriculturist in the OSU Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.

Since the Earth Cube is enclosed, aerated and well-insulated, the system can compost waste like dairy and meat, which typically are not compostable in traditional setups, Alexander said.

The inner workings of an Earth Cube consist of two compartments, said Phoebe Austerman, OSU Horticulture Club president. The first is the material being composted, and the second is the finished compost.

Within the Earth Cube are two types of recyclable materials. Green material is plant matter, and brown material is carbon. The ratio or mix between the two is the amount of each it takes to start the decomposition process of composting, Alexander said.

“The idea came to life when people started researching ideas to reuse food waste because a lot of excess food was being wasted from the dining options

at Villages, Gallagher-Iba Arena and the OSU Twenty Something,” Alexander said.

“Having open compost on campus and close to where students live and attend classes doesn’t look or smell great,” he added. “We were looking for another option to have at the new greenhouses.”

In October 2020, two Earth Cubes were installed into the Greenhouse Learning Center.

“I chose this particular style of Earth Cube vessel because it did an excellent job in trapping the odors and keeping pests and animals away,” Pasmore said. “The Earth Cube also does an efficient job at controlling moisture in the compost and keeping it at a good level.”

Austerman looked into the possibility of using leaf litter and other organic materials from OSU landscaping and facilities management in the Earth Cubes as a brown material source.

Finished compost has been applied to the gardens surrounding the greenhouse, but Austerman said the compost has additional uses.

“When we started this project, we weren’t really sure where to use the compost we would create,” Austerman said. “It’s not just for gardens, and the perfect application for compost would be to crops. The OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences is using it there and has been successful.”

Earth Cubes filter out methane naturally produced in the composting process, Alexander said, so smell does not come from the compost.

Despite the great outcomes from using Earth Cubes, a few drawbacks

come from living in a climate like Oklahoma, he said.

High humidity and heat have proven to be a challenge for the Earth Cube research project, he added.

“The Earth Cube was made in a colder climate so the ratios between the green and brown materials have been our biggest struggle,” Alexander said. “Trying to figure out that ratio in Oklahoma with all the crazy humidity here is a challenge.”

Pests and proper conditions often make composting at home difficult, Alexander said. The Earth Cube is a perfect solution and is capable of taking waste from multiple families who may want to partner on the unit since it can be a costly investment, he said.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, more people began gardening and doing home projects. This has led to more waste product being thrown out at home, Pasmore said.

“The Earth Cube is a solid, wellbuilt vessel,” Pasmore said. “It has superior odor control and is easy to use as well as being a great model for the home gardener or for schools, colleges and small businesses.”

While successful at this scale for research purposes, the Earth Cubes may be too small for the amount of waste the Student Union is producing, Alexander said. The design is simple, and we could build our own if this becomes an option for sustainability on campus, he added.

MALCOLM RODRIGUEZ

WAGONER, OKLAHOMA

COWBOY JOURNAL 43

Angelika Ouedraogo, a three-time Olympic swimmer, is pursuing a doctoral degree in the BAE program. Photo by Kelsee Smith.

44 WINTER/SPRING 2022

AN AGRICULTURAL

O LY M P I A N THREE-TIME COMPETITOR PURSUES DOCTORAL DEGREE IN BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING

E

xcitement fills the stadium as athletes enter. Music, bright lights and every color of clothing you can imagine appears as each country joins the Parade of Nations. Flag bearers lead their groups, walking through the arena of emotion-filled spectators at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Among the flag bearers is Angelika Ouedraogo, a 27-year-old athlete who studies biosystems engineering in the Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture.

Ouedraogo also served as a closing ceremony flag bearer for the 2012 and 2016 Summer Games. She has competed in the Olympics three times as a freestyle swimmer.

“Walking into the stadium as a flag bearer when they called my country’s name was something I’ll never forget,” Ouedraogo said. “It makes you realize that what’s happening is true. It was a lot of emotion.”

Ouedraogo is from Burkina Faso, West Africa. She began swimming as a hobby when she was 6 years old and became more serious about it at age 12 when she started entering national competitions, Ouedraogo said.

Ouedraogo competed in the 50-meter women’s freestyle competition each time. She placed 58th in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 67th in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and 63th in the 2012 London Olympics.

“Competing with the best athletes

in the world can be scary,” Ouedraogo said. “It was amazing and exciting but scary at the same time.”

She completed her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at a college in Burkina Faso and then received her master’s degree in applied engineering with a focus on biofuels from the University of Georgia in 2020. She is now on her way to earning her doctorate at OSU. “When I interviewed her for the doctoral program, I was really impressed with her enthusiasm for research projects and learning new things,” said Ajay Kumar, biosystems engineering professor. “Now that she’s here, I can tell you she is a very talented and dedicated student. She does a lot of detailed work in a timely manner, and that takes responsibility.”

As part of her doctoral studies, Ouedraogo works on a research project to develop a unit that turns waste into electricity, Kumar said. For example, the City of Stillwater could collect its garbage and dump it into the system to be turned into a gas and produce electricity, Kumar said.

“The ultimate goal of this project is to reduce waste in landfills and create more electricity, but there are a lot of things that have to play out before the system can run by itself,” Kumar said.

Ouedraogo wanted to come to the U.S. to learn more about renewable energy, she said.

“Where I’m from, electricity is a

luxury,” Ouedraogo said. “I want to be able to contribute to that area, so that’s why I’m really interested in this field.”

Ouedraogo visits her family once a year in Burkina Faso, she said. She was not able to go last year because of the pandemic, but she went right after the 2020 Olympics.

She just finished her first year of the program and is scheduled to graduate with her doctoral degree in 2023, Kumar said.

WALKING INTO THE STADIUM AS A FLAG BEARER WHEN THEY CALLED MY COUNTRY’S NAME WAS SOMETHING I’LL NEVER FORGET. ANGELIKA OUEDRAOGO

COWBOY JOURNAL 45

Angelika Ouedraogo’s passion for swimming began at the age of 6 and has taken her to the last three Summer Olympic Games. Photo by Adama Ouedraogo.

The Ferguson College of Agriculture has a long history of attracting international students, Kumar added.

Ones like Ouedraogo really impact the whole world, said Kirsten Hoffman, Ouedraogo’s swim coach.

“Angelika is as passionate about her schoolwork as she is swimming,” Hoffman said. “She is definitely here first and foremost for her education.”

Ouedraogo has learned to have excellent time management while training for the Olympics and being a doctoral student, Hoffman said.

She likes the structure of having to make time to train and get her work done, Hoffman added.

Ouedraogo said her favorite part about OSU is the people.

“Everybody is always there to help you,” Ouedraogo said. “I love the people here. Being so far away from my home and family, it’s comforting to have people be so nice and friendly all the time.”

When training, Ouedraogo spends at least 20 hours a week at the pool 46 WINTER/SPRING 2022

or gym, Hoffman said. She is there five or six days a week working on her technical skills, endurance and power, Hoffman added.

Now, Ouedraogo is taking a break from training to focus on her schoolwork, but she plans on continuing her swimming career when she graduates, she said.

“My favorite thing about Angelika is that she’s just a normal person,” Hoffman said. “When she came to me asking about a place to swim, she never mentioned she was an Olympic athlete.

She was so humble and gracious.”

Ouedraogo helps newer swimmers in her free time at the King Marlin Swim Club’s Stillwater training site, Hoffman said. The club’s main location is in Oklahoma City.

She never has to be asked, and she doesn’t get compensated for her time, yet she always shows up to support the younger kids, Hoffman added.

“She is exactly what you’d look for in a role model,” Hoffman said. “She is so helpful and encouraging to the younger

kids, all while being humble about her own experiences.”

At this year’s Olympics, Ouedraogo came back with pins for each of the kids at the swim club, Hoffman said.

“She called me from the Olympic Village and asked how many pins to get for the kids as well as my T-shirt size,” Hoffman said. “She has the biggest heart and has made such a huge impact on the kids at the club.”

Ouedraogo wants to stay in the U.S. and pursue a job in research as well as continue her swimming career, whether that be for hobby or competition, she said.

“It would be nice to stay here and have more experiences,” Ouedraogo said. “There are more opportunities, more methods and more techniques in the U.S., and I want to learn more.”

KELSEE SMITH

STERLING, OKLAHOMA

Celebrating 130 years

WEHAVE

YOURBACK.

Farm Credit R

of dedicated service

Stillwater Milling Company 800-364-6804 | stillwatermill.com

SUPPORTING INNOVATION

ROBERT M. KERR 18 LOCATIONS IN OKLAHOMA & ARKANSAS VISIT US ONLINE:

PKEQUIPMENT.COM JOHNDEERE

EQUIPMENT

FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTSCENTER

(j CJIm.@ You(D food.okstate.edu | fapc@okstate.edu

COWBOY JOURNAL 47

4-H members completed hands-on lessons to learn about plants and geology in the 2021 Camp in a Box program. Photo by Lindsey Jones.

48 WINTER/SPRING 2022

&Rocks

Roots

OKLAHOMA 4-H CREATES AN AT-HOME STEM LEARNING OPPORTUNITY

I

S

trawberry DNA, geodes and plants galore — what do those things have in common?

The 4-H STEM Camp in a Box program included these items and more during the summer of 2021.

Oklahoma 4-H Youth Development and the Oklahoma Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, partnered to offer virtual science, technology, engineering and math programming for the state’s 4-H members.

The Camp in a Box program was first developed by Alex Cox when she was a 4-H educator in McClain County, Oklahoma. Cox wanted a way to engage with her 4-H students during the pandemic, she said.

The program blossomed when Cox moved into her role as the EPSCoR STEM specialist, she said. The 2021 4-H STEM Camp in a Box program came to fruition because of the funding of the 4-H Youth Development and Beyond EPSCoR grant, she said.

This five-year grant outlined three educational areas for Cox to cover: carbon in the environment, water conservation in a sustainable world, and using new and renewable energy sources to power society.

The 2021 Oklahoma 4-H interns, called STEMists, received these parameters and were tasked with creating virtual programs for Oklahoma

4-H youth to participate in during this time of uncertainty, Cox said.

Caitlin Dreher, Oklahoma 4-H STEMist and agricultural leadership graduate student, chose to create her Camp in a Box program about plant and soil science, she said. Her program, Seed to STEM, taught students about DNA, plant biology, propagation and more, she said.

Kaylee Piatt, Oklahoma 4-H STEMist and agricultural communications senior, focused on geology, an often neglected area in the 4-H organization, Cox said.

Piatt’s program, named Camp Rock, engaged students with lessons about the Earth and geological formations, Piatt said.

This virtual camp experience provided a challenge for the STEMists — creating engaging, educational programming for students from ages 8 to 18, Dreher said.

“That is a wide range of students, and I hadn’t had experience teaching to all ages before,” Dreher said. “That was something I really had to consider when I was creating the curriculum.”

Piatt said she worried her geology programming might be too complex for younger students and would be boring to the older students.

Once the STEMists’ curriculum was written and students began enrolling in their desired programs, STEMists COWBOY JOURNAL 49

Caitlin Dreher (left), Alex Cox and Kaylee Piatt prepare to ship more than 350 parcels for Oklahoma 4-H members completing the 2021 Camp in a Box program. Photo courtesy of Oklahoma 4-H.

purchased the materials their students would receive.

Before the online camps began, the supplies for each camp were shipped for individual participants to pick up at their respective Oklahoma State University Extension county offices.

Students who did not pre-register were still invited to participate, but 50 WINTER/SPRING 2022

they were required to supply their own materials, Cox said.

Piatt purchased supplies to help her students learn about the Earth’s layers, geodes and fossils, she said.

The STEM kits her students received included Play-Doh, Jolly Ranchers, gummy candies and straws.

“In one lesson, they got to crush up Jolly Ranchers, put them in the

silicone mold and bake them,” Piatt said. “After they were baked, the participants dusted them with cocoa powder to make them look like geodes.”

Camp Rock students also could participate in an activity that illustrated the layers of Earth.

By stacking layers of Play-Doh and using a straw to gather a sample from each layer, students could understand

what is happening below their feet, Cox said.

Although each kit was focused toward hands-on experiences, each program used different materials to further student learning.

Dreher’s STEM kits included a bag of soil, seeds, marshmallows, Twizzlers, and more to help members learn about plant and soil sciences.

Dreher’s students extracted DNA from strawberries, propagated seeds, and learned about how plants grow, she said. Each lesson focused on a different aspect of plant and soil science.

“It was overwhelming the number of kids that we had sign up,” Dreher said.

“It was definitely exciting, but unexpected. It was exciting to reach that many kids, but it created a lot of work to get supplies out to everybody.”

When the camps began in July, new videos were released every week on the Oklahoma 4-H website, and students could follow along at home, Cox said.

Seed to STEM videos appeared every Monday and Camp Rock videos were posted on Fridays.

The decision to use pre-recorded videos allowed the students to complete each project on their own time, Cox said. This helped avoid conflicts that arise with live demonstrations on Zoom, she said.

“Videos were released weekly to

allow the kids a week’s time to get that project done and provide us with pictures, quotes and feedback,” Cox said.

Students enjoyed the core sampling activity from Camp Rock and the strawberry DNA extraction activity from Seed to STEM most, Cox said.

Students and their parents sent in photos and notes to the STEMists detailing how much they enjoyed these activities and the camps as a whole, Cox added.

All 77 counties in Oklahoma have a 4-H program.

“I believe we hit 67 Oklahoma counties,” Cox said. “We had a huge reach and impact, and sometimes we don’t see that when we conduct typical faceto-face programming.”

Cox and the STEMists created informational programming that allowed students to get hands-on learning from their homes, Cox said. She expects the program to continue, she said.

“There is room for improvements and expanding to other areas of STEM programming,” Cox said.

A total of 363 Oklahoma 4-H members learned about STEM programming thanks to Oklahoma 4-H and EPSCoR in 2021.

“My favorite part was all the pictures their parents would send me and seeing the smiles on their faces,” Piatt said. “I was worried my lessons

MY FAVORITE PART WAS ALL THE PICTURES THEIR PARENTS WOULD SEND ME AND SEEING THE SMILES ON THEIR FACES. KAYLEE PIATT wouldn’t be fun, or the projects would be boring.

“But at the end of the day, getting those reviews from the parents and seeing those pictures made all those hours easier and made it worth it,” Piatt said.

LINDSEY JONES

GODLEY, TEXAS

ffj .. __

Karmin Chidester, Shelby Wilson and Emily Davis display virtual STEM education projects from their homes. Photos courtesy of Alex Cox. COWBOY JOURNAL 51

a

TRIBUTE to a Legend

OSU AGRICULTURE LOSES LONG-TIME FACULTY MEMBER

H

umbleness and humility.

These two words describe a man who was a faculty legend within the Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture — Bill Raun.

Valued by all who knew him, Raun lost his second battle with cancer July 25, 2021.

But today, Raun’s legacy continues to inspire others to improve and serve the agricultural industry, said Tanya Raun, his wife of 29 years.

Raun spent most of his youth living in Mexico and Colombia, where his father worked in international agriculture, she said.

“This opportunity gave him fluency in Spanish and a lifelong appreciation for international farmers,” Tanya Raun said. “He was always a Latino at heart.”

But, for his senior year of high school, Raun decided to come to Stillwater so he could play on an American golf team, she added.

After graduation from Stillwater High School, he enrolled at OSU and earned his bachelor’s degree in agronomy in 1979. He then earned his master’s degree in 1982 in the same discipline. In 1985, he earned his doctorate in agronomy from the University of Nebraska.

Raun then spent six years working at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico, or CIMMYT, as a regional maize

52 WINTER/SPRING 2022

agronomist across nine countries throughout Central America.

In 1992, Raun joined the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.

During his 29 years at OSU, he taught graduate classes, soils classes and one senior-level course in precision agriculture.

Raun served as the research adviser for 84 graduate students who earned 103 graduate degrees from OSU. “He would spend hours on research or a project, and when it would be published, he would give his students all the credit,” said Brian Arnall, professor of plant and soil sciences and one of Raun’s former graduate students.

“That’s the type of man he was.”

Raun’s students included individuals from Africa, Asia, North America and South America. He wanted his international students to learn everything possible so they could return to their home communities and teach others, Arnall said.

“When I was choosing a graduate school, he looked at me and said ‘You’re going to be the technician, and I’m going to send you around the world,’” Arnall said.

“I earned my doctorate in three years and traveled to Mexico three times, to China twice, and to India,” Arnall added. “As a kid from Oklahoma, it was eye-opening, and Dr. Raun gave me that opportunity.”

In addition to helping students,

Bill Raun helps celebrate the 125th harvest of the Magruder plots. Photo by Todd Johnson.

COWBOY JOURNAL 53

Randy Taylor (back left), Bill Raun, Eva Nambi (front left) and Fikayo Oyebiyi present the GreenSeeder. Photo by Todd Johnson.

HE WOULD GIVE HIS STUDENTS ALL THE CREDIT. THAT’S THE TYPE OF MAN HE WAS. BRIAN ARNALL

54 WINTER/SPRING 2022

Bill Raun (left) and Nick “Shorty” Sempter evaluate parts for the GreenSeeder. Photo by Todd Johnson.

Raun’s goal was to reduce world hunger by helping farmers around the world improve their agronomic practices, said Randy Taylor, OSU Extension assistant director and program leader of the agriculture, natural resources, and community economic development programs.

Each year, Raun would conduct 110 field experiments to study environmentally sound fertilizer management for cereal production as well as research in nutrient efficiency in crops.

“He focused on large goals like improving nitrogen-use efficiency, not only in the U.S. but also the world,” Taylor said.

During his time at OSU, Raun helped develop the GreenSeeker, which is a device used to check the health of crops so producers can make more informed nutrient management decisions, Arnall added.

The GreenSeeder, another of Raun’s projects, was created to help increase production and efficiency of seeds planted in developing countries.

“Dr. Raun’s legacy via the GreenSeeker, the GreenSeeder and graduate students has impacted

farmers and scientists on every continent but Antarctica,” Arnall said.

Although helping the world was important to Raun, his family came first, Tanya Raun said. The couple has four children — Anne, Kate, Chris and Dana — all of whom spent many hours with their dad in his office in the basement of Agricultural Hall, she said.

“He would always save change for the kids to grab snacks from the campus vending machines and keep blankets in his filing cabinet so the kids could take naps in his office,” Tanya Raun said. “They loved drawing on the white board and considered all of his students as family.”

The time Raun spent enriching others’ lives will be remembered through the Dr. William R. Raun Memorial Scholarship established by his wife and colleagues to honor his memory, Arnall said.

“Dr. Raun wanted to help the world,” Arnall said.

AUSTIN ANDERSON

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA

What positively promotes beef sustainablilty.

Your Dollar Does.

Chuck and Ruth Coffey Ranchers — Springer, Oklahoma 2020 Region IV Environmental Stewardship Award Winners 2019 Oklahoma Leapold Conservation Award Winners

See how the Beef Checkoff and the Oklahoma Beef Council works to educate consumers and influencers about the sustainability of beef at www.oklabeef.org/sustainablebeef.

EXCEEDING EXCELLENCE

EARLY ON PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCES PROFESSOR RECEIVES NATIONAL TEACHING AWARD

S

tudents need teachers who offer them perspective, who give them an opportunity to grow through hands-on learning, and who are leaders, innovators and trailblazers.

Beatrix Haggard, plant and soil sciences associate professor at Oklahoma State University, received the 2021 United States Department of Agriculture Early Career Teaching Award in November 2021 for doing just that.

“I always knew I wanted to teach,” Haggard said. “I used to hold study sessions in undergrad for my peers because I enjoyed trying to explain things that maybe others don’t understand.”

Haggard grew up in Azle, Texas, a small town northwest of Fort Worth.

Although Haggard had no farming or ranching background, her mother encouraged her to get involved with 4-H in junior high.

“I saw a person in a 4-H jacket, and my mom said I needed to get involved in that,” Haggard said. “It all dominoed from there.”

Haggard saw success early in her 4-H projects.

“Literally, my entire agricultural journey started from an English Ivy plant that I grew,” Haggard said.

At her first county fair, Haggard won reserve grand champion with her English Ivy plant and said she earned enough money from the sale to purchase her first show steer.

56 WINTER/SPRING 2022

In high school, Haggard joined the Azle FFA chapter and began thinking about pursuing a degree in agriculture.

“I always wanted to do geology and that was where I was planning on heading,” Haggard said. “The subject was just fascinating to me.”

However, a trip to see her sister who was attending Tarleton State University solidified her decision to pursue a future career in agriculture.

“As a high school senior, I went and met the soils professor at TSU,” Haggard said. “At that point I thought, ‘OK, this is a good mix between agriculture and geology.’”

Haggard earned her undergraduate degree in agronomy and range management in 2008 at TSU with a soils emphasis and a geology minor.

She then attended Louisiana State University, where she earned her doctorate in agronomy in 2012. At LSU also is where she met her husband, Josh Lofton.

“She has always been the dreamer,” Lofton said.

Lofton, who grew up in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, said they met during graduate school where at one point their desks were beside each other.

“We dated and got married in 2011, and then we both graduated in 2012,” Lofton said. “The first big step in our marriage was trying to figure out with two doctorates in similar fields how we were both going to find jobs.”

Haggard and Lofton started their careers working for LSU — Lofton in a research-heavy position with a little bit of extension and Haggard in an extension-heavy job with a little bit of research, Lofton said.

“She always told me that she wanted to teach, and I wanted to move closer to home eventually,” Lofton said.

In 2015, the couple packed up and moved to Oklahoma. Here, they both joined the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.

“It was clear during the interview process that Dr. Haggard had a strong work ethic, a positive attitude and a genuine interest in connecting with her students,” said Jeff Edwards, former plant and soils sciences department head.

Haggard said the success she has found in teaching is due to her students. Not only does she enjoy interacting with them, but also she wants to see them enjoy agronomy and succeed as they pursue a career in the field, she said.

“I try to teach that in the real world problems are not always going to have a clear-cut answer,” Haggard said.

In her applied plant class, Haggard works to make the curriculum based on applied crop science principles.

Getting her students comfortable with using terminology and addressing concepts that can be difficult to understand, Haggard said, is beneficial for

Beatrix Haggard, plant and soil sciences associate professor, uses the Greenhouse Learning Center for hands-on learning experiences. Photo

by Jeanette Furlong.

COWBOY JOURNAL 57

Beatrix Haggard, plant and soil sciences associate professor, enjoys watching her students have fun while learning. Photo by Samantha Siler.

DR. HAGGARD IS INCREDIBLY HELPFUL AND TRULY CARES ABOUT STUDENTS’ LEARNING. ETHAN SHAW

58 WINTER/SPRING 2022

students as they enter the field to work with producers.

“As faculty, we try many different things in the classroom to engage students,” said Cynda Clary, associate dean for the Ferguson College of Agriculture. “Dr. Haggard really takes the time to research what would work best for students.”

Outside of teaching in the classroom, Haggard has been involved in the college’s teaching workshops where she has been a speaker on different topics several times, Clary said.

“Dr. Haggard is always willing to learn from others and share what she has learned,” Clary said.

A year ago, Haggard published a teaching tips article for the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture on things she learned

transitioning to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“She takes time to connect with students and make sure they are doing OK as people and not just as students in her class,” Clary said. “I admire that about her.”

In addition to teaching courses, Haggard also serves as an academic adviser, the agronomy club adviser and conducts research as the OSU Extension specialist for plant and soil sciences educator training.

She manages her many duties all while she and Lofton raise their two girls: 5-year-old Roslynn and 2-yearold Margaux.

“Roslynn and Margaux would not be the girls they are today if it weren’t for Beatrix,” Lofton said.

One of Haggard’s strengths as a

mom is knowing when to push her girls in certain situations and when to pull back in others, Lofton said. This strength is reflected in her teaching method with students, he added.

“It is rare for an early career faculty member to display the level of leadership Dr. Haggard has in our department,” Edwards said. “She rolls with the changes. She adjusts and always has a positive attitude.”

Lofton said Haggard’s ability to integrate new teaching methods in her classes has helped students integrate themselves back into the classroom following COVID-19.

“She is always looking to try something new that will help her connect with students or help a student have that ‘ah-ha’ moment when it comes to crops,” Edwards said. “That’s somebody who is committed to innovation.”

Haggard said she has three goals when it comes to her approach to classroom instruction: have empathy, offer hands-on learning, and help her students to understand not everything is going to have an answer.

Haggard also teaches Introduction to Plant and Soil Systems, known throughout the college as PLNT 1213, a core course for students of any major.

The structured nature of the course is what Ethan Shaw, an entomology sophomore, said makes learning from Haggard so rewarding, easy and fun.

“The textbook and slides for the class were both written by Dr. Haggard

and seamlessly mesh with one another,” Shaw said. “Her style of teaching is perfect for me.”

Shaw also is enrolled in the honors section of the course, where this semester students had the opportunity to be hands-on in designing their own experiment from seed to sprout.

“Dr. Haggard is helpful and truly cares about students’ learning,” Shaw said. “She uses topical stories to keep students engaged during class, is passionate about what she is teaching, and is extremely generous.”

A majority of students take PLNT 1213 as a requirement, not as an elective, Haggard said. However, without fail, every semester, Haggard said she will start to get comments about how much students enjoy this class.

“As an entomology major, the classes I have enjoyed most at OSU have been entomology-related,” Shaw said.

“However, outside of entomology, honors plant and soil sciences has been the class that I have enjoyed the most.”

Haggard’s mentorship played a huge role in Shaw’s learning experience and new-found love for plants. Shaw went into the class not expecting much, but what he got out of it has proven to be more than valuable, he added.

“She wants to see her students succeed and make the information she is teaching applicable to other disciplines,” Shaw said. “I find myself using information I have learned from her all the time, even outside of school.”

When looking toward the future for the plant and soil sciences department, Haggard said she hopes to see numbers grow and offer more hands-on experiences for students.

“I would love to see all of our classes have some sort of lab or field component,” Haggard said.

The USDA teaching awards program is open to all U.S. faculty and is highly competitive, Clary said.

“Only two award recipients are recognized each year in the early-career teaching award category,” Clary said.

“It is an accomplishment to be recognized at this level.”

Haggard said she was shocked when she learned she won the award.

“When you look at it in terms of the whole U.S., that’s pretty daunting,” Haggard said. “There were plenty of other people who would have been just as qualified to win the award.”

While winning the award may have come as a surprise to Haggard, Lofton said he was not surprised when his wife won the award. With her commitment to teaching, innovation and students, she deserves it, Lofton said.

“I am never amazed at what she can do because I see it in her potential every day,” Lofton said.

JEANETTE FURLONG

TOMALES, CALIFORNIA

EXCELLENCE DESERVES TO BE RECOGNIZED Launched in 1992, the National Awards for Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences Program recognizes outstanding college professors of agriculture, natural resources, veterinary and human sciences. Nominees are evaluated based on their ability as instructors, educational innovation, service to students, professionalism and scholarship.

A selection committee of nationally recognized teachers and scholars choose two national recipients, two early-career award recipients, and two teaching and student engagement recipients. The awards program also recognizes a total of six regional award recipients.

This program is a partnership among the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University working with the University of Georgia, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Awards were announced at APLU’s annual meeting in November.

Information gathered from NIFA.USDA.gov.

COWBOY JOURNAL 59

Ramsey’s

Ripple Effect

T

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROFESSOR RECEIVES USDA REGIONAL TEACHING AWARD

he influence agricultural education has on students, families and educators is similar to a domino effect. All it takes is one gentle flick toward the first domino and the cycle is in motion.

Jon Ramsey, Oklahoma State University agricultural education professor, has developed this domino-esque reaction throughout his time in agricultural education.

His steadfast commitment and inspirational career has earned him the USDA Southern Region Excellence in Teaching Award.

From a young age, Ramsey placed an importance on diversifying his agricultural experiences, he said.

“My family didn’t necessarily live on a farm,” he said. “But, we did have some acreage on the east side of Ponca City and ran a custom hay operation.”

As a youth, Ramsey also helped with wheat harvest and worked cattle for local farmers.

“It sounds like it makes sense if your family operation was doing these diverse experiences,” Ramsey said. “I was just fortunate to go to high school with guys who had these opportunities and got involved with them.”

When asked what inspired him to join the agricultural education field, Ramsey said his own high school agricultural educator, Jack Powers, impacted his decision.

“My high school agricultural teacher was really the motivation behind

my desire to be a teacher.” Ramsey said. “I don’t know that I really saw him as a teacher. I saw him as this larger-than-life individual who was accepting of others.”

Upon graduation from Ponca City High School, Ramsey attended Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa, Oklahoma and earned his associate’s degree.

However, OSU instructors like Wes Holley inspired him and his future teaching style, Ramsey said.

“Wes Holley was a very enthusiastic instructor,” he said. “He would physically jump from the floor onto the table to make a point, and I decided I really wanted to model that.”

Shortly after earning his bachelor’s degree from OSU, Ramsey received a phone call from Atoka High School in Atoka, Oklahoma, offering him a position as an agricultural instructor. He began his teaching career in 1988.

Ramsey taught for five years at Atoka before he accepted an offer from Cushing High School to join Alan Smith as one of two agricultural educators, he said.

The pair were not strangers

.,,

USDA APLU award winners receive a marble apple to recognize their successes. Photo by Devin Griffith.

COWBOY JOURNAL 61

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION CAN CHANGE SOMEONE’S LIFE. HE’S BELIEVED THAT IN HIS SOUL. KIM RAMSEY

because they attended OSU and studied agricultural education together, Smith said.

“We had a course where we were required to compete on a parliamentary procedure team,” Smith said. “Jon and I were on the same team, and I remember he always wore a cowboy hat.”

Although the soon-to-be teaching duo were familiar with each other, the OSU connection was not what made Ramsey a strong candidate for the Cushing teaching position. Rather, Ramsey’s ability to fit the needs of the program made him the best choice, Smith said.

“Jon got put into the stack of applications as someone with beef cattle experience and teaching experience,” Smith said. “He was checking boxes first-time teachers typically wouldn’t.”

The duo worked hard to include all aspects of the three-component agricultural education model-classroom instruction, supervised agricultural experiences and FFA, Smith added.

Highlights Ramsey and Smith experienced during Ramsey’s 14 years of teaching high school include being recognized as the outstanding agricultural education program in Oklahoma for the 2001 school year, winning the Oklahoma Panhandle State University sweepstakes contest, and developing Cushing FFA’s fishing derby.

While teaching, Ramsey simultaneously pursued his master’s degree in hopes of future opportunities for himself, Ramsey said.

Ramsey completed the master’s program and decided to pursue his doctorate in agricultural education at OSU while working for the university, he said.

When Ramsey’s older son, Jerod,

was 17-years-old, Ramsey decided to pursue his doctoral degree in agricultural education.

“Graduate school was a lot of work and time,” Jerod Ramsey said, “but you’d never hear him complain about it. He takes everything as a challenge, never a burden.”

Jon Ramsey completed his doctoral coursework in five years and applied for the tenure-track agricultural education teaching position that opened the following year, he said.

He was hired as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in June 2021.

Currently, Jon Ramsey teaches undergraduate and graduate courses.

He also serves as director of student teaching and as graduate programs coordinator for the department.

Chris Eck, Clemson University assistant professor and former OSU doctoral student, said he worked extensively with Ramsey during his time at OSU. Together, Eck and Ramsey taught courses and conducted research.

Ramsey also served on Eck’s graduate faculty committee.

“The first time I interacted with Dr. Ramsey was when he picked my wife and I up and took us to breakfast,” Eck said. “While I met with other faculty on campus, he took the time to tour my wife and me around Oklahoma. That just speaks to his character.”

Eck said this feeling of thoughtfulness did not end with their first interaction. Ramsey became a role model and mentor for many of his students, he added.

“He’s one of those faculty members who has an open-door policy,” Eck said. “No matter how busy things got,

APPLE OF THE AG ED EYE

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Association of Public Land-grant Universities sponsor the USDA National Awards for Excellence in College and University Teaching in Food and Agricultural Sciences. A committee of nationally recognized scholars and teachers review and select six regional, two national and two new teacher awards each year. These awards are announced at the APLU’s annual meeting in November.

62 WINTER/SPRING 2022

he really wanted to help and make sure you were prepared for your next steps.

“Something I’ve taken from Dr. Ramsey and implemented into my own teaching is making sure I show the value of what I’m teaching,” he added.

“I’ve also implemented an open-door policy similar to Ramsey’s. I admired him for that and wanted to do the same for other students.”

Kim Ramsey said she believes her husband’s dedication to his students and agricultural education is rooted deeply within his values.

“He is a huge advocate that agricultural education can change someone’s life,” Kim Ramsey said. “He’s believed that in his soul since he was a high school student in agriculture.”

The USDA award recognizes teachers who have had a profound impact on their students and in their discipline – a recognition of which Ramsey is more than deserving, said Cynda Clary, associate dean for the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

“Dr. Ramsey’s passion for teaching shows in every interaction he has with his students,” Clary said. “He inspires future agricultural educators with his innovative teaching techniques and genuinely cares for each and every one of his students. I admire his dedication to teaching and the time and effort he invests in our students.”

Ramsey admits it has not really sunk in yet that he was selected to receive the USDA regional award.

“I’m honored that I was even considered worthy of being nominated,” he said. “There’s a lot of other folks who are just as worthy of the recognition.

“As professors, we do what we do because we want students to be successful and know what is needed for teachers to do this job,” Ramsey added. “We understand the job and the tools needed to teach, and we teach students these things because we know it’s important.”

DEVIN GRIFFITH

WILLIAMS, CALIFORNIA

Jon Ramsey, agricultural education professor, says the most rewarding part of his career is watching his students prepare to teach students of their own. Photo by Devin Griffith.

COWBOY JOURNAL 63

A fresh baked pecan pie is one of the many staple desserts in Oklahoma. Photo by Caley Mayo.

64 WINTER/SPRING 2022

PIE,

ANYONE?

RESEARCHERS CRACK OPEN INNOVATIVE CLEANING SOLUTION

T

he leaves have all fallen, and autumn is in full swing. The soft clinks and taps of a rich brown nut in harvest are prominent in the ears and eyes of Oklahoma pecan growers this time of year.

From pastries to pies, pecans are a staple in the kitchen. For William McGlynn and Ravi Jadeja, the safety of pecan consumers and producers is of highest importance.

Producers harvest the nuts off the ground after they shake the trees.

Microorganisms on the ground can contaminate the outer portion of the nut. This leads to a concern for consumer safety about pathogens on the product, said Jadeja, an Oklahoma State University associate professor in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences and a food safety specialist at the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center.

“One of the challenges we have when we talk about fruits and vegetables is potential contamination with harmful microorganisms,” said McGlynn, a professor in the OSU Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture who also serves as a horticultural processing specialist in the FAPC. “There have been a number of food-borne illness outbreaks over the years associated with different types of pathogenic microorganisms that can be found throughout the environment.”

McGlynn teamed up with Jadeja to develop a cleaning solution for pecans that is cost effective, environmentally friendly and more thorough, he said.

“Currently, two methods are being used to clean pecans — chlorine and hot water,” Jadeja said. “Both of these methods are good methods, but there are many limitations associated with each of them.

“Chlorine is not organically approved,” he said. “Heating a large amount of water takes a lot of energy and becomes very costly.”

The two researchers developed a sodium acid sulfate solution, a naturally derived compound capable of cleaning pecans with less energy while being organically approved, making the product better financially and more marketable for producers, Jadeja said.

“Sodium acid sulfate is naturally derived and commonly used in the condiment industry to reduce the pH in certain products,” he said. “When you use sodium acid sulfate, it kills microorganisms very quickly. It is much safer to use in comparison to chlorine.”

In this method of sanitization, the water temperature is reduced from 170 degrees to 140 degrees.

The addition of the compound uses less energy while killing the same amount of, if not more, microorganisms, Jadeja said.

The adoption of the method requires no special equipment outside of the current cleaning machinery, only the addition of the new compound in place of chlorine, he added.

“The combination of mild heat and a low concentration of sanitizer gives you an optimum method that can be easily adopted by pecan processors even with limited resources because it COWBOY JOURNAL 65

does not require special equipment,” Jadeja said.

Robert Knight, president of the Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association and owner of Knight Creek Farms located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has produced Oklahoma pecans for 36 years.

His farm has used the chlorine method of pecan cleaning, but Knight said he is optimistic about the research being conducted by McGlynn and Jadeja.

“This solution would be far better than chlorine,” Knight said. “Pecans are dirty, and one of the problems with chlorine is that as the nuts go through the water and chlorine solution, the liquid gets dirtier and dirtier, making the chlorine less and less effective.”

In Oklahoma, 90% of pecans are produced by native trees, and a large portion of those pecan tree groves are grazed by cattle prior to harvest, Knight said. This means at harvest the pecans are in close contact with fecal matter and pathogens from the cattle once they hit the ground, calling for careful sanitation before reaching consumers’ hands, he added.

Becky Carroll, associate extension specialist for fruit and pecan horticulture and landscape architecture at OSU, is familiar with pecan production and the sanitation process after working in the industry for almost 34 years. Like Knight, she understands the importance of food safety and the community of pecan growers involved in cattle production and how pecans must be cleaned effectively.

“Oklahoma’s native pecan production goes hand in hand with livestock production,” Carroll said. “Many native growers graze their cattle with their pecan trees to get double income off of their land.”

Most native pecan growers sell their nuts wholesale, and before they are processed at a major facility they must be sanitized, Carroll said. The new process will be less sensitive to organic matter and less hazardous or toxic to the people working with it, she added.

“Having a safe food product is critical for our growers in the industry,” Carroll said. “If there is ever some type 66 WINTER/SPRING 2022

of foodborne illness that is traced back to pecans, then it can really turn consumers away from the product.”

Alongside pecans, McGlynn and Jadeja are testing the compound additive on other produce to gage its usefulness on additional agricultural products, Jadeja said. It has proven to be extremely effective in sanitizing hearty produce like cantaloupes, but consumer goods like leafy greens, spinach and lettuce might not be an ideal target for this method of sanitization, he said.

“This compound is commonly used in the food industry, but it hasn’t really been commonly used as a sanitizing agent until recently,” McGlynn said.

“There seems to be a lot of promise in that it could be used for a lot of different things.”

The research conducted by the pair is awaiting approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be labeled as a sanitizing agent, Jadeja said. They are hopeful the pecan cleaning industry will adopt this innovative cleaning method in the next five years as it continues to prove to be more

economical for producers and marketable to consumers, he said.

“There are lots of potential advantages, so if all of this plays out the way we expect and hope it will, then we would expect this new method to be pretty widely and quickly adopted into the industry,” McGlynn said. “We would expect this method to become rather common for a lot of different types of commodities.”

CALEY MAYO

WHITAKERS, NORTH CAROLINA

All pecans go through an extensive sanitizing process before being processed into various products.

Photo by Caley Mayo.

•

world traveler turned COWBOY

INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURIST STEPS IN TO LEAD MIAP

68 WINTER/SPRING 2022

(

·:; ';

\:;

-·

....~.,."

'

,

~(

t .• . ,,

..

Karl Rich, OSU director of the Master of International Agriculture Program, has visited 87 countries (in orange) and has more than 25 years of experience working internationally. Graphic by Allison Lollis.

A

fter traveling to nearly 90 countries, teaching at numerous universities and research institutes, and conducting agricultural research across the globe, Karl Rich now finds himself as the director of the Master of International Agriculture Program at Oklahoma State University.

Rich’s unique experiences in the field of international agriculture have prepared him for this position and to equip students to succeed, he said.

In 1993, Rich received a bachelor’s

degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. He then earned a master’s in 1996 and doctorate in 2005 in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois.

Rich said he has a passion for international work and developing countries, so the field of international agriculture seemed like the perfect fit for this husband and father of two. His wife, Magda, and children, 5-year-old Zora and 2-year-old Matilda, support him in his work, he added.

“After completing my education, I saw the academic and political sides of agriculture when I began to work and do research in Vietnam,” Rich said.

“Interacting with decision makers, collecting data in the field, and visiting farmers were part of my initial experience with international agriculture.”

Rich’s research in Vietnam served as a catalyst for his time working with numerous universities and institutions, including Lincoln University in New Zealand as an associate professor COWBOY JOURNAL 69

I ENJOY WORKING WITH STUDENTS WHO WANT TO OPEN THEIR MINDS TO NEW PATHWAYS AND EXPERIENCES. KARL RICH

While working on a study in Maroantsetra, Madagascar, Karl Rich, OSU MIAP director, enjoys a moment with a local farmer. Photo courtesy of Karl Rich.

of international rural development and agribusiness; the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs as a research professor; the International Livestock Research Institute based in Nairobi, Kenya, and Hanoi, Vietnam; and the International Food Policy Research Institute in India.

“My work in all of these places has developed a range of decision-support tools to influence public policy with an emphasis in the developing world and focused on small-scale agricultural livestock development and animal health,” Rich said.

Rich values and understands the power of influential teachers can have on their students, he said. His desire to nurture and foster relationships with students has prepared him to serve as MIAP director, Rich said.

“The most impact I had as a researcher was when I was teaching,” Rich said. “I enjoy working with 70 WINTER/SPRING 2022

students who want to open their minds to new pathways and experiences.”

Rich has mentored and supervised dozens of students throughout the years, including Jared Berends, who was one of his doctoral students at Lincoln University.

“Karl and I have traveled to different parts of the world to conduct research, and the guy just makes research cool,” Berends said. “He doesn’t just look to one solution for agricultural issues but delves into dozens of potential solutions.”

Described as passionate and always leading in humility, Rich brings a bright and positive outlook to the table, Berends said.

“Karl is a brilliant academic and explains concepts in ways people can understand,” said Simeon Kaitibie, Rich’s former Lincoln University colleague and 2002 OSU agricultural economics alumnus. “He is the

ultimate person to step into the director of MIAP role and put OSU on the map when it comes to international development in agriculture.”

MIAP prepares and exposes students to working overseas and allows them to explore as agriculturists, Rich said. Students are offered a lot of flexibility because they can create their own plans of study, he added.

“I would love to see MIAP students come out of this program to be solid communicators, facilitate work with people, and know how to manage in life,” Rich said. “My hope is to use my experiences and connections to help our OSU students find their perfect fit in future careers.”

ALLISON LOLLIS

BLANCHARD, OKLAHOMA

Karl Rich, OSU director of MIAP, has more than 2,600 citations on Google Scholar and co-authored 17 peer-reviewed papers with doctoral students. Photo by Shadi Nettles.

COWBOY JOURNAL 71

Serving Up Good Nutrition VIRTUAL FARM TO YOU PROGRAM EDUCATES STUDENTS ABOUT NUTRITION AND AGRICULTURE

A

THERE IS A NEED FOR GREATER HEALTH EDUCATION, AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHY OUR PROGRAM EXISTS. BECKY BROWN

72 WINTER/SPRING 2022

n elementary boy runs down the halls of his school and shouts, “This is the best day of my life!” He stands there with a proud smile across his face because he completed the Farm to You program.

Stories like this bring a smile to the face of Becky Brown, Farm to You coordinator and OSU Extension education coordinator.

Created in 2008, Farm to You is an educational and immersive experience for elementary students that was designed to be a live, in-person experience, Brown said. Its purpose is to teach, engage and inform students about proper nutrition and agriculture.

Created by Community Nutrition Education Programs, a service of Oklahoma State University Extension, Farm to You has hosted more than 160,000 students and has been displayed at hundreds of schools across the state.

“Farm to You is one of our most popular exhibits because there is certainly a buzz at the school when kids get to experience it,” said Jennifer Klufa, assistant state specialist for OSU Extension. “Seeing the kids’ reactions makes it worthwhile and proves Farm to You is just one example of direct education that can make an impact.”

Oklahoma ranks in the bottom five for overall state health with 34.8% of

children ages 10 to 17 being overweight or obese, Brown said. Farm to You presents students the opportunity to learn about Oklahoma agriculture, nutrition and health as a way to overcome those statistics in a fun way, she added.

“Our goal is to educate about where food comes from and the importance of wise nutritional choices so as to negate misinformation and improve the health of Oklahoma youth,” Klufa said.

Several Oklahoma schools work hard to teach about health, but Oklahoma’s unfavorable health statistics show there is still work to be done, Klufa said.

This is why the team travels to schools and provides those resources in an engaging and enjoyable way for kids, Brown said.

When Farm to You is offered in person, first- through sixth-grade students travel through the physical display and attend nine primary stations curated by CNEP. Thirdand fourth-grade students receive a passport booklet in which they answer eight evaluation questions to test their knowledge and retention of the station they previously attended.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CNEP created a virtual version of the program in 2020: Virtual Farm to You. Virtual was the sole avenue Farm to You was offered during the

Virtual Farm to You attendees participate via Zoom from their local classrooms. Photo by Emile Mittelstaedt.

COWBOY JOURNAL 73

Katie Strait delivers Virtual Farm to You content by leading discussion and guiding educational activities. Photo by Emile Mittelstaedt.

Fall 2021 season and will be offered as an option for the foreseeable future, Klufa said.

“Hosting virtually allows us to open more opportunities to everyone,” Brown said. “Our normal exhibit has a 250-student minimum, and that can count out smaller schools.

“With the virtual program, we have no minimum and can reach any schools that want to participate,” she said. “That is pretty rewarding.”

Since its launch in December 2020, Virtual Farm to You has reached more than 4,600 students across Oklahoma.

While some changes were made in adapting to Virtual Farm to You, much of the content is still the same, Brown said, and the focus remains on the students’ learning.

Once a school has signed up for Virtual Farm to You, personnel from 74 WINTER/SPRING 2022

the local county OSU Extension office contact school officials and coordinate a time to drop off tangible teaching and program materials, Brown said. The OSU Extension personnel also may be present the day of the event and help as needed.

During Virtual Farm to You, students and teachers experience the program from the comfort of their classrooms, Brown said.

Conducted via Zoom, the CNEP team films the exhibit from the Stillwater office while teachers and students project the livestream in their classrooms.

Volunteers at the school read an educational and instructive script provided by CNEP and facilitate the interactive learning activities.

Teachers help the students communicate with the CNEP team by typing

answers to questions into the chatbox during the session and by distributing any supplemental learning materials provided by OSU Extension personnel.

While in the virtual session, students travel through nine Farm to You exhibits: Oklahoma Farmland, A Farmer’s Life, The Farmers Market, The Mouth, The Stomach, The Intestines, The Muscles, The Bones and The Brain.

Throughout their time in these exhibits, students learn curricula designed by CNEP that highlight the journey of food from farm to table, the composition and digestion of foods, and how to make healthy eating choices, Klufa said.

Collected data and testimonials from teachers report numerous positive impacts relative to those students, Brown said.

Virtual Farm to You attendees learn MyPlate curriculum and build a nutritional meal. Photo by Todd Johnson.

At the conclusion of the spring 2021 Virtual Farm to You season, the CNEP team collected 513 passports from third- and fourth-grade students.

Once analyzed, data showed, “86% of youth surveyed could identify foods needed for good health,” Brown said.

Liz Lazar, nutrition educator for Tulsa Public Schools, said she credits that encouraging statistic to programs like Farm to You. “When I found out about Farm to You, I jumped at the opportunity to participate,” Lazar said. “Students need more nutrition education, and they need it in a way that is enjoyable and memorable.

“I believe in this program because even though it is virtual, kids still have a fun, hands-on activity,” Lazar said.

When the children would talk about the Farm to You program after

it ended, you knew they were learning the content, Lazar added.

Lazar said she frequently recommends Farm to You to others and hopes to have her schools participate again in the future.

The positive impact proves undeniable, as Virtual Farm to You won the 2021 National Innovative Youth Development Award offered through the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.

“At the end of the day, we are trying to make a difference and change the lives of Oklahomans,” Brown said.

“There is a need for greater health education, and that is exactly why our program exists.”

Completed by Brown, the application won first place at the state and regional levels prior to being selected as a national winner, Klufa said.

Brown and the CNEP team were notified of their accomplishment during summer 2021.

They accepted their award and presented about the Virtual Farm to You program in early November during the virtual NEAFCS Conference.

“Our hope is this award elevates our program and provides a platform to share it with other organizations and states because we want to show them they can do it, too,” Klufa said. “We will carry the torch onward and hope to keep Virtual Farm to You both relevant and timely with all that is still to come.”

EMILE MITTELSTAEDT AMBER, OKLAHOMA

COWBOY JOURNAL 75

Xin Mei Teng, OSU food science senior, excitedly represents OSU with her extracurricular activities. Photo by Molly Faught.

76 WINTER/SPRING 2022

BRAVERY OVER

EVERYTHING FOOD SCIENCE SENIOR OVERCOMES ADVERSITY WHILE DISCOVERING HER PASSION

W

hen Xin Mei Teng packed everything she owned into two suitcases and moved her life across the globe to pursue her education, she found her home in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Teng, Oklahoma State University food science senior, plans to graduate in May 2022. She journeyed by herself from Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia, to Oklahoma City before she turned 21.

Unprepared for the state’s weather upon her arrival in Stillwater in January, Teng encountered a snow storm and weather sirens sounding.

“I was not expecting it to snow,” Mei said. “My roommate had not arrived yet, and I could not find my community mentor or anyone to ask ‘What is going on?’ The tornado sirens were sounding, and I was scared because I did not understand what was happening.”

Navigating the Oklahoma weather was a challenge, but Teng faced other challenges like maneuvering transportation, learning new cultural norms, and speaking in public, she said.

“Presenting myself in front of people is always a challenge,” Teng said.

“Changing the way I speak is slightly different from y’all. It’s the way I word my sentences and sometimes forgetting the English word for what I am trying to say.”

Teng’s native language is Malay,

but she is fluent in English and in the Cantonese dialect of Mandarin, she said. Being trilingual and a non-native English speaker, Teng faces multiple forms of adversity, she added.

“People always have trouble listening clearly to what I’m trying to say,” Teng said. “That’s the whole problem with it. I have to walk through life constantly repeating myself.

“Plus, a lot of people think I am actually from China, so every time I introduce myself I include that I am from Malaysia,” Teng added.

Despite facing daily adversities, Teng has excelled in numerous areas of her life, she said. Her endeavors at OSU include research under animal and food sciences associate professor Ravi Jadeja, participation in a scholarship pageant, and involvement with several student organizations.

“The main three research projects I am working on are the effectiveness of salt in fish roe, which is caviar, antimicrobial treatments for pecans and walnuts, and the shelf life of wheat seeds,” Teng said.

Teng is a determined individual, Jadeja said.

“She is an excellent student,” Jadeja said. “I would rank her in the top 1% of the students I have had the opportunity to interact with. She takes initiative and is hardworking.”

Teng sought the research opportunity with Jadeja after her first class with him, she said.

“I did not come to OSU with the mindset of research or even working as a part-timer during my first semester,” Teng said. “But after my first semester, I felt disconnected from campus and thought I should get a part-time job with the mindset of ‘maybe I can learn something from it.’

“I started talking to different professors about it, and Dr. Jadeja eventually approached me and asked ‘Do you need a job?’” she added.

Teng soon realized working and being a full-time student can be stressful, she said. After working as a laboratory technician for a while, she began her research projects.

Her research projects intrigued her, yet Teng wanted to be more involved on campus and share her culture with other students. She then discovered the 2021 Miss Asian OSU scholarship pageant and decided to participate.

In April 2021, Teng earned the first runner-up title and the People’s Choice Award, along with awards for entrepreneur, overall interview and overall talent.

“I value her participation in Miss Asian OSU 2021 and her dedication to serve as a Student Success Leader in the Ferguson College of Agriculture COWBOY JOURNAL 77

most,” said Yoke Chooi Wong, Teng’s mother. “These experiences have shaped her to be a team player, outspoken, confident and patient.”

The OSU scholarship pageants require contestants to participate in an interview process, build an issue platform to work on throughout the next year, perform a talent and group dance, and display his or her culture and heritage, said Joyce Crawford, OSU Asian -American Affairs coordinator.

Teng’s platform was volunteerism and giving back to the community, Crawford said.

“During the heritage and culture portion, I wore my dresses from Malaysia,” Teng said. “My talent was singing. I wrote my song, and as I was writing it I cried because it made me think of my grandmother. She taught me how to sing.

“I love the up and down beats of pop music,” Teng said. “I relate it to the ups and downs of life.”

Among Teng’s successes at OSU, she serves as a Multicultural Programs Leader through the Ferguson College of Agriculture and is active in the Chinese Language Association, the Food Science Club, the Student Volunteer Center, and the Asian -American Student Association.

“My favorite part of OSU is wearing orange,” Teng said. “I really like the orange colors. It fancies me a lot.”

Like most students, family is important to Teng, she said, and living 9,469 miles away from her parents creates some communication issues because of the time differences.

“Because the timing is totally different, it is daytime here and nighttime there,” Teng said. “I tend to talk to my parents a lot through messaging, but during school breaks, I have more free time so we can video call each other.”

Her parents are proud, excited and nervous for her on all of her adventures, Teng said.

“I treasure her hard-working effort toward an all-round learner to face challenging living situations in an uncharted ground of uncertainties in life,” said Yaw Yeong Teng, Mei Teng’s 78 WINTER/SPRING 2022

Working in the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Product Center, Mei Teng, OSU food science senior, experiments with her salt in a fish roe research project to discover its effectiveness. Photo by Molly Faught.

father. “Whatever she did for the day made me proud of her. She managed to learn so much to uncover to the best of her ability.”

Mei Teng’s parents hold a special place in her life, but so do her friends and professors in Stillwater, she said.

“Dr. Jadeja has been a huge influence in my life and has taught me so much,” Mei Teng said.

Those who have met and know Mei Teng can attest to her determination to be successful and happy, Yaw Yeong Teng said.

“My favorite quality I possess is my bravery,” Mei Teng said. “Everything I do is a risk I take, just like moving to the U.S. by myself. My outlook on life is to take opportunities when they are

presented because when you look back you’ll be surprised of the things you have accomplished.”

Upon graduating in May 2022, Mei Teng plans to further her food science and food safety education through a graduate program and eventually work with a food safety company in the United States.

“For her future, I wish for her to follow her dreams, travel the world, and discover the uniqueness of food science,” Wong said.

MOLLY FAUGHT

LONE GROVE, OKLAHOMA

STARTYOURDAY WITH A SMILE IN

AMERICA'S

FRIENDLIEST

Slicing pies since 1957.

STILLWATER,

@VISITSTILLWATER

OK

405-372-4777 • 230 S Knoblock Street

405-743-3697

REAL RE A Jj

PORK COMES --

COWBOY JOURNAL 79

RIDING FOR

F

ew things in life can be as thrilling as swinging a leg over an all-terrain vehicle, pressing down on the throttle, and feeling the wind beat against your face.

However, even with the sense of thrill and fun, ATVs cause 18 to 24 deaths each year in Oklahoma. Ninety percent of ATV crashes were drivers under the age of 16 who are driving an adult-sized ATV too big for them to control, according to The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital.

Jim Rhodes saw this problem and decided to do something about it.

Rhodes serves as the Oklahoma ATV youth safety educator for Oklahoma State University Extension and receives financial support from the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.

On Aug. 24, 2020, Rhodes hosted the first ATV Youth Riders Course for youth ages 10 to 18. Now, more than 50 classes later, the program has reached more than 300 youth.

OSU EXTENSION OFFERS ATV COURSE

“As I read the newspaper and saw the number of accidents from ATVs that were happening, I knew something needed to be done to help the kids,” Rhodes said.

The ATV Youth Riders Course includes an online course that takes about two hours to complete. The online course teaches students they should only ride ATVs on dirt, gravel or grass, not paved roads.

The course explains the personal protection equipment, or PPE, that should be worn while riding an ATV as well as how to plan their rides.

After the online course is completed, students can attend the riding portion of the course.

The riding portion of the course can be done in Guthrie, Oklahoma, at the Oklahoma Farm Bureau/Oklahoma 4-H ATV Training Facility, or the facilitators can host the hands-on training close to participating youth’s location.

During the riding portion of the

Fifth-grade students at Middleberg Schools lined up to learn to operate their ATVs safely. Photo by Andrea Vandever-Moore.

8O WINTER/SPRING 2022

SAFETY

class, the students complete 11 different exercises on a size-appropriate ATV, starting with basic maneuvers and working their way up to more complex ones.

The facilitators teach different controls on the ATV, how to make regular and sharp turns safely, addressing difficult obstacles, how to shift weight during turns, and the use of proper techniques while riding over hills.

“As kids ride our course, you can see their confidence level increase,” Rhodes said. “We have kids who show up and have never ridden an ATV, and then we have kids who own an ATV and ride all the time.

COWBOY JOURNAL 81

“The course takes those kids with zero experience and gives them the confidence level and knowledge to ride an ATV after they’re done,” he added.

PPE is a critical part of safe ATV riding, Rhodes said.

Wearing gloves, long sleeves, boots that go over the ankle, long pants, goggles, and a helmet are important to safe riding, he added.

Rhodes secured a grant from the Southwest Ag Center, worth more than $20,000 to purchase full-face helmets for participants if they complete the course at the Oklahoma Farm Bureau/ Oklahoma 4-H ATV Training Facility.

Each helmet is valued at $120, Rhodes said, and he hopes having a helmet will encourage youth to wear it while riding ATV at home.

Brayden Arnall, a sixth-grader at Stillwater Middle School, took the ATV Youth Riders Course last year in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

“My favorite part of the course was getting to ride the ATVs on the trail and getting to see all the nature,” Brayden said. “I would recommend this class to my friends or anyone who wants to ride an ATV. It’s important to know how to ride an ATV and how to be safe.”

Having already owned an ATV, Brayden learned about being safe while riding his ATV as well as techniques and maneuvers to perform while going up hills or making sharp turns, he said.

Brayden received one of the helmets and said he now wears it every time he gets on his ATV. Throughout Oklahoma, the ATV Youth Riders Course has six Extension educators and three Farm Bureau employees who are ATV Safety Institute, or ASI, certified.

These certified facilitators host programs for kids throughout Oklahoma. They also can host other groups interested in this course and offer leadership building activities, Rhodes said.

“The facilitators do a phenomenal job of teaching safety techniques and what the impact would be if they don’t 82 WINTER/SPRING 2022

Youth participants, like Bear Mitchell (above), practice turns and maneuvers on sizeappropriate ATVs provided during the course. Photo by Andrea Vandever-Moore.

follow proper safety protocol,” said Courtney Arnall, Brayden’s mother.

“That was helpful for them to learn the technique and understand what could happen and why it’s important to be safe while riding.”

Courses are offered year-round but are dependent on the weather. If students live within two hours of Guthrie, Rhodes recommends coming to the Oklahoma Farm Bureau/Oklahoma 4-H ATV Training Facility to participate in their course and receive their free helmet.

However, facilitators can schedule a date to go to the students’ area to complete the hands-on riding course.

Rhodes can book up to two groups of

eight students in one day, hosting one in a morning and one in a afternoon, he said.

“You don’t know if you’ve prevented an accident, but you hope you have,” Rhodes said. “When you do a safety program, it’s hard to determine what the impact is.

“If they can ride safely at home, using what they learn here, I know I’ve made at least a small impact,” Rhodes added. “That’s my goal.”

ANDREA VANDEVER-MOORE

INMAN, KANSAS

READY TO RIDE?

The ATV Youth Riders Course is for youth ages 10 to 18, and a group must have at least four participants but not more than eight.

Each participant pays a $10 fee. To participate in the teamwork or leadership component of the course, the total fee would be $25 per individual.

To participate in the ATV Youth Riders Course, contact Jim Rhodes at jim.rhodes@okstate.edu or 405-744-4141. Please include three different possible dates that work. However, the date isn’t guaranteed until a confirmation is received from Rhodes.

If any businesses or donors want to help with the purchasing of helmets for participants, please contact Rhodes.

ALUMNI A S S O C I AT I O N Ohl

\IIO\t\,1,11

\It,

4.

1 ,,~oc1,r

I\IR

11'1

o

_}8!fe Yo!ernix?r _fi_a.:t,tra C~_,IJ(!_IIIS m

... ..

•

,,u,"'

~___::.

You Raise It.

We Feed It. You Show It.

WOOD

Feed & Supply Sigma

Alpha

SORORITY 608-695-8168 3 0 2 5 3 S . H W Y. 6 9 , V I N I TA , O K 74 3 0 1

~~women.

~~

sigmaalpha.okstate@gmail.com

| Wood Cattle Company Feed & Supplies

COWBOY JOURNAL 83

Michael Bird uses hands-on learning experiences to prepare him for his career. Photo by Kaylyn Branen.

84 WINTER/SPRING 2022

A Site for

New Opportunities NEW MAJOR PROVIDES EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

I

f you daydream of fixing tractors, managing your family farm, or enjoy working with your hands, Oklahoma State University’s new agricultural systems technology major may be a good fit for you.

Students looking for a hands-on degree program now have a new opportunity with the AST major in the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

Nestled in the OSU Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, the AST undergraduate degree program offers a uniquely different learning experience compared to other majors, said Paul Weckler, BAE professor.

“It’s a very practical, hands-on, industry-oriented degree that is not focused on a specific technical discipline, ” Weckler said. “The AST program looks at all the aspects of the technology needed in different areas.”

Because of this, graduates of the AST degree program can work in the industry as food scientists, machinery technicians, grain elevator operators, water treatment plant operators or several other management and handson positions, Weckler said.

“Companies want folks who know how to design things, but they also want folks who know how that is going to be applied in the real world,” said Kellen Smith, AST junior.

The goal of the AST degree program is to fill “the niche between an engineer and a subject matter specialist,” Weckler said.

Although the new AST program began in Fall 2021, the program is not the first of its kind to be offered through the BAE department.

Prior to 1990, the department offered a mechanized agriculture degree program, according to the OSU Office of the Registrar Catalog Archives.

However, with the oil crisis leading to a poor economy, budget cuts meant eliminating this program, Weckler said. Talks of adding a technology degree to the BAE department have occurred for years, he added.

“We’ve had lots of feedback from our industry advisory board,” said John Long, BAE associate professor and AST academic adviser. “One of the things they kept telling us was there’s this big need for technology students and not necessarily engineers.”

The suggestions from the advisory board, coupled with similar thriving degree programs offered at Texas A&M University, Kansas State University and the University of Nebraska, meant adding this degree program became more important than ever, Long said.

“We felt like we were missing out on a major that there’s definitely a need for,” Long said.

COWBOY JOURNAL 85

John Long (right) explains to AST students Alan Davis (left) and Kellen Smith how to measure angles during a lab. Photo by Kaylyn Branen.

EVERYTHING IN THIS MAJOR IS APPLICABLE TO LIFE. IF YOU LEARN SOMETHING, THERE IS A REASON. KELLEN SMITH

86 WINTER/SPRING 2022

Long chaired the BAE department’s committee to start the process of implementing this new degree program.

This included creating the course curriculum, demonstrating a need for a new program, and submitting proposals to the college and OSU A&M Board of Regents, Long said.

During the first semester of the major, five students enrolled in the major and took core curriculum courses in agricultural water management, surveying and agricultural electrification.

As a part of the core curriculum, AST students also take business and economics classes, Long said.

“One of the things that sets the AST degree apart from the other technology majors at other universities is we actually have a business portion required,” Long said. “It gives students the ability

to go into a situation where they could work as a manager for other people in a technology-related field.”

In addition to the core curriculum, students pursuing the AST degree choose their own path for 21 hours on their degree sheet, depending upon the direction they would like to go after college, Long said.

This offers more flexibility to students and their interests, making it unique among similar programs at other universities, Weckler said.

Across the U.S., other agricultural technology degree programs are focused on more specific disciplines, such as machinery and tractors, which offers less flexibility, he added.

“With my agricultural systems technology major, I will also be earning an agribusiness minor,” Smith said.

John Long (right) explains to Michael Bird (left) and Alan Davis how to level surveying equipment, which is important for accurate measurements. Photo by Kaylyn Branen.

“You can configure this degree to just about any way.”

A different path to take with the AST program is a plant and soil sciences focus, said Alan Davis, AST junior. Davis said he chose this path because he enjoys his job at Oklahoma Foundation Seed and knows this program fits well with his interests and future job opportunities.

Students also can take a machinery-focused course load within the new AST major, said Michael Bird, AST junior.

“Agricultural systems technology is really cool because it is such a niche major,” Bird said. “What I have chosen to do is a very mechanical and machine systems-based major, anything that can be useful in a professional scenario when it comes to working on

tractors or in a design and/or prototyping position.”

Students in the program agree they are being prepared for the real world in a hands-on career path, but the faculty are what make this program so special, Smith said.

“They want you to be there, be engaged, and ask questions,” Davis said.

“They are not there just to present.

They are there for you to actually learn in their classes.”

Since the major is new, the classes are small and the professors take interest in each student, making a point to interact one-on-one, Smith said.

“The community and the culture in the department really makes the major worth it,” Bird said.

With stellar faculty who genuinely care, applicable curriculum and

hands-on learning, the new AST degree program is a good fit for students seeking something a little different in college, Bird said.

“Everything in this major is applicable to life,” Smith said. “If you learn something, there is a reason you are learning it and you can directly see what it is going to be used for and what it is going to be.

“That’s something I really appreciate about AST,” Smith added. “For students who love being hands on and working with machinery, I think this would be a great fit.”

KAYLYN BRANEN

COLLINSVILLE, OKLAHOMA

COWBOY JOURNAL 87

THE ROAD TO F

RESILIENCY

THREE-TIME ALUMNUS SERVES AS USDA FOOD SYSTEMS RESILIENCY SENIOR ADVISER

or Marty Matlock, his experiences growing up on a subsistence farm in rural Osage County, Oklahoma, moved him toward service and food resiliency.

Now, at age 59, he serves as the U.S. Department of Agriculture senior adviser for food systems resiliency in the market and regulatory programs.

Matlock’s hope is to bring his wisdom and experience to help improve the decision-making process to nudge the food supply chain to more resilient footing, he said.

“The U.S. food system is incredibly efficient, it’s incredibly sustainable, and it’s incredibly profitable,” Matlock said, “but very fragile.”

Matlock said resiliency is the ability of a system to keep functioning under stress combined with how quickly it can recover once disrupted. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. saw just how fragile the food system is, he said.

“What is a success for me will be 10 years from now we have a diversity of meat processing as well as fruit and vegetable production across the landscape,” Matlock said.

“U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has carved out about $4 billion of the Build Back Better fund to make food systems more resilient in the U.S.,” Matlock said.

88 WINTER/SPRING 2022

The impacts of the money being spent now are expected to show results in two years, he said.

Matlock has spent his professional life relying on short-term thinking, he said. Now, his goal is to try and look up more, see the bigger picture, and pick his next path more explicitly, he added.

Matlock’s road to becoming a USDA senior adviser has been one achieved through hard work, service, ambition and the occasional failure, he said.

That road for Matlock began as a child growing up in Prue, Oklahoma.

“My upbringing was comparable to many other rural, working-class Oklahoma families,” Matlock said.

His mother was a homemaker, and his father was a machinist. Some of Matlock’s fondest memories include competing in rodeos, growing up on the land, and graduating with a class of 27 students, he said.

Matlock’s Cherokee heritage came from his father and both parents taught him a sense of community responsibility and a strong work ethic, he said.

“You get up in the morning and work because that’s what you do,” Matlock said “The dignity of sweat cannot be overstated.”

Matlock said growing up he remembers the famine that struck Ethiopia

in the 1980s. The famine gained global news coverage and caught the attention of celebrities like Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, he said.

The famine also caught his own attention, Matlock said, and sparked a passion to one day feed the world. His passion for alleviating food insecurity directed his collegiate career.

In 1984, Matlock obtained his bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Oklahoma State University.

During Matlock’s senior year of his undergraduate program, faculty member and mentor Jerry Grant introduced him to Norman Borlaug, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

“Norm changed my life,” Matlock said. “He taught me hunger is no longer an agronomic problem. It is an economic and political problem.”

In 1989, Matlock received his master’s degree in plant physiology from OSU, where his primary adviser was Jim Ownby, the former head of the botany department.

“Dr. Ownby was perhaps the most influential person in my young academic career after Norm and Jerry,” Matlock said “He taught me to think like a scientist and opened my mind to the process of discovery science is.”

After finishing his master’s degree, Matlock worked for five years at a

ULTIMATELY, YOUR PURPOSE IS TO TEND YOUR GARDEN, YOUR COMMUNITY’S GARDEN AND YOUR FAMILY’S GARDEN. MARTY MATLOCK

In his new role for the USDA, Marty Matlock relocated to Washington, D.C., in December after working remotely in Fayetteville, Arkansas, since August. Photo by Lauren Brockman.

consulting firm. He then returned to OSU and started a doctorate in ecology. After he finished his coursework, he felt a crucial skillset was missing to achieve his long-term goal — positively making a difference in the fight to end hunger, he said.

That goal led him to change his doctoral degree path to the biosystems and agricultural engineering department.

“I worked with an incredible group of scholars at OSU, and they gave me the skills to make things better,” Matlock said.

After completing his doctorate, he took his first job as an associate professor at Texas A&M University where he worked alongside Borlaug.

While working at Texas A&M, Matlock researched redfish living in Laguna Madre but experienced difficulties keeping them alive, he said. He

began working with oxygenation and water systems to solve the problem.

He ended up recruiting help from Scott Osborn, a former colleague, Matlock said. From there, the two co-founded BlueInGreen, a water quality solutions company.

In July 2006, Matlock became an associate professor at the University of Arkansas. About nine years ago, a former provost approached Matlock to consolidate all sustainability programs on campus and begin the University of Arkansas Resiliency Center, he said.

“It is a great way to work in an interdisciplinary space to solve complex problems,” Matlock said.

During his time as executive director of the center, Matlock was an empowering leader who genuinely cared about his students and the work being done, said Osnar Grios,

University of Arkansas Resiliency Center graduate research assistant.

While at the University of Arkansas, Matlock served on diversity committees and created diversity-inclusive opportunities for students.

Matlock was appointed as the chair of the Racial Justice Committee for the National Council for Science and the Environment.

“We evaluated what the NCSE was doing to become anti-racist and identify areas we could do better in,” Matlock said.

Additionally, he created a summer undergraduate research experience program for Native American students at the University of Arkansas. The program is funded by the National Science Foundation and awards tuition and stipends to Native American scholars attending the program.

COWBOY JOURNAL 89

Marty Matlock, USDA senior adviser for food systems resiliency in the market and regulatory programs, installs a water treatment system for shrimp aquaculture in Malaysia. Photo courtesy of Marty Matlock.

Matlock said to honor his heritage, he valued using his education to give back to the Cherokee Nation.

For 15 years, he served as the chair of the Cherokee Nation Environmental Protection Commission.

“Marty always ensured emerging topics that impacted the region were addressed in a thoughtful, science-based manner,” said Chad Harsha, Cherokee Nation Secretary of Natural Resources.

Harsha said Matlock has addressed environmental issues and emerging topics within the region well, allowing the Cherokee Nation to advance the conversation on numerous environmental matters.

However, to focus on his new position as a USDA senior adviser, Matlock said, he has stepped down from all leadership and diversity initiatives 90 WINTER/SPRING 2022

as well as his teaching position at the University of Arkansas to avoid potential conflicts and focus on his work.

He worked remotely in Fayetteville, Arkansas, until December 2021, Matlock said, then he and his wife of 35 years, Stephenie Foster, moved to Washington, D.C. The couple has three adult children: Sierra, aerospace engineer in Madison, Wisconsin; Arvcken Noquisi, Ohio State University moving images and sonic arts junior; and Foster Matlock, University of Arkansas biological and agricultural engineering junior.

Matlock’s parents instilled in him a sense of community responsibility and the importance of hard work, he said, while mentors and friends like Borlaug helped him better develop his perspective on the purpose of life.

“Ultimately, your purpose in life is

to tend your garden, your community’s garden and your family’s garden,” Matlock said.

“The only regret I have is not spending more time with the people I love,” he said. “That’s the one thing you can’t get back.”

Never lose focus on relationships with loved ones — always keep those a top priority, Matlock added.

“There is not a single job accomplishment, accolade, credential, or paycheck that is more important than relationships with your family and your friends,” Matlock said.

LAUREN BROCKMAN

CONWAY, ARKANSAS

Preserving THE PRAIRIE USDA PROJECT AIMS TO EDUCATE PRODUCERS ABOUT ENCROACHMENT

Tallgrass prairies once covered 40% of the U.S. — more than 140 million acres. Photo by Breanna Barker.

92 WINTER/SPRING 2022

T

he Great Plains ­— an area of the world named for the vast rolling hills covered with tallgrass or shortgrass prairies. However, during the last two centuries, these native ecosystems have changed from grasslands to woodlands.

These landscapes are undergoing the phenomenon of woody plant encroachment ­— a problem The Prairie Project is working to tackle.

“Many of the species of woody plants we have are native to the states they are in,” said Laura Goodman, Oklahoma State University Extension range specialist and assistant professor in natural resource ecology and management. “These plants are just growing in locations where they didn’t grow historically.”

This phenomenon is not a new concept in the natural resource management industry, said Sam Fuhlendorf, Groendyke chair in wildlife conservation and OSU Regents professor of natural resource ecology and management.

“Woody plant encroachment has been studied for a long time, but what do we do about it?” Fuhlendorf asked.

With help from a Sustainable Agricultural Systems grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, The Prairie Project is designed to answer this question and enhance livestock production in the Great Plains.

“The Prairie Project is a collaboration of research, teaching, and extension to educate students,

ranchers, and teachers about woody plant encroachment, mitigating wildfires, and lessening the effects of a more extreme climate,” said Ryan Reuter, OSU animal and food sciences associate professor.

This project began as a partnership among OSU, Texas A&M University and the University of Nebraska.

“We convinced the USDA that the greatest threat to livestock production in the region is woody plant encroachment as it leads to essentially almost complete loss of livestock production on rangelands,” Fuhlendorf said. “This encroachment also has a lot of impacts on wildlife and causes endangered species in the region.”

So, who cares? What if a few trees grow in historic grasslands? According to The Prairie Project faculty, everyone should care.

“This is not only detrimental to the prairies, but it is detrimental to a rancher’s livelihood,” Goodman said.

“So, we, The Prairie Project, are looking for solutions.”

As part of the project, two potential solutions are presented to ranchers and educators to fight this invasion, Goodman said.

“We came up with two economically viable solutions — pyric herbivory and multi-species grazing — that work, but they both have social constraints,” Fuhlendorf said.

Pyric herbivory is the interaction between grazers and fire, often through patch burn grazing, Fuhlendorf said. Ranchers burn portions of rangeland pastures, resulting

in increased grazing while other unburned areas accumulate fuel to burn next. The idea is grazing driven by fire, Fuhlendorf said.

“The idea is to use fire to control the woody plants but also to make animals focus on the recently burned area where grazers get better forage quality,” Fuhlendorf said. “It’s a way to integrate the use of fire with livestock production and actually helps livestock production.”

Fire is a touchy subject for many people, Goodman said, but The Prairie Project staff works with ranchers to explain how to use fire properly in their operation.

“A lot of it is just fear that you’re going to set the world on fire if you start a fire,” Goodman said. “The reality is, if you prepare for the fire and burn under certain weather prescriptions, you will not have many issues.”

The use of fire is not the only solution available to control woody plants, but it has been readily used in Oklahoma, Fuhlendorf said. The other aspect of this project is spreading awareness about multi-species grazing — specifically the addition of goats into cattle operations.

“Many smaller landowners are more willing to try multi-species grazing,” Fuhlendorf said. “Also, in many landscapes, human population is too high to welcome the frequent use of fire so browsers could be more effective.

“We are not suggesting that ranchers should stop raising cattle and switch to goats,” Fuhlendorf added.

“We are suggesting that a cattleman COWBOY JOURNAL 93

OSU has several research facilities dedicated to multi-species grazing, patch burn grazing and more. Some of these research opportunities have been in action for several decades. Photo by Breanna Barker.

THIS IS NOT ONLY DETRIMENTAL TO THE PRAIRIES, BUT IT IS DETRIMENTAL TO A RANCHER’S LIVELIHOOD. LAURA GOODMAN

94 WINTER/SPRING 2022

could have a few goats, and it could help to control the woody plants.”

Goats and cattle have different diets, but research about goats and their impact against sericea lespedeza is limited, Reuter said.

Sericea lespedeza is an invasive woody plant species encroaching on native rangelands and spreading rapidly in range pastures when only grazed by cattle, Reuter said.

“The long-term impact of this project is to maintain the services that benefit from these native rangelands,” Reuter said. “Plants like sericea lespedeza infest these rangelands and invade and take over, disrupting this natural ecology of these rangelands.”

Goodman works heavily with the OSU Extension aspect of The Prairie Project, specifically outreach.

One of her projects included attaching a GoPro camera to a goat to observe its eating patterns to post on social media.

“The video shows the goat eating different plants,” Goodman said.

“There are plants in the pasture that the cows don’t eat, but the goats will.”

The Prairie Project is not specifically about fire or about goats, Goodman

said. The Prairie Project is about individuals working together to find what works against woody plant encroachment and how to educate others about it, she added.

“If we want to help the landowners, we have to learn the barriers that limit their adoption,” Fuhlendorf said.

Omkar Joshi, NREM assistant professor, works through The Prairie Project to complete this goal.

“Omkar will teach us how the public thinks about these management tools, what their concerns are and potentially how to alleviate the concerns and increase options for landowners,” Fuhlendorf said.

The role of social science is critical for the aspect of public perception of The Prairie Project, Joshi said.

“At the end of the day, the social acceptance is critically important to make this a reality,” Joshi said. “The research will not translate into actionable science unless people accept it.”

BREANNA BARKER

JOHNSTOWN, COLORADO

We’re Cattlemen Too

Trust National.

At National Livestock, we pride ourselves in being directly connected to the cattle industry. We understand the industry, which makes us unique in the ways we can serve you.

From sale day to finacing options, we’ve got you covered.

Learn more at NationalLivestock.com

Marketing | Finance | Grazing NationalLivestock.com

Marketing: 800-999-8998 | Finance: 800-310-0220 | Grazing: 800-999-8998

NAT_2021Ads_FullPage_CowboyJournal_r1v1.indd 1

10/13/21 11:27 AM

Adventures

ON TO NEW RAY HUHNKE

Ferguson College of Agriculture faculty retire after successful careers

Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Following a 40-year career, Ray Huhnke retired from Oklahoma State University in January 2021.

Huhnke began his education at Purdue University, later receiving his Master of Science from the University of Illinois and doctorate from Iowa State University.

Huhnke served OSU as a Regents professor in biosystems and agricultural engineering.

“I appreciate the many great administrators, faculty, staff and students who I had the pleasure of working

with,” Huhnke said. “In fact, I cannot imagine accomplishing as much during my career if I wasn’t involved with so many hard-working teams.”

Huhnke is still involved with the New Frontiers Agricultural Hall design team and plans to stay involved until the building is fully operational, he said.

Huhnke and his wife, Sandy, intend to spend time with their grandkids and travel throughout the U.S. and overseas. Huhnke also plans to do volunteer work.

THOMAS KUZMIC Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management After 42 years of service to Oklahoma State University, Thomas Kuzmic is set to retire in January 2022.

Kuzmic earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in forestry at Virginia Tech and doctorate in environmental science from OSU. While at OSU, Kuzmic organized and led foresty field camps in 10 states where students spent multiple weeks in hands-on, practical learning.

Kuzmic began to offer study abroad experiences in 1999, striving to allow

The Trusted Voice of the Oklahoma Cattle Industr y

students to find what drives their involvement with the natural resources and ecology management industry.

“We are never finished products,” Kuzmic said. “We can and should always strive to be more than we currently are.”

During his retirement, Kuzmic plans on spending time with family, traveling, and improving his guitar skills. Most important of them all — “I am going to live!” he said.

Your SEED source for registered and certified seed wheat, barley and other spring seeds since 1957

NULL SEED FARM 13919 N 2180 ROAD, HOBART, OKLAHOMA 73651 TOM 580-530-0279 | BRIAN 580-530-2208 SCOTT 580-530-0283 | colvin 580-530-2224

LARRY 580-726-3220 | Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association | okcattlemen.org | 405-235-3608

COWBOY JOURNAL 97

FERGUSON INVOLVEMENT Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture students celebrate 100 years of OSU Homecoming — clockwise from top left: Amarie Griffith (left) and Bobby Marchy serve on the homecoming court; Shadi Nettles, a member of the Kappa Delta sorority, contributes to housedec building for Walkaround; as Homecoming Harvest Carnival executive, Audrey Oschner participates in the annual fountain-dying ceremony; Ariel Scholten, executive director for OSU’s Centennial Homecoming, kicks off Homecoming Week events at the fountain-dying ceremony; and members of Alpha Gamma Rho and Alpha Chi Omega cheer for their fellow members at Football Frenzy.

Photos by Cowboy Journal staff.

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF 98 WINTER/SPRING 2022

N OF COWBOYS COWBOY JOURNAL 99

FERGUSON COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

ALUMNI SOCIETY NEWS

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR ALUMNI EARLY CAREER

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS The OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture prepares its gradates to succeed at the highest levels of their chosen career paths.

In recognition of this success, each year the Ferguson College Alumni Society selects alumni as recipients of the college’s Early Career Achievement Award.

The board seeks nominations for

alumni who have attained prominence through their efforts in agriculture, natural resources, life sciences or related areas of science, business, education, or government and public service early in their careers.

To be eligible for this award, a nominee must possess either an undergraduate or graduate degree from the Ferguson College of Agriculture

and have earned a bachelor’s degree within the past 15 years.

Early Career Achievement Award recipients will be recognized during the Ferguson College of Agriculture Awards Banquet in the spring.

Nominations are due Feb. 1, 2022.

For information about the award or to nominate an individual, visit agriculture.okstate.edu/alumni-friends.

1 2

4

3 #HC2021

5 100 WINTER/SPRING 2022

The Ferguson College of Agriculture Homecoming festivities took place at the Charles and Linda Cline Equine Teaching Center on Oct. 29, 2021. Photo 1: Tom Coon (left) and Cynda Clary. Photo 2: Larry Nickerson. Photo 3: Don Schieber (left) and Joe Williams. Photo 4: Ashlyn Clary.

Photo 5: Raylon Earls (left) and Cynda Clary. 6: An enthusiastic crowd fills the arena with OSU spirit. Photos by Devin Griffith, Carli Eubank and Kristin Knight.

WELCOMING

NEW BOARD MEMBERS BECKY WALKER CHANDLER STRATFORD, OKLAHOMA

Becky Walker Chandler graduated in 2001 from the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

An agricultural communications alumna, she has served as the executive officer of nutrition services for the Chickasaw Nation. Chandler comes from a long line of OSU alumni and is

eager to serve the Ferguson College of Agriculture, she said.

Outside of work, Chandler is passionate about being a mom and wife, she said, and works hard to instill a love and appreciation of the agricultural industry in her children.

BOARD OF DIREC TORS Phillip Cowley

Morrison, Oklahoma At-large Member

Matt Gard

Fairview, Oklahoma Northwest District

MATT GARD FAIRVIEW, OKLAHOMA Matt Gard is a 2013 Ferguson College of Agriculture graduate and fourth-generation agriculturist on his family’s homestead.

Gard has been a member of the Major County Conservation Board for 27 years, a member of the Northwest Oklahoma Alliance for 16 years, a member of the Oklahoma Academy

of State Goals for 11 years and was a co-founder of the Northwest Oklahoma Water Action Plan.

Gard plans to use his extensive knowledge of conservation and the agricultural industry to positively impact rural economics as a Ferguson College Alumni Society Board member, he said.

Mechelle Hampton

Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service.

Prior to NRCS, Jones worked as a prescribed fire and fuel technician for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service and as an assistant engine foreman and wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service.

Roff, Oklahoma Southwest District

TRAVIS JONES ROFF, OKLAHOMA Travis Jones received his bachelor’s degree from the Ferguson College of Agriculture in 2003.

Jones has returned to the college and is set to graduate with his a Master of Science in International Agriculture in August 2022.

Since 2012, Jones has served as a resource conservationist for the U.S.

Tulsa, Oklahoma Northeast District

Jon Marc Holt

Woodward, Oklahoma Northwest District

Travis Jones

Rick Reimer

Claremore, Oklahoma Northeast District

Charles Rohla

Ardmore, Oklahoma Southeast District

Meg Stangl

Okarche, Oklahoma At-large Member

Becky Walker Chandler

6

Stratford, Oklahoma Southeast District

COWBOY JOURNAL 101

Oklahoma Made.

Family owned and operated in Jones, Oklahoma, since 1970, Blue and Gold Sausage Co. helps more than 1,000 groups raise money for trips, community projects, equipment and anything else you can imagine. www.blueandgoldsausage.com

for generations.

Oklahoma's family farmers and ranchers each have their own legacy of dedication.

No matter the conditions, no matter the circumstances, our farm and ranch members put in the hours to ensure people around the world have safe, healthy, affordable and abundant food. Oklahoma Farm Bureau supports Oklahoma's family agriculturalists, serving as their trusted voice for generations

past and for generations to come.

Together, we work to ensure their legacy of commitment

...

•••.

OK£JIHOMJI FJIRM BITR.E.llll

www.okfarmbureau.org/join

will carry us all onward.

We are rural Oklahoma~ Featured:TheO'Hern familY,Atoka County Farm Bureaumembers

Cowboy Journal Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership 448 Agricultural Hall Stillwater, OK 74078-6031