1 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

DEAN’S CORNER

Upcoming Events

Please send newsletter submis-sions to COAES@tarleton.edu

●12/5-11 Fall 2019: Final Exams

●12/6 President’s Holiday Recep-

tion

●12/6 Holiday Showcase

●12/12 Fall 2019: Grades due for

graduating students

●12/13 COGS Commencement

●12/14 COAES Commencement

●12/16 Fall 2019: All grades due

●12/23-1/2 Winter Break—

University Closed

●1/13 Spring 2020: 1st class day

●1/14 The Purple Tractor resumes

regular operation

●1/15 Spring 2020: Reg. ends

●1/20 University closed

●2/25 COAES Networking event

●2/29 Farm to Form Run

●3/12-13 Spring Break, University

Closed

●3/21 Texan Tour

●3/26 FFA Invitational CDE

●4/4 COAES Recognition Event

●4/15 FFA Area CDE

●4/18 Pursuit of Purple Steer

Show

●4/30 FFA State CDE

●5/7 FFA National CDE

Monthly Newsletter College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences

December 2019

This newsletter is filled with an abundance of news about our students’ success-

es and participation in learning opportunities. Thanks to all faculty and staff for

making these opportunities available to our students and for supporting each

other in these activities.

Becky and I wish you all a wonderful holiday season with peace and cheer in the

New Year! Our means and reasons for celebration may be different, but the op-

portunity to celebrate, to spend time with family and friends, and to renew, revi-

talize and rejuvenate is priceless. Thanks for all you do for our students, each

other, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and for Tarleton

State University.

The best is yet to come!

WSD

2 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

At the Agriculture Center

The Dallas division of US Foods® celebrated the first-ever Certified Here-ford Beef® Meat Lab on November 15, hosted by Dr. Lea Ann Kinman and her team at the Tarleton State University Meat’s Laboratory. The sales team from US Foods Dallas experienced a full day of immersive education including a step-by-step carcass breakdown and a visit from a local Certified Hereford Beef rancher who brought four live Hereford cat-tle representing the breed at various stages of life. “We are excited to see how this in-depth training improves sales and prof-itability for our company and helps us continue to provide the best possi-ble value to our customers,” said Brent Wilson, Vice President of Mer-chandising and Marketing for US Foods’ Texhoma Area. “At US Foods, we want our sales team to be able to provide consultative support to res-taurant owners, chefs, and managers across all menu types. The training was exactly what our sellers need to maintain healthy relationships with our customers. They walked away from their time at Tarleton with an improved understanding of beef carcass uti-lization, premium beef programs through the eyes of a rancher, and a refresher on our pre-mium beef program specifications. Now the participants can help our customers find new and unique offerings which we believe will improve the value that restauranteurs provide in our industry.”

3 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

At the Agriculture Center

Holiday Hours

The Purple Tractor will close Saturday, December 14th at 6 p.m. and will resume a nor-

mal operating schedule beginning Tuesday, January 14th.

Like The Purple Tractor on Facebook for item availability, price lists, and more!

Continuing Education Workshops

On November 21 & 22nd, the Agricultural and Consumer Sciences department hosted a continuing education workshop at the Agricultural Mechanics facility. Thirty Ag Science Teachers from across the state learned the art of leather mak-ing and how to integrate this craft into their Ag Science program for state certi-

fied art credit. Similar workshops happen throughout the year for Ag Science teachers, event information and registration can be found on JudgingCard.com.

4 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

The 92nd National FFA Convention was held in Indianapolis, Indiana October 30

through November 2, 2019. Fifty Tarleton students traveled to assist with and judge the

Ag Mechanics, ENR, Quiz and Dairy Cattle events.

National FFA Convention

Agricultural Education major Will Cornelius from Mississippi

and Agribusiness major Cahlen Cheatham from Maryland ran

for National FFA Office. Texan News press release

American FFA Degree

Thirty nine Tarleton Texans received their

American FFA Degree, the highest degree

achievable in the National FFA Organiza-

tion. The American FFA Degree shows an

FFA member’s dedication to his or her

chapter and state FFA association. It demon-

strates the effort FFA members apply to-

ward their supervised agricultural experi-

ence and the outstanding leadership abilities

and community involvement they exhibited

through their FFA career.

Complete list of American Degree recipients

Proficiency Awards

Two Tarleton students, Breanna Bowen and Jaylin Smith

qualified as finalists for National FFA Agricultural Profi-

ciency Awards. This award honors FFA members who,

through supervised agricultural experiences, have devel-

oped specialized skills that they can apply toward their fu-

ture careers. Students can compete for awards in nearly 50

areas ranging from agricultural communications to wildlife

management.

Complete list of Proficiency Award recipients

5 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

WSES—In the classroom

Students in the Turf grass Management class are learning to vertical mow Bermuda grass so that it can be over seeded with various ryegrass varieties for win-ter color. The seed is top-dressed with sand to the en-hance germination rate.

Horticulture Management student Paige Lionburger is getting ready to acclimate 50 channel catfish for use in the Aquaponics facility.

Kate Day, senior Wildlife, Sustainability & Ecosystem Sciences major, is conduct-ing her internship at Lake Proctor. In the photo to the right, she was working the Build a Fish booth at the Prairie Oaks Master Natu-ralist Field Day.

Wayne Carrillo is conducting his internship at the Stephen-ville AgriLife Experiment Sta-tion conducting research on peanuts.

Seth Olvera, a student worker at the Aquapon-ics facility, getting pinched by a freshwater prawn.

6 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

In the classroom

Agricultural Services & Development faculty Drs. Brant Poe, Sandy Graham, Chandra Andrew & Wayne Atchley

have been conducting internship visits for December AGSD Ag Industries, Ag Communications, and Interdiscipli-

nary Studies graduates over the past few weeks.

Wyatt Maher, AGIA major is interning at the Brister Creek

Ranch whitetail breeding facility in Wellington, Texas.

Easton Jay, ACOM major is interning

at the Fun Town RV marketing depart-

ment in Cleburne, Texas.

As part of WSES 4311 Fire Ecology, students participated in Basic Fire-fighter Training to become certified as a Wildland Firefighter Type 2. Over 2 weekends in November, Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS) of-fered training to the community members and students. Skills learned include safety, firefighter preparedness, tools and equipment, firing de-vices, use of water, suppression, securing the control line, and post-fire mop up. The TFS training includes standardized National Wildfire Co-ordinating Group (NWCG) classes including Introduction to ICS (ICS-100), Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service (L-180), Firefighter Training (S-130), and Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior (S-190). These skills can be used to participate in both wildland firefighting and prescribed burns. This NWCG training is an important part of learning to safely use fire as a habitat management tool. “These are skills that students will likely utilize in their careers” –Dr. Darrel Murray. Several students from past classes have gone on to seasonal and permanent em-ployment with both the TFS and U.S. Forest Service.

Brealle Sanchez, AGIA major is interning with the Texas Department of Ag-riculture. One of her du-ties included working at the Go Texan General Store during the State Fair of Texas.

7 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

Student Organizations

Pollinator Garden

On November 9th, the Tarleton State Environmental Society, in conjunction with the Tarleton Entomological Society, be-gan work on developing a native pollinator garden at the W.K. Gordon Center for Industrial History of Texas. The polli-nator garden is a collaborative effort between Dr. Anne Egelston, Director for the Center of Environmental Studies, Dr. Deborah Liles, Assistant Professor in the Department of History, Sociology, Geography & GIS and W.K. Gordon En-dowed Chair, and Dr. Adam Mitchell, Assistant Professor in the Department of Wildlife, Sustainability, & Ecosystem Sciences. The garden will host native plants that flower throughout the year to provide a valuable source of food for polli-nating insects, which are in rapid decline across America. The garden will also provide valuable opportunities for teach-ing and outreach, as students will monitor pollinator visitation and diversity as part of their entomology classes and pro-vide this information to the museum. Opportunities will be available in the spring for additional planting, weeding, and monitoring.

Dairy Judging Team competes at Louisville The Tarleton Dairy Judging Team, coached by Barry Cavitt with the assistance of Tarleton and team alum Morgan Cavitt, competed in the North American Interna-tional Livestock Show Intercollegiate Contest in Louisville, Kentucky on November 10, 2019. This team had a successful final contest as they wrapped up their colle-giate dairy judging career. A special shout out to team member Autumn Lippy for a phenomenal day wherein she earned 3rd High Individual Overall honors of the col-legiate contest! Results as follows: Team 9th Place Team Overall 3rd Place Team in Guernseys 9th Place Team in Brown Swiss Autumn Lippy 3rd High Individual Overall 5th High Individual in Guernseys 5th High Individual in Ayrshires 13th High Individual in Reasons (Tied with 11th and 12th) Congratulations Autumn Lippy, Taylor Pursley, and Breanna Bowen for a job well done!

8 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

Student Organizations

Tarleton participates in Southern Dairy Challenge

The Tarleton Dairy Challenge team traveled to Campbellsville, KY November 21-23 to participate in the Southern Dairy Chal-

lenge. Dairy Challenge has been in existence since 2002 and combines theory and real world experiences. Southern Dairy Challenge brings together teams of four or five, from different

universities, to evaluate the operation of a real-life dairy, includ-ing production and farm economic records. Teams are tasked with evaluating records, the farm operation, and making recom-

mendations to improve farm performance based on individual farm goals. Tarleton team members are Landry Vieth, Frank Moerman, Maggie Moerman, Ellen Schilderink, Grace Canny,

Lily Martin, and Paige Bielamowicz.

Dr. Barbara Jones, assistant professor in the Animal Sciences and Veterinary Technology department and director of the Southwest Regional Dairy Center, coaches the team. Dr. Jones was also named the PR chair for the Southern Region. Landry Vieth’s team placed first in the competition.

Please congratulate the team on a job well done!

Thank you very much to the Texas Association of Dairymen, DairyMAX, Texas Animal Nutrition Council, and Zinpro Corporation for sponsoring the team. For more information about dairy challenge, please visit http://www.dairychallenge.org/

Lily Martin’s team Paige Bielamowicz’s

team Grace Canny’s team

Landry Vieth’s team

Ellen Schilderink’s team

Maggie Moerman’s team Frank Moerman’s team

The team having fun Bowling!

9 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

John Tarleton Agriculture Advocates

Throughout the month of November, the John Tarleton Agriculture Advocates visited several area high schools.

This group works in coordination with the Tarleton State University Welcome Center visiting high schools and working recruitment booths at events like the FFA State Convention. If your interested in having the JTAA visit

your high school contact Michelle Damerau at Damerau@tarleton.edu.

Student Organizations

Tarleton Equestrian Team The Hunt Seat team wrapped up the fall show season with a success-ful show weekend! The team was Reserve Champion team on Sun-day! Placings are as follows: Liv Faulkner: 1st in Open Flat, and 6th in Open Fences ● Jessica Johnson: 4th in Intermediate Fences, qualifying her for

Regionals in the spring, 5th in Open Flat, and 2nd in Open fences ● Jessica Dziekan: 2nd in Intermediate Fences both days, and 2nd in

Intermediate Flat both days ● Katie Pennington: 4th and 5th in Intermediate Flat ● Faith Reed: 4th in Limit Fences ● Amber Fearn: 2nd and 3rd in Novice Flat ● Ally Jerome: 2nd and 2nd in Pre-Novice Flat for her last show! ● Makayla Knandel: 5th and 4th in Pre-Novice Flat ● Rebecca Steele: 5th and 3rd in Introductory Flat ● Alyssa Casillas: 4th and 2nd in Introductory Flat

Great job!

Collegiate FFA

On November 7, 2019, over 2000 students from 125 high schools across the state attended the Tarleton LDE Invitational hosted by the Tarleton Collegiate FFA.

The event included the following contests: chapter conducting, creed speaking, job interview, radio broadcasting, Spanish creed speaking, ag advocacy, and ag issues.

For complete results visit JudgingCard.com

10 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

11 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

Student Resources

Scholarship Tips

by Dr. Jolena Waddell

Tarleton Family: Are you taking full advantage of our scholarships within the

College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences?

As the scholarship officer for the college, I would like to offer a few tips to

make sure that our students are being considered for all eligible funds.

The general Tarleton Scholarship application for new and current students can be found at https://

tarleton.academicworks.com/

Apply early! Although the pr ior ity deadline is Feb 15, we begin reviewing and making offers in November

for the following academic year.

Apply even if you missed the priority deadline. Funds can still be awarded later in the year , so applying

late is better than not applying at all.

If you are a current student, update your essay. Senior applications that still have your high school essay attached

to them will not score well with reviewers.

Make sure your information is correct. Some scholarships are major-specific, so double check if you have

changed your major or concentration lately.

Are you a legacy? If so, make sure your alumni family members have joined the Tar leton Alumni Associa-

tion and the Parents’ Association so that you can be considered for those scholarships.

Check out the recommended opportunities. After doing the general application, click on “Opportunities”, then

“Recommended”. This will show you other scholarships you might qualify for, but require additional infor-

mation. That may be a resume, a paragraph, a financial statement, etc. You will not be considered for these addi-

tional funds unless you do the extra steps.

12 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

Faculty & Student Research

Marissa Pensirikul, a WSES graduate student, won 2nd place in the graduate student poster competition in the

category of Environmental Sciences during the 16th Annual TAMUS Pathways Student Research in Lare-do, Texas on November 8th. Her poster titled Predic-

tive Mapping of Potentially Listed Rare Plant Species is related to a Texas Department of Transportation re-search grant to map rare plants to assist in conservation

planning along Texas roadways. Her advisors are Drs. Hemanta Kafley, Darrel Murray, and Heather Mathewson of the WSES, and Kim Taylor, of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. The Pathways Student Research

Symposium, held annually at different Texas A&M system universities, is open to all Texas A&M system students with separate categories for undergraduate, master, and doctoral level research. The Research Symposium provides an opportunity for stu-

dents to present research and interact with faculty, judges, and other participants. Congratulations Marissa! Press Release

Lauren Selph, a Master’s candidate in the Department of Wildlife, Sustaina-bility and Ecosystem Sciences, was awarded first place for her combination rapid-oral presentation and poster presentation at the American Society of Agronomy meeting which took place November 10-13, 2019 in San Antonio, Texas. Ms. Selph’s presentation, entitled “Effects of Pre-Enriched Manure and Cellulosic Biochars on Soil Physicochemical Properties and Forage Growth,” was included in the “Environmental Quality” section of the meeting within the "Functionalized Biochar for Agricultural and Environmental Applications" session. This research was completed as a portion of her thesis project under the supervision of committee members Dr. Donald G. McGahan, Dr. James P. Muir, and Dr. Eunsung Kan. Her abstract, poster, and oral presentation record-ing are available at https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2019am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/121661. Following graduation in December 2019, Ms. Selph will join the faculty of West Texas A&M University as an instructor of Plant, Soil and Environmental Science. The American Society of Agronomy meets yearly with the Soil Science Soci-ety of America and Crop Science Society of America to over 4,000 scientists from around the world. More information about the Tri-Societies is available at https://www.acsmeetings.org/about.

13 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

Faculty & Student Research

Sarah Shawver, MS Graduate in 2017, walked away with first place overall award for a student presented paper across all Divisions at the Soil Science Society of America International Annual Meeting held in San Antonio TX November 10-13, 2019. After receiving her MS in Agriculture and Natural Resources from Tarleton State University, Ms. Shawver accepted a Re-search Assistantship with Dr. Brian Badgley with the School of Plant and En-vironmental Sciences at Virginia Tech. Sarah’s poster titled "Environmental Conditions Alter Soil Microbial Community Responses to Antibiotics and Manure Exposure” [https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2019am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/122344] was honored with a $1,000 check. Sarah has published "Variation of Prokaryotic and Fungal Soil Communities across a Vegetative Transect” from her Masters of Science thesis and has another from her Tar-leton State University MS thesis in submission. Sarah’s committee members were Dr. Donald G. McGahan, Dr. James P. Muir, and Dr Jeff A. Brady. Her preparation at Tarleton State University has prepared her well and we are proud of her work at Virginia Tech. Congratulations Sarah Shawver!

Dr. Barbara Jones, Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science and Veterinary Technology and Southwest Regional Dairy Center director latest research publication titled: Calf hutch style effects on temperature humidity index and calf performance. Authors: K.R. Reuscher, A.L. Willits, E.R. Jordan, and B.W. Jones

Abstract

The study objective was to evaluate the difference in calf weight gain and temperature humidi-ty index (THI) in four hutch styles. Holstein calves (n = 120) were housed in four styles of hutches. No significant differences (P ≥ 0.05) existed for calf weight gain between hutches A, B, C, and D (60.32 ± 1.76, 59.93 ± 1.93, 57.09 ± 1.95, and 57.31 ± 1.98 kg, respectively). When outside THI was above 25 oC, the THI varied (P < 0.05) between hutches A, B, C, and D (26.88 oC ± 0.06, 25.99 oC ± 0.09, 26.23 ± 0.06, 25.74 ± 0.07, respectively)

Complete Article

Dr. Donald G. McGahan, Associate Professor of Soil Science, was honored with a certificate of appreciation as a Soil Science Society of America Divi-sion Chair. In this Division Chair leadership role, Dr. McGahan was involved in organizing symposia at the International Annual Meetings in San Antonio titled “Astropedology and Space Exploration: Synergies between Planetary and Soil Science” [https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2019am/meetingapp.cgi/Session/19605], "Deep, Wide, and Alive: Expanding Our View of Soils in a Changing Environment” [https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2019am/meetingapp.cgi/Session/19415 plus https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2019am/meetingapp.cgi/Session/19624] and a general presentation session [https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2019am/meetingapp.cgi/Session/18925].

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Faculty Outreach

DFW Tap Talks

On November 4th, Dr. Adam Mitchell gave a guest presentation to DFW Tap Talks—Science Distilled, an informal gathering moderated by University of Tex-as-Arlington and hosted at a rotation of local breweries in the DFW area. These talks are open to the public and allow scientists to discuss important discoveries or research in their field to the community. Dr. Adam Mitchell was the first Tar-leton faculty to be invited to present at these Tap Talks, and discussed concerns on the “Insect Apocalypse”—or global decline of insects, and what steps citizen science can take in urban settings to help conserve “The Little Things That Run The World”. Dr. Mitchell also brought along a display of local insect species from the Tarleton Insect Collection, which was the highlight of the Tap Talk.

National 4 –H Dairy Quiz Bowl

Dr. Barbara Jones, Director of the Southwest Region-al Dairy Center and Animal Science faculty member

was a judge for the National 4-H Dairy Quiz bowl held at the North American International Livestock Exposition on November 8th and 9th. The National 4-

H Dairy Quiz Bowl has been in existence for 40 years. “It was really amaz-ing to see all the young 4-

Hers knowledge on dairy. I hope to continue to partici-pate in the future.” said Dr.

Jones.

15 COAES Newsletter, December 2019

Follow The College of Agricultural Environmental Sciences

Faculty Outreach

Soil Science Society of Texas tour Dr. Donald G. McGahan, Associate Professor of Soil Science, together with USDA-NRCS staff organized and conducted a Professional Tour in association with the Soil Science Society of America’s International Annual Meetings held in San Antonio Tex-as. The tour was one of 6 tours offered in association with the meetings and the only multi-day tour. Attended by over 30 scientists from 18 states and countries, it explored 10 unique soil landscapes across seven land resource areas in North Central and South Central Texas with a special emphasis on the interpretative significance of non-cemented bedrock layers (see image below).

Dr. McGahan together with USDA-NRCS Soil Survey Team Leader Chance Robinson has a vision for the tour, to bring together a national (and international) group of soil scientists to build an understanding and consistency in the description of soft and weathered bedrock. Emphasizing the importance that the soil science community come together in soil pits to see, discuss, and work toward consistency in descriptions in the southern great plains. In 2012, Dr. McGahan was recognized for contributions to the completion of the Initial Soil Survey of Tex-as. “It has been an honor for a Tarleton State University faculty member to work with the Soil Survey Re-gion 9 staff who have been working toward a consistent description of these materials since 1987.” said Dr. McGahan, regarding organization and running of the SSSA 2019 Soils and Landscapes tour.

Texas is a large geography and participants from other states and countries were treated to a three day tour of those landscapes and ecoregions. The tour began in Irving TX, exploring soil in the southwestern portion of the Grand Prairie and West Cross Tim-bers region. Day two began with soils and landscapes of Texas North-Central Prairies along the westernmost boundary of the Cross Timbers ecoregion and the Texas Central Basin to look at chemically weathered granite saprolite in the Llano region. The final day completed with a stop at a meteorite impact crater near Junction TX.

The Waddell family

The Camp Family

The Jones Family

The Runyan family