WesternWestern Kentucky Kentuc kUniversityy Unive rsity DepartmentDepartment of AgricultureAgriculture Inside this issue: Alumni, I hope this newsletter finds you well and enjoying this much cooler autumn weather. It has been Alumni 1 another busy year for the WKU Department of Agriculture. The University purchased the Bennett Welcome Dr. Thomas Kingery farm this summer and turned it over to us. We had been farming the land but now we will have South Dakota & Nebraska 2 additional housing and storage facilities. With this addition the farm is now over 800 acres. Ecuador 2011 Dr. Anderson has been working with Facilities Management to bring the new stall barn to Scotland 2011 3 completion. The outside is finished but there is still much work left to do on the inside. Roger Dennis Honored We have been building fence for most of the summer and replacing high tensile electric with woven Floral Design Training Center 4 wire. We are trying to do a better job with our pasture management. We now have woven wire fences Goldwater Scholarship all the way down Bennett Lane. Turf Management 5 The spring storms brought down a large number of trees on the farm and took the roof off the Welcome Dr. Fred DeGraves Taylor Center. Through the efforts of facult faculty,y, staff and students we have things cleaned up. We also have a new roof on the Taylor Center. WKU Vineyard 6 Leadership Bowling Green We have renovated 75 acres of pasture, and through the efforts of Dr. Garry Lacefield we received a generous seed donation. The renovation of the Taylor Center for cheese production should finally Agronomy News 7 begin in October. This has been a painfully slow process but hopefully we will be making cheese by January. We continue to improve our dairy facilities. This paspastt yeayearr we moved from a bedded pack to concrete If you would like to receive alleyways and waterbeds. The level of cow comfort seems to be paying off in the milk tank. We have IfIf youyou wouldwould like to receive a full-color version of the Dr. Jenks Britt and Dr. Ken McGuffey to thank for getting the waterbeds donated and installed. a full-color version of the a newsletterfull-color version by email? of the newsletter by email, The widening of 31W in front of the farm has begun. It may take as long as a year for this project to newsletter by email? reach completion. The best part of this project is that we received funds to renovaterenovate thethe entireentire frontfront Please send your email PleasePlease send your email of the farm that runs along 31W31W.. TThehe new entrance is being designed by one of our own graduates, Address to AddressAddress to Ms. Elinor Markle, a landscape architect here in Bowling Green. [email protected]@[email protected] Please come to our homecoming luncheon at the Ag Expo Center, October 22, 2011 at 12:00 noon. Visit the farm, see old friends and make some new ones. ~ Jack L Rudolph, Jr. Welcome Dr. Thomas Kingery Visiting Assistant Professor of Agriculture Education Dr. Kingery comes to WKU from Indiana where he farmed and taught high school (Agri-science. (Agri-science & & Business Business in in grades grades 7-12). 7-12) HeHe grewgrew upup onon aa diversifieddiversified livestock and grain farm in central Indiana near Noblesville. His family farm consisted of a three crop rotation of corn, soybeans, and wheat on one-thousand acres as well as managing a one-hundred sow farrow to finish operation. The family farm also boasted ten shorthorn cows where offspring were sold as prospects and a flock of crossbred ewes were bred for terminal markets. He completed his undergraduate degree in Agricultural Education from Purdue University with a minor in Animal Production. He attained his graduate degrees from Indiana Wesleyan, Texas A&M and Texas Tech Universities. His 17 years of experience in Agricultural Education in public schools has allowed him to teach and coach numerous leadership and CDE teams from coast to coast. He is married to Becky, hhis is bride of five years, and has three wonderful children; Maddie 4, Ireland 2, and Liam 4 months. Pa ge 2 Department of Agriculture Study Away - South Dakota and Nebraska The Survey of US Agriculture class traveled to South Dakota and Nebraska in August of 2010. Highlights included a visit to the Haythorn Ranch, famous for breeding and breaking Quarter Horses, a tour of an ethanol production facility, a tour of Profit Maker Bulls, a visit to a 30,000 head feedlot for beef and an in-depth discussion and dinner at the 5 Trails Vineyard and Winery. These are just a few of the exciting educational activities experienced by the group. Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated stop was at Booty Rub Farm. The owner of Booty Rub raises peppers of many varieties on approximately ¼ acre. He and his family dry and mix the peppers in special combinations as seasonings for meats of Pictured above are Justin King, Alexandra Pennington all kinds. None of the peppers leave the and Erik Brown, in front of the famous Mt. Rushmore and Erik Brown, in front of the famous Mt. Rushmore farm unless packaged as a seasoning mix. In addition to agricultural tours, course participants get to stop at sites of historical and/ or cultural significance as well. On this trip, the class saw Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Monument that is still a work in progress, Custer State Park, Deadwood and Stur- gis, South Dakota and other points of interest. The Survey of US Agriculture class travels to a different destination each time that it is taught with the express purpose of exposing participants to the great variety of Pictured above is the entire group that traveled to South agricultural enterprises that exist in our nation. There is a course fee associated with the Dakota and Nebraska in 2010, left to right are Chelsea class, which varies depending on travel costs and destinations. Williams, Tracy Coleman, Whitney Churchman, Dr. Linda Gonzales, Clay Chase, LeAnn Stinson, Justin King, Alexandra Pennington, Justin Tudor, Kyle Porter and Submitted by: Dr. Linda Gonzales Erik Brown. Study Abroad - Ecuador 2011 A group of students traveled to Ecuador during the winter session on an agricultural study abroad experience. There were 18 students traveling along with Dr. David Coffey, Dr. Melissa Stewart, Kristie Guffey and Dr. Rankin Skinner, a dentist from Winchester, Kentucky. The group left the winter cold of Kentucky for the warm, tropical conditions of the south. They arrived in the capital of Ecuador and toured the museums, art, architecture, churches, and the culture of Quito. The group met up with Dr. Rankin Skinner in the city of Santo Domingo. There the students and leaders of the group learned how to administer dental sealant on the teeth of children and adults. Working withwith Dr.Dr. SkinnerSkinner andand PartnersPartners ofof the Americas, it is the com- combinedbined goal goal to improve to improve the theoverall overall health health of ofteeth teeth in thein the children children of of Ecuador. Ecuador. The The group went to two orphanages, two schools, and a small coastal village to apply the dental sealant and to give each one a toothbrush. The service learninlearningg project was magnified by the overwhelming majority of students who are now donating money, time, and dental supplies to the next study abroad trip that will be leaving on March 2, 2011. The group continued to travel from the magnificent mountains and volcanoes of the Andes to the tropical region and the Pacific coast of Ecuador. They traveled to bamboo, pineapple, cacao, beef cattle, palm oil, and hearts of palm farms; fishing villages; local markets; and witnessed a local group of indigenous people in their native culture. The group wrapped up their experience by walking on the equator and conducting exciting scientific experiments that proved they were in the middle of the world. Pre-PharmacyPre-Pharmacy major, Lashelle Courtney wrapped up the trip with these words, “To see mountains that touch the clouds, to witness farms and plantations of bamboo, bananas and palm oil, to be indulged into lifestyles that are new and different from our own, to touch peoples´ lives and have them touch ours right back, the study abroad trip to Ecuador was the trip of a lifetime.” Submitted by: Kristie Guffey Department of Agriculture Pa ge 3 Study Abroad - Scotland 2011 Ten students accompanied Dr. Linda Brown Gonzales and Mr. Roger Dennis on a study abroad trip to Scotland in May 2011. The group focused on horticulture interests, visiting the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, many castle grounds and Arran Island. They were privileged to have a personal tour from the Head Greenskeeper at St. Andrews Golf Courses. One very lucky student, Blake Upchurch, had the unique opportunity to play the New Course! Students toured the Arran Island cheese creamery, observing cheeses being dipped in the wax covering that commonly contains cheese for shipment and sale. They visited Arran Distillery to learn about the conversion of grains to scotch whiskey in contrast to the Kentucky product, bourbon whiskey, and Arran Aromatics, a company that formulates and creates perfumes, candles and toiletry products. In the city of Edinburgh, in the shadow of the stately and imposing Edinburgh Castle, the group visited a Saturday morning Farmer’s Market. Fresh produce and value-added products, mostly from the local Taken in Edinburgh, Scotland, May 15, 2011, just outside of the Edinburgh Dungeon area, were available for purchase. Venison products were abundant since red deer are farmed in Scotland, but also Angus burgers, Buffalo meat, Left to right haggis and salmon were available.