Kansas State University

search

Department of Communications and Agricultural Education

Category: 2019

Hock presents in Alaska

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Rachel Waggie, agricultural education and communication master’s student

Agricultural education professor Gaea Hock attended the 2019 American Association for Agricultural Education Western Region Conference in Anchorage, Alaska, September 17-19.  While in Anchorage, Hock took part in the Ag Literacy Multi-State meeting, a group of professors from across the nation working to research variables related to agricultural literacy.

Hock also presented an innovative poster titled: Connecting Research Stations to Area Agricultural Education Programs, co-authored by Dr. Jeremy Falk, University of Idaho & Dr. Marshall Baker, North Carolina State University.

2019 National Teach Ag Day

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Rachel Waggie, agricultural education and communication master’s student

Join us in celebrating the 2019 National Teach Ag Day Thursday, September 19. National Teach Ag Day is designed to encourage others to teach school-based agriculture and recognize the important role that agriculture teachers play in our schools and communities. To celebrate, some of K-State’s agricultural education students will be going “live” on Facebook from local schools on Thursday. Make sure to tune in by visiting and “liking” K-State Agricultural Education on Facebook.

Agricultural Education at Kansas Ag Summit

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Rachel Waggie, agricultural education and communication master’s student

The Kansas Department of Agriculture invited the K-State Ag Ed teaching interns to the fourth annual Kansas Summit on Agricultural Growth on Thursday, August 29, in Manhattan, Kansas. The Summit was attended by 450+ Kansas farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses. The program’s Facebook page says, “the networking, conversations and learning that happened at the event will serve rural communities across the state!”

Internship highlight – Zach Callaghan

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Zach Callaghan, agricultural education student

This summer, I worked as an Educational Program Assistant at the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan. In this role, I primarily spent my time teaching elementary and middle school students during weekly summer camps. Each week was centered around a different theme and focused on teaching the science of animals, nature, and environmental conservation. As a future high school agriculture teacher, this experience helped to build and improve my pedagogical skills by providing opportunities to write curriculum and manage my own classroom. I would definitely recommend this experienceto other Agricultural Education students as it is a great outlet to practice teaching and the curriculum can easily relate to agriculture. With only one semester left until I begin my student teaching experience, I am grateful to have had this opportunity to work with students and teach them a little bit about agriculture along the way!

 

Agricultural Education program home to state FFA officers

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Rachel Waggie, agricultural education and communication master’s student

Of the six state FFA officers elected at the 91st Kansas FFA Convention in May, five are agricultural education majors at K-State this year. Logan Elliott, Asbury, Missouri, president; Abby Goins, Oswego, vice president; Mason Prester, Wilson, sentinel; Lukas Sebesta, Wilson, treasurer; and Elizabeth Wright, Olsburg, secretary, are students in the agricultural education program. Elliott, Prester and Wright are freshmen, while Elliott and Goins are returning students. Agricultural education is well represented and we look forward to seeing what these students accomplish throughout their year in office.

Many wins for students at Ag Media Summit

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Katie Burke, assistant professor in agricultural communications and journalism

Eight students from the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) Kansas State chapter attended the Ag Media Summit in Minneapolis this July. In addition to gaining knowledge from conference sessions, students received numerous awards and recognitions from National ACT. The club won Chapter of the Year for the third year in a row, Janae McKinney (senior in agricultural communications and journalism) was one of the AAEA scholarship winners, and Katherine Wist (senior in agricultural communications and journalism) was elected to the National ACT Officer Team. The K-State club also came back with several Critique and Contest awards: the Kansas State Agriculturist magazine (Fall 2018 issue) won first place in the Publication Division; Katherine Wist won first place in the Infographic Division and placed in three additional divisions; and Mary Marsh (senior in agricultural communications and journalism) won first place in the Short Feature Writing Division. “Kansas State ACT was awarded NACT Chapter of the Year … for their excellence in leadership, education, community service, social activities, and fundraising,” says the NACT Facebook page.

Hock joins national committee

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Rachel Waggie, agricultural education and communication master’s student

Gaea Hock joined the National FFA Agriscience Fair Committee in July. She attended the national selection process and will assist at National FFA Convention in October. Her role on the committee will help strengthen the event in Kansas and across the nation.

The National FFA Agriscience Fair recognizes student researchers studying the application of agricultural scientific principles and emerging technologies in agricultural enterprises. Students can compete in one of the following categories: animal systems; environmental services/natural resource systems; food products and processing systems; plant systems; power, structural and technical systems; and social science.

K-State agricultural education earns national recognition

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Rachel Waggie, agricultural education and communication master’s student

The National Association of Agricultural Educators recently recognized K-State’s agricultural education program as Region II’s Outstanding Post Secondary Agricultural Program. The agricultural education faculty includes Brandie Disberger, Gaea Hock and Jon Ulmer. Congratulations on this well-deserved award.

Internship highlight: Mary Marsh

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Mary Marsh, agricultural communication and journalism student

 

For my final summer of college, I decided to go home to California and get a job close to home. This summer, I am working as a field inspector for the California Crop Improvement Association. I am checking sunflower fields in my home county of Colusa. My role is to go to the sunflower fields around the county and make reports about what I see to make sure the crop is high quality, since these flowers are going to be harvested for seed.

I do three inspections throughout the growing season. My initial check is pre-bloom when the buds are just beginning to form. I look for different weeds in the field and for different varieties of sunflowers that may have grown in the field or within a mile to two-mile radius. Although it is not in the job description, I also keep an eye out for different pests causing problems in the sunflowers. During the two bloom checks, I walk out into the field and make sure there are no off-varieties that might affect the quality of seed. Being in the field is important to me, this job is all about getting in the thick of the sunflower action. I have about 90 fields to check around my county. Needless to say, I have been busy and have learned quite a bit about sunflower production!

Although my job is heavily focused on agronomy, I have found ways to keep my communication skills polished. I have brought my camera along with me and have made it my goal to document the various maturity stages in my fields. I also get to interact with agronomists and growers occasionally. So far, I have noticed a growing confidence in talking about field crops since taking this internship.

This job has allowed me to see more of my county and learn a whole new commodity. I will be a stronger communicator because of this hands-on experience in production agriculture.

Congratulations to Dr. Minton

Posted on by Rachel Waggie

by Linda Gilmore

 

A familiar face will be leading the Kansas State University College of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension into the future. Ernie Minton, interim dean and K-State Research and Extension director, has been appointed to the posts following a national search.

Minton’s appointment, effective June 16, was made by Charles Taber, university provost and executive vice president.

“The College of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension are central to achieving our land-grant mission, and it is important we have balance and stability in this time of change,” Taber said.

“Based on his years of steady leadership as interim dean and director and associate dean and associate director, Dr. Minton is the right leader for the College and KSRE at this time,” Taber said. As the college dean and K-State Research and Extension director, Minton is charged with advancing both on a variety of fronts, including program development; faculty and student development; research, teaching and extension; program accreditation; and the college’s and university’s goals in K-State’s visionary 2025 plan.

The full announcement can be found at https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/2019-06/newdean61919.html