The Pre Veterinary Club will be hosting their annual Doggie Dash fundraiser on April 21. The Dash will consist of a 5k run and everyone is allowed to bring their dog. The run is being held at the Midge Cramer Pathway from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and costs $20, or if you register online will cost $15. If you would like more information or are interested in helping with the fundraiser please contact the Pre Veterinary Club.

The Oregon State University Livestock Judging Team traveled to Nebraska this past weekend to compete at the Nebraska Cattle Contest. The team judged 10 different classes of cattle and had a very successful weekend, including Kenzie Smith placing in the top ten. The team will be heading to Houston Texas in two weeks where they will judge cattle, sheep, hogs, and goats. They have been working very hard to reach their goal of top ten in Houston.

The Agricultural Executive Council held their annual winter dance for College of Agricultural Sciences Students on Friday, February 17. The dance was held at St. Mary’s Catholic church near campus and consisted of a tri tip steak dinner, swing dancing, line dancing, and fun prizes.  It was a fun and enjoyable evening, we would like to thank the Country Western Dance Club, Meat Science Club, and Fiji for all of their help and support in making it a success.

History

The OSU Turfgrass Club is a student led organization, founded in 1994, that is designed to further the members’ education in the turfgrass industry.  The members are a close group of students who have selected the Turf Management option within the Horticulture major. Most of the students enjoy the game of golf and want to become golf course superintendents, while other students have an interest in becoming athletic field managers, or landscapers.  The club is open to any student who feels they would fit into these categories.

Purpose

The purpose of the club is to increase the student members’ practical knowledge of the turfgrass industry, to provide opportunities to meet people working in the turfgrass industry, and to assist in the process of finding internships, summer jobs, and permanent employment.  In addition, the club facilitates student participation in regional and national associations such as the Oregon Golf Course Superintendents Association (OGCSA), the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), the Oregon Sports Turf Managers Association (OSTMA), and the Oregon Landscape Contractors Association (OLCA). Most importantly, we strive to enhance Oregon State University’s reputation as a national leader in the turfgrass industry.

Club Meetings

The Turf Club meets five times each term, for a total of 15 meetings throughout the year.  The club generally conducts meetings every other Wednesday, and are held at 6pm in ALS 4000, right before the Ag. Exec. meetings. Industry professionals are invited to speak to the club from not only Oregon, but internationally as well.  This year we have already hosted a former Oregon State University Turf Management alumni that owns and operates a turf consulting business in Asia.  These speakers provide first-hand experience about the industry and offer valuable advice to our members.  The meetings do vary sometimes based upon our guest speakers’ schedules.  On Thursday, February 16^th we are hosting Mike Turner, Superintendent of The Reserve Golf Course and Vineyards.  It is a common occurrence for turf club members to meet a superintendent at one of these meetings and set themselves up with a summer internship.

Events

Each winter term the Turf Club is in attendance for the most important meeting in the turfgrass industry, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America National Educational Conference. This year’s conference is February 27^th through March 2^nd in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Around 6,000 industry representatives, professionals, professors, and students attended the conference last year.  This event consists of over 60 educational seminars and 550 exhibitors that provide access to the most current information, and technologies, related to turfgrass management.

The annual “Turf Bowl”, an industry sponsored and publicized event, allows turf students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge by competing against other student teams from across the nation. Last year, 320 students, on 87 teams, from 39 colleges and universities competed in the Turf Bowl.  This year’s competition is held on March 1^st, and we will be fielding two teams that expect to do very well.  The test consists of sections like grass, weed, insect, and disease identification, as well as management strategies, general turfgrass questions and equipment knowledge.

More Information/Contact Information

Meeting information will be posted on the bulletin board in the Agricultural and Life Sciences Building, on the 4th floor near Room 4159.

The Turf Clubs website is beaverturf.com

Advisor – Rob Golembiewski, Ph.D. Turfgrass Specialist, golembir@hort.oregonstate.edu

President – Warren Gawlik, gawlikw@onid.orst.edu

In December Jon Calhoun was awarded the College of Agricultural Sciences student of the month. He is an Agricultural Business Management major and is involved in several organizations within the college as well as on campus including, Vice President of the Agricultural Executive Council, an officer of Collegiate FFA, a member of the Fraternity Phi Gamma Delta, and is currently in the Leadership Academy. Off Campus Jon owns his very own landscape design business and is a manager at a pizza restaurant. Jon stated that simple leadership techniques are often overlooked which include time management, working as a team, networking, and personal relations.

To read more about the student of the month follow the link below.

http://agsci.oregonstate.edu/our-best/2011/jon-calhoun

The Agricultural Executive Council hosted their annual etiquette dinner Wednesday February 1. Faculty and students within the College of Agricultural Sciences were invited to attend the event held in the Memorial Union. A delicious four-course meal consisting of appetizers, soup, salad, bread, marion berry chicken with potatoes, and cheesecake was served throughout the evening. The event was very beneficial in providing students with proper etiquette to use at future interviews or business meetings.

Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences will be hosting their annual Career Wardrobe Makeover Event in the MU Ballroom February 9. Lightly worn business and interview attire from local professionals will be sold at an affordable price. Prices include $15 for a suit, $5 for skirts, pants, and shirts, and $1 for shoes and ties. These prices are unbeatable, and the money will go towards supporting the OSU MANNRS chapter. We encourage everyone to stop in from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and take a look!

The annual spring industry tour hosted by the Agricultural Executive Council will be April 27-29. Students will travel to Eastern Oregon to see a variety of agricultural commodities including wineries, nurseries, and Angus Ranches. Up to 35 students within the College of Agricultural Sciences and Forestry will be able to attend for $20, this will cover lodging, meals, travels, and tours. An application along with $20 cash, or check, will need to be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 23, in Strand Agricultural Hall room 137. This will be a very enjoyable and educational experience and everyone is encouraged to apply.

Industry Tour 2012 Destinations:

• Terminal 5, Columbia Grain – Portland, Oregon
• Bonneville Dam Fish Hatchery – Cascade Locks, Oregon
• Full Sail Brewery – Hood River, Oregon
• Beef Northwest – North Powder, Oregon
• Thomas Angus Ranch – Baker City, Oregon
• Oregon Trail Interpretive Center – Baker City, Oregon
• Hamley’s Western Store – Pendleton, Oregon
• Pendleton Woolen Mills – Pendleton, Oregon
• Columbia Basin Experiment Station – Pendleton, Oregon
• Winery – TBA
• Greenhouse and Nursery – TBA

For more information please contact an Agriculture Executive Council officer or follow the link below. Applications are available on the website.

http://agsci.oregonstate.edu/agexec

The Poultry Club will be making a trip to Omsi on March 3 to visit the Body Worlds exhibit. They would like to invite any clubs and CAS students interested. The trip will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and  is $16 with the group discount, a minimum of 20 people. There is also a possibility of a boxed lunch included from catering for $7.95. This will be a very fun and educational experience and all are encouraged to attend!

For more information please contact the Poultry Science Club.

Peggy Laumax, a Cooperative Extension Specialist and faculty member at the University of California, will be speaking at OSU Wednesday, January 25. Throughout her program she works toward educating the public about agriculture and food production through new technologies available. Her research is directed towards the genetic engineering of crops including cereals, maize, sorghum, barley, wheat, rice, and grass species.

The first presentation will be at 12:00 p.m. in the Crop Science Building room 122 titled,    “From Basic to Applied Research: How Modifying Expression of Thiroredoxins in Cereals Led to Unexpected Improvements in Grain Properties”.

There will also be a public lecture held at 7:00 p.m. in La Sells Stewart Engineering Auditorium regarding feast, famine and the future of food. This will cover the challenges of feeding 9.1 billion people in the year 2050, and some agricultural methods to overcome it.

For more information please visit the following links.

http://oregonstate.edu/orb/sites/default/files/fft-feast-or-famine-peggy-lemaux_0.pdf

http://oregonstate.edu/orb/fft/2012/feast-famine