College News

CELEBRATE CALS GROWING LEADERS JAN. 21

You're invited to join the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in celebrating the college's role in growing leaders at the Cyclone women's basketball game vs. Kansas State Saturday, January 21. The college will be featured throughout the game, including an on-court award presentation of the 2017 CALS Emerging Iowa Leader to Stephanie Carlson (’13 animal science), producer outreach and federal policy director of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. CALS alumni and friends are invited to a complimentary reception prior to the game at 2:30 p.m. in the Alumni Center. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. Discounted tickets are available for CALS guests online for $6/each. View photos from last year's event — including the above photo of CALS grad Jamie Benning ('01 agronomy, '03 MS soil science), her husband Travis and family. RSVP to attend by January 16. More

FOLLOWING LOSS, DAUGHTER RETURNS HOME TO FARM

Laura Meany grew up working on a farm that has been in her family since the Civil War. This fall, after her father Mark died, she decided to graduate early to partner with her mother, Lyn, and eventually take over the family farm near Rose Creek, Minnesota. Meany is graduating with a double major in international agriculture and public service and administration in agriculture this Saturday. Hear more of Meany's story and take a trip to the her farm in this video.

IOWA FARMLAND VALUES SHOW THIRD YEAR OF DECLINE
The new Iowa State Land Value Survey shows a 5.9 percent decrease statewide since 2015. Average Iowa farmland value has declined for the third year in a row and is now estimated to be $7,183 per acre. A new website pools sources of data for Iowa land values and offers interactive tools showing trends over time and localized county maps. More

WIND TURBINES MAY FOSTER CORN, SOYBEAN GROWTH

Turbulence created by wind turbines may help corn and soybeans by influencing variables such as temperature and carbon dioxide concentration, according to Iowa State University research. More

TIPS FOR MANAGING MARGINS

Chad Hart, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach economist, offers an update on current farm financial conditions and provides four main tips for managing margins and building a strong farm business in this video.

UNDERSTANDING NITROGEN FOR GREATER PRODUCTIVITY
Michael Castellano is working to understand “the power of agriculture as a conservation tool.” The William T. Frankenberger Professor in Soil Science in the Department of Agronomy, works with crop physicists, modelers and engineers to learn how to control the flow of nutrients in ways that increase sustainability and agricultural productivity. More

CALS RESEARCHERS HONORED FOR ADVANCING SCIENCE
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is honoring six Iowa State researchers for their distinguished work in advancing science or its applications. Five of the new AAAS fellows have ties to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Alicia Carriquiry (’86 MS statistics, ’89 PhD statistics, animal science), statistics; Xun Gu, genetics, development and cell biology; Stephen Howell, genetics, development and cell biology; Guru Rao, biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology; and Steven Whitham, plant pathology and microbiology. More

CALS DEANS HONORED NATIONALLY, SERVE GLOBALLY
Wendy Wintersteen (’88 PhD entomology), dean of agriculture and life sciences at Iowa State University, was presented the 2016 Carl F. Hertz Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award by the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. David Acker, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences associate dean for academic and global programs, was elected senior vice president of the Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agricultural and Life Sciences.

DIFFERENTIAL TUITION TO AID HIGHER COST MAJORS
Differential tuition has been approved for College of Agriculture and Life Sciences undergraduates and graduate students in the departments of animal science and natural resource ecology and management and CALS undergrads majoring in biology. The differentials — $1,600 for juniors and seniors and $1,124 for graduate students, phased in over three years — will help sustain and improve the quality of programs with higher instruction costs. Look for more details on implementation of the increases in future issues of STORIES Online. More 

KINOSOL EARNS SECOND PLACE GLOBAL CITIZEN AWARD

Maynard Hogberg (’66 ag and life sciences education, ’72 MS animal science, ’76 PhD) was honored for his contributions to the nation’s livestock industry with the 2016 Saddle and Sirloin Club Portrait Award at a ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky. Hogberg also was recently honored by the Iowa Farm Bureau with the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award. Throughout his career Hogberg worked to build and develop strong research and academic programs as chair of the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University and at Iowa State University before retiring in 2015. 

Diane Young (’91 dairy science, ag microbiology), owner and chief executive of Foundation Analytical Laboratory, Inc., in Cherokee, received the 2016 Entrepreneurial Innovation and Leadership Award from the Technology Association of Iowa. The lab has 17 employees and more than 800 customers in 18 states. These include food companies and ethanol producers. The lab is certified with the DNR for wastewater and drinking water testing in the state of Iowa. More

Young Alum of the Month

Todd Ramaeker

Title: Technical Support Specialist, John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group

Hometown: Creston, Iowa

Degree: '13 ag studies, ag and life sciences education - communications option

Major Responsibilities: My primary focus is working with dealership technicians to diagnose and troubleshoot problems with precision technology products.

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Class Notes

Did you land a new job? Receive an honor or award? Reach a milestone? We’d like to know! Submit your class note via e-mail stories@iastate.edu.

2010s

Kayla Hasper (’16 animal ecology, environmental studies) is the new watershed coordinator for Prairie Rivers of Iowa. 

Bailey Miller (’15 ag and life sciences education), is the new communications specialist for the Iowa State Department of Materials Science Engineering.

Monica Primacella (’15 food science), graduate student in food science and human nutrition, is part of a graduate-student team of finalists in the American Society of Baking Production Development Competition. The team will participate in the final competition in February. 

Steven Eskildsen (’14 ag and life sciences education) is the new agricultural educator and FFA advisor for Belle Plaine High School.

Sterling Meyer (’14 animal science) has been promoted to sales representative with Merck Animal Health.

Carlton Ness (’12 ag and life sciences education) is the new agricultural educator and FFA advisor for South Hamilton Community Schools.

Rachel Bergren (’10 animal science) is the new 4-H Youth Coordinator for Montgomery County Extension and Outreach in Red Oak. 

Ryan Jardon (’10 ag systems technology) has been promoted to solutions specialist at John Deere.

2000s

Tim Couser (’09 ag studies), a farmer near Nevada, was featured in an article by Bloomberg describing his views on the farm economy. 

Dane Kuper (’08 ag studies) is co-founder and CEO of Performance Livestock Analytics. The company has recently become established in the Iowa State Research Park as part of the Ag Startup Engine and ISU Start Up Factory. 

Tad TeBockhorst (’08 animal science) has joined Vita Plus as a swine territory sales manager in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. 

Angela Shaw (’03 animal science, ’06 MS meat science, food science and technology), assistant professor of food science and human nutrition and director of the North Central Regional Center for Food Safety Training, was recently featured as a “change agent” by Iowa State. 

Aurelio Curbelo (’02 ag and life sciences education, ’06 MS), director of the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence at the University of Minnesota, spoke at the Iowa State Puerto Rican Student Association’s Cultural Night in October. 

Jessica Kiesling (’02 ag and life sciences education, ’11 MS), adviser and academic specialist in the department of animal science at Michigan State University, received the Fall 2016 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Michigan State Senior Class Council.

Larry Sadler (’02 ag business, animal science, ’09 MS animal physiology, ’13 PhD biomedical sciences), director of animal welfare for Kraft Heinz, was featured in an article by The National Provisioner, describing an Ohio State University, Kraft Heinz funded project researching sow aggression in group housing.   

Dan Hanrahan (’00 agronomy), a farmer near Cumming, was featured in an Iowa Beef Industry Council video sharing his farm story. 

1990s

David Leibold (’94 forestry) has been named fiber supply manager at International Paper’s mill in Pine Hill, Alabama.

Shannon Latham (’93 ag journalism, public service and administration in ag), vice-president at Latham Hi-Tech Seeds and owner of Enchanted Acres and Pumpkin Patch, was recently featured by FarmHer and RFD-TV. 

1980s

Robert Hartzler (’87 PhD agronomy), professor of agronomy, was featured in Iowa Public Television’s Market to Market story on CRP seed mixes and Palmer amaranth weed in Midwestern fields. 

Dave Williams (’85 fisheries and wildlife biology) is the author of the new book, “The Prairie in Seed: Identifying Seed-Bearing Prairie Plants in the Upper Midwest,” published by University of Iowa Press. 

1970s

Bob Petrzelka (’79 forestry), president and founder of Geode Forestry, Inc., in Swedesburg, was elected north central region president of the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching. 

1960s

Carl Whitcomb (’66 MS horticulture, ’69 PhD), president of Lacebark, Inc. in Stillwater, Oklahoma, recently received plant patents for two unique landscape plants: Double Dynamite crape myrtle and Short Stack vitex. 

In Memoriam

Evan Stadlman (’74 ag and life sciences education), 64, of Ankeny, died December 9. 

William Deal (’58 ag and life sciences education), 80, of Panora, died November 24. 

Dale De Butts (’48 industrial education), 95, of Lake of the Woods, Virginia, died November 15.