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Department of Agricultural Economics

Author: Amanda Sales

Master of Agribusiness Professional Development Event: Risky Business!

Posted on by Amanda Sales

The Master of Agribusiness (MAB) program is pleased to announce the dates for its 7th Professional Development and Alumni Reunion Event. The event, “Risky Business: Managing Risk,” will be Sept. 17-19, 2015 in Manhattan, Kan. The event will include sessions on multiple angles in managing risk and possible tours of the K-State campus, Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI) and O. H. Kruse Feed Technology Innovation Center, as well as the opportunity to network with classmates and industry partners. It will also include a pre-game tailgate before the K-State vs. Louisiana Tech football game on Saturday, Sept. 19.

Not just for MAB students and alumni, the event is open to all interested individuals in the food, animal health and agribusiness industry.

Be watching for more information about speakers, sessions and registration on MAB social media channels and the website.

Registration materials will be available on the website in late July/early August. Room reservations must be made through the Holiday Inn at the Campus by Friday, Aug. 28. For rooms call 785-539-7531 and mention KSU Master of Agribusiness or ‘MAB’.

Risky Business Logo
Risky Business is the theme for the professional development weekend.

ACCC Conference Celebrates 20 Year Milestone

Posted on by Amanda Sales
Brian Briggeman's welcome
ACCC Director, Brian Briggeman, welcomes the CEO Roundtable attendees to Kansas City.

The CEO Roundtable for Cooperative Managers celebrated its 20th anniversary in March with another strong program.  In 1995, then Arthur Capper Cooperative Center Director, David Barton (professor emeritus) was approached by local cooperative managers about creating a new educational program for cooperative CEOs. He saw this as an exciting opportunity and reached out to Russ Nelson of CoBank who agreed to partner, and the CEO Roundtable was launched in 1996. The focus of the program has remained on providing these CEOs an educational opportunity where they can learn from industry experts, learn from each other, network and further develop as leaders of progressive, successful local cooperatives.

Alan Woodard
Alan Woodard of CoBank responds to questions from the CEO Roundtable attendees.

The strength of the program lies in a group of actively engaged CEOs who help develop the program each year. To ensure the topics are timely and relevant, Brian Briggeman, ACCC Director and associate professor; and CoBank Regional Vice President, Alan Woodard; work closely with a planning committee comprised of CEOs who regularly attend the roundtable. Evidence of the CEO Roundtable’s success can be found in a few of the comments from the CEOs and Board Chairs who attended the 2015 CEO Roundtable:

 

“The CEO Conference is one of the highlights of the year.  I always look forward to the conference, the program/speakers, and the discussions with fellow CEOs and Board leaders.”

“Fantastic conference and very well planned.  It was my first year and really enjoyed the program.  I see the networking benefit and idea sharing as a huge plus.”

“The best meeting I attend all year!”

 

Three other educational programs have evolved out of the CEO Roundtable and additional opportunities await. CoBank continues to be an outstanding partner as they value the impact of strong education on the cooperative system. The ACCC looks forward to providing effective and relevant cooperative education to help the cooperative community meet the challenges of the future.

More information about the ACCC is available on its website and Facebook or Twitter pages.

 

Cake
Attendees of the CEO Roundtable celebrate the milestone with cake.

 

 

K-State Farm Bill Team Reaches More than 4,000 Kansans

Posted on by Amanda Sales

Farm producers and ranchers are facing many decisions regarding the Agricultural Act of 2014, also known as the 2014 Farm Bill.

To help with this decision-making process, K-State Research and Extension held meetings throughout the state in January and February. Recordings of presentations are available online.

mykel_taylor_0005-20130716“More than 4,000 people attended the meetings, with many attending more than one to improve their understanding,” said Mykel Taylor, assistant professor of the Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics. “Surveys at these meetings asked people to rate the value of the information presented on the programs details and the tool. An average of 89% of attendees rated the information as Valuable or Very Valuable on a four point scale (‘Not Valuable’, ‘Somewhat Valuable’, ‘Valuable’, or ‘Very Valuable’).”

The Farm Bill deadline closed Tuesday, April 7. To view full coverage of the videos and updates from the K-State Farm Bill team visit the AgManager website.

Farm Bill outreach

 

 

Agricultural Economics Graduate is New President and CEO of Kansas 4-H Foundation

Posted on by Amanda Sales

Jake Worcester

Jake Worcester, 2001 graduate of agricultural economics, left his position as assistant secretary at the Kansas Department of Agriculture to join the 4-H Foundation. He is stationed in Manhattan, where his role with the 4-H Foundation began March 2.

Agriculture and 4-H are strongly entwined in Worcester’s interests. He attributes his 4-H experience in Graham County as a key in much of his success, in addition to serving as K-State Student Body President in college.

While earning his degree in agricultural economics, Bryan Schurle was his advisor.

Matt Wolters earns Huck Boyd Institute Leader of the Year Award for Agribusiness

Posted on by Amanda Sales
Matt Wolters
Matt Wolters co-owns SureFire Ag Inc. with his brother, Josh, and friend, Blaine.

Matt Wolters, 2003 graduate in agricultural economics, was selected as one of five Leaders of the Year for 2015 by the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development. Efforts in outreach, innovation and service leadership determine the recipient for each of the five categories: agribusiness, business and entrepreneurship, community service, multicultural diversity and tourism, hospitality and retail.

Wolters’ recognition came in agribusiness based on his role in leading SureFire Ag Systems Inc., a company that designs and manufactures solutions to apply fertilizer and chemicals to crops and fields throughout Kansas, the U.S. and the world. Based outside of Atwood, Kansas, Wolters, his brother, Josh, and friend, Blaine Ginther, opened Surefire Ag in July 2007.

Almost eight years later, the business has developed many custom products including Quickdraw, which is anticipated as one of the top five game changers of 2015 by Farm Industry News. Quickdraw is an automated, electronically controlled spray tender system that mixes batches of crop inputs. SureFire has seen great success, employs 35 people, and has sold its products in 47 states and Canada.

In addition to SureFire Ag Systems, Wolters and his partners founded the Dream Big Education Foundation, which provides resources to enhance science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and math education in the Rawlins County USD 105.

Leaders of the Year were chosen by entrepreneurship students in the K-State College of Business and are based on the Huck Boyd Institute’s Kansas Profile features during the past year. The institute is a partnership between K-State Research and Extension in Manhattan and the Huck Boyd Foundation in Phillipsburg, Kansas.

Wolters is a 2014 Distinguished Young Alumni and recipient of the Vance Publishing 2014 40 Under 40 Award. He was in Blue Key Honor Society and Student Governing Association and was an Agriculture Ambassador during college. Wolters has key roles in the Kansas FFA Foundation, Rawlins County Hospital Board and the Kansas Agricultural Rural Leadership Program.