by Rachel Waggie, agricultural education and communication master’s student
Brandie Disberger, agricultural education instructor, was honored as Faculty of the Semester by the K-State College of Agriculture for the spring 2019 semester.
Congratulations to Brandie for this accomplishment!
By Deanna Reid, agricultural education and communication master’s student
AGED 212 emerging agricultural technology, a new agricultural education class, allows students to explore topics that can be covered in the power structural technical systems pathway in an agricultural education program. As part of the class, students participate in tours and hands-on learning around the state. This semester, students have learned about new the K-State Polytechnic unmanned aerial systems program, alternative energy at Cloud County Community College, the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at K-State, and more.
Through these tours, they learned about the use of drones, wind, and solar technology in agriculture and agricultural education, discovered postsecondary education and career options, and explored teaching methods for new technology concepts.
Monte Poersch at Cloud County Community College hosted the AGED 212 class and explained alternative energy. Students were introduced to career opportunities in wind and solar and many ways to teach those concepts in agricultural education classes.
The class also toured the biological and agricultural engineering program at K-State where Dr. Stacy Hutchinson described and demonstrated integrated systems management in agriculture. The education students were challenged to teach their students how to solve agricultural challenges of the future.
By Deanna Reid, agricultural education and communication master’s student
Perfect weather welcomed current and potential students and their families to the Manhattan campus to learn about majors, opportunities, and organizations at the 2019 All-University Open House. The event highlighted more than 250 majors and options and 475 student organizations available at K-State.
Students and faculty from the Department of Communications and Agricultural Education joined in on the fun. The K-State Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow created and hosted a life-size version of the game Candyland, “Launch into Aggieland” trivia game, and gave away chocolate-covered soybeans. Agricultural Education club members designed and gave away T-shirts at the event as well. Allison Wakefield, a junior in agricultural communications and journalism, said, “The open house was a lot of fun. The ACT members enjoyed interacting with everyone and especially liked playing our Aggieland game with kids!”
By Deanna Reid, agricultural education and communication master’s student
K-State agricultural education students helped with the 34th Annual National Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Conference in Overland Park on April 6. K-State agricultural education students facilitated workshops to teach high school students from across the country about renewable energy, biotechnology, food science, soil conservation, and plant and animal science.
About the event, Jon Ulmer stated,
“We want to thank K-State MANRRS, Compass Minerals, and Zelia Wiley for giving our students the opportunity to teach Jr. MANRRS members about agriculture at their national conference.” MANRRS promotes academic and professional advancement by empowering minorities in the fields of agriculture, natural resources, and related sciences.
Agricultural communications and journalism student, Kaci Foraker, was part of the history-making K-State livestock judging team. For the first time in the long history of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the K-State Livestock Judging Team has been honored as the champion team overall in the intercollegiate judging contest. The team was first named champions in the beef, swine and oral reasons divisions. The final contest of the spring, the event draws to a close a spectacular first half of the season with much to look forward to this fall. The team is coached by Chris Mullinix and assisted by ASI senior, Payton Dahmer.
Team Results:
Champion Team Overall
High Team Swine
High Team Beef
High Team Oral Reasons
Third Sheep/Goats
Team Members include: Adrian Austin, Mt. Vernon, Ill.; Claire Bradbury, Winfield, Kan.; Cooper Carlisle, Ropesville, Texas; Kaylee Farmer, Nevada, Mo.; Kaci Foraker, Burrton, Kan.; Adrianna Gasper, North Vernon, Ind.; Keayla Harr, Jeromesville, Ohio; Cade Hibdon, Princeton, Kan.; Kaitlyn Hildebrand, Ohio, Ill.; Samuel Lawrence, Avilla, Ind.; Cole Liggett, Dennison, Ohio; Michael Loughridge, Chatsworth, Ga.; Megan Marion, Terre Haute, Ind.; Brady McComb, Pratt, Kan.; Justin Nofziger, Wauseon, Ohio; Hadley Schotte, Marysville, Kan.
Growing up in Plainville, Kansas, Alexandra Walters considered a career in social work, but decided early on to teach about agriculture. A 2018 graduate of K-State, Walters is a first-year agriculture education teacher at Peabody-Burns Middle School-High School in Peabody, Kansas, where she teaches classes in plant science, animal science, food science, agricultural mechanics and others.
“My students enjoy anything they get to design themselves,” she said, adding that her high school food-science students created their own Christmas cookie business.
Walters is teaching in what’s part of a growing trend in middle schools and high schools across the country to offer agricultural education programs, and colleges and universities cannot turn out graduates fast enough to keep up with demand.
“There is a nationwide shortage of agriculture teachers,” said Brandie Disberger, an instructor in Kansas State University’s Department of Communications and Agricultural Education. “Here in Kansas we are currently only graduating about half of the needed agriculture teachers. We have had 100% placement in this major for more than 20 years.”
Students with an interest in agriculture and a passion for working with people make excellent candidates, Disberger said, noting that as of May 2018, average starting salaries in Kansas were more than $40,000. The average salary of agriculture education teachers across the country in 2017 was $43,093, according to the National Association of Agricultural Educators, with averages across the U.S. varying by region.
Disberger, who taught high school agricultural education for 10 years before coming to teach at K-State, said contrary to some perceptions, there are ag education openings in urban and suburban school districts as well as in rural areas.
The breadth of training students receive lends itself to a range of careers, she said. About 80% of K-State’s ag education graduates go on to teach in high school, but some move into careers in extension where they teach adults and youth in less formal settings. Others work in agriculture-related sales or service positions, nonprofit organizations, or pursue advanced academic degrees.
Students study topics such as energy systems, animal science, plant systems, food products and processing, biotechnology in agriculture, power, and structural and technical systems.
“Some individuals think career and technical education programs, including agricultural education, are closing in high schools when it is just the opposite. They are growing rapidly,” Disberger said.
By Deanna Reid, agricultural education and communication master’s student
The Agricultural Education Club had an opportunity to serve Kansas FFA members by providing feedback for high school state Agricultural Proficiency Award winners in preparation for the national competition. Based on supervised agricultural experience programs, proficiency awards recognize students who have developed skills they can apply to future agricultural careers.
Award areas include: entrepreneurship, placement, combined, and agriscience research. Though critiquing award applications, K-State agricultural education students were able to help potential students and use the experience as a learning opportunity for future teaching. Thirty K-State undergraduate students evaluated nearly 40 applications that were submitted.
Abby Goins, an agricultural education major, stated, “This opportunity was special and unique. As someone unfamiliar with the proficiency award program, it helped me to understand what students learn and what is involved. It was a really great opportunity!”
Gloria Holcombe, long-time editor in the Department of Communications and Agricultural Education, put away her red pen on Feb. 28. The publishing unit hosted a retirement party for her on Friday, March 1. Family, friends, and colleagues shared cake, punch, and stories. Steven Graham, former assistant to the dean, and Ernie Minton, interim dean and director, gave special remarks in honor of Gloria’s retirement. Dan Donnert presented Gloria a photo taken on one of their many road trips.
Gloria began her career with the College of Agriculture in the mid-1980s and served in a variety of roles. Her unique skills led her to being promoted quickly from secretary to office assistant to information writer for the Agricultural Experiment Station Editorial Office. She moved to the Department of Communications as a writer and editor in 1994 when communications staffs for the Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service were combined. She coordinated the semiannual K-State Ag Report magazine and annual report to the Kansas Legislature, as well as collaborating on special projects for K-State Research and Extension and the College of Agriculture, including an integral role in the organization and implementation of the K-State Research and Extension annual conference.
She served as state representative for the Association for Communication Excellence, a professional organization for communicators. This organization recognized her talents by awarding multiple submissions over the years as top quality nationally. She has been recognized by receiving the Award of Excellence for publishing and graphic design in 2016 and the Service Award in 2008.
Gloria has also served on the K-State Faculty Senate and Faculty Senate committees.
The Department of Communications recognized her as employee of the year in 2007. She received K-State’s President’s Award of Excellence in 2015.
We wish Gloria all the best during her retirement.
In January, an agricultural communications and journalism alumni survey was distributed through the alumni Facebook group to gather information about career paths our graduates follow, most valuable skills in agricultural communications and what upcoming graduates need in terms of scientific knowledge. The survey will guide curriculum changes and help faculty better communicate career possibilities with prospective students. Nearly 125 alumni have participated in the survey.
For those who have not yet seen the survey, we would love to hear from you. We plan to share findings from the survey in a future alumni newsletter.
Please use the link below to access the survey. It takes about 5 to 6 minutes and is voluntary and confidential, although we cannot guarantee anonymity due to the nature of some questions.
https://kstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3IQWxDr1QBLWUnP
If you have questions, email Katie Burke ‘10, ‘15 at kjburke@ksu.edu.Thank you!
By Deanna Reid, agricultural education and communication master’s student
Agricultural education student teaching interns spent two days on a corn-focused, high-impact learning experience in eastern Kansas, Feb. 28 to March 1.
Seventeen students and three K-State agricultural education professors traveled with the group. Visits included Midland Genetics, BNSF, East Kansas Agri-Energy, and Johnson County K-State Research and Extension, well as three high school agriculture programs: Ottawa, Spring Hill and Prairie View.
Interns learned about corn seed genetics, production and marketing, trains and storage containers, and ethanol. The group also had the opportunity to interact with and learn about each school’s agricultural education programs and teaching methods from current agricultural education teachers and students.
The Kansas Corn Commission sponsored the experience.
