Welcome back!
Welcome back!
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It’s that time of year again and we here in the AAFS Department are so glad to start a new academic year. If the last year has taught us anything, it's to make the most of those moments that touch our lives. We can say that having all of our students back on campus is the highlight of our year.
We can feel the excitement of a new academic year all around campus. Here in the Regina Roth Applied Agricultural and Food Studies department, new freshmen are jumping into coursework and activities, the garden and sweetcorn patch reached maximum production, and the faculty are enthusiastically updating class activities to engage students in the wonders of agriculture.
In this newsletter, we have compiled for you an exciting and impressive list of activities accomplishments, and new initiatives being implemented by our faculty, staff and students.
We look forward to another exciting year in the Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department here at Morningside University. We greatly anticipate the opportunity to work with our industry partners and friends again this year.
If you'd like to find out more about our program, feel free to reach out. Enjoy reading our fall newsletter!
Sincerely,
Dr. Tom Paulsen
Agricultural and Food Studies Faculty and StaffL to R: Nick Schoenfelder, Dr. Annie Kinwa-Muzinga, Dan Witten, Melissa Nelson, Dr. Thomas Paulsen, Audrey Maynard, and Dee McKenna
Meet Audrey & Nick
Meet Audrey & Nick
The Morningside University Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department extends a warm welcome to our two new hires this fall.
Nick Shoenfelder, our new agronomy adjunct professor, comes to us with a farm background and two decades of professional experience in the agronomy industry. Nick, his wife, and their five children live near Akron, Iowa. We are lucky to have both of them join our crew!
Audrey Maynard has joined our team as Administrative Coordinator. Audrey grew up on a dairy farm in Northeast Iowa and now calls rural Woodbury County home with her husband and two children. Audrey previously worked at the Monona County Farm Bureau office in Onawa.
Kim Hawkins Retires
Kim Hawkins Retires
After providing more than 21 years of service to Morningside University, Kim Hawkins retired on July 15, 2021. Kim served in several capacities over her tenure at Morningside, most recently as the Administrative Coordinator for the Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department. She previously held positions as the Department Secretary in the Science Center and Administrative Assistant for the Associate Vice President of Graduate Programs and Institutional Assessment. Prior to working at Morningside, she worked for several years at Terra International.
“Kim was an outstanding member of the Applied Ag & Food Studies team,” stated Dr. Tom Paulsen, AAFS Department head. “Kim was always excited to learn more about agriculture and provided our faculty and staff with the support they needed to be successful.”
We wish Kim Hawkins a well-deserved and wonderful retirement from Morningside!
Congratulations to the Morningside University
Congratulations to the Morningside University
2021 Ag and Food Studies Graduates!
2021 Ag and Food Studies Graduates!
On May 15, 2021, eleven seniors capped off their Morningside educational experience at commencement exercises held at Olsen Stadium at Morningside University. We are very proud of our graduates and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
Front Left to Right: Brooke Boyle, Lindey Flammang, Krista Zavadil, Colin Schroeder
Back Row: Bryan Manzer, Zach Keller, Cole Moes, Coltin Schactner Kramer, Roger Freese, Carter Anderson. Not present is Brandon Langbein
Rosen Ag Center and Lags Greenhouse
Rosen Ag Center and Lags Greenhouse
The new Rosen Ag Center is under construction! We were excited to watch progress last spring as Longfellow Elementary was demolished to make room for the new $1.2 million Rosen Ag Center and Lagss Greenhouse. Generous gifts from the Tom Rosen Family and David ‘Lags’ Lageschulte Foundation provided the funding for this exciting new facility on the campus of Morningside University. The greenhouse is taking shape with hopes of being completed by the first of November. The facility boasts a 3,300 sq. ft. greenhouse and 2.5-acre land laboratory which will provide experiential learning opportunities for students in the Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department.
Last spring, students in the Capstone course developed business plans for the new Ag Center. For additional information and updates on the Rosen Ag Center, be sure to check out the following links!
Paulsen Receives 2021 NACTA Teaching Scholar Award
Paulsen Receives 2021 NACTA Teaching Scholar Award
Thomas Paulsen, associate professor and department head of the Regina Roth Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department, was awarded the 2021 Teaching Scholar Award from the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA).
The Teaching Scholar Award recognizes Paulsen for his dedication and excellence in the teaching of agriculture at Morningside University. Paulsen previously received the 2011 NACTA Graduate Student Teaching Award and the 2016 National Educator Award at the Annual Conference of North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. The NACTA Teaching Scholar Award is presented to a maximum of 1% of the NACTA membership body.
“I sincerely appreciate the experience we are able to offer students here at Morningside,” said Paulsen. “It’s an honor to be able to partner with my colleagues across the university to find ways to make our curriculum more innovative and incorporate real-world experiences and research opportunities into our teaching. Our students want to get their hands dirty both literally and figuratively, and Morningside is able to do that early and often.”
Paulsen has been a member of the faculty since 2016 and was integral to the launch of the Regina Roth Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department at Morningside. He received a B.S. in Agricultural Education from Northwest Missouri State, 1987; an M.S. in Agricultural Education from Iowa State University in 2001; and Ph.D. in Agricultural Education from Iowa State University in 2011. Dr. Paulsen’s research interest falls within the area of effective teaching and learning practices in the discipline of agriculture, particularly in higher education capstone and field experiences with a primary focus on preservice and in-service teacher education.
Paulsen grew up on a family farm in southwest Iowa near Atlantic, where he was actively involved in 4-H, FFA, football, basketball, and band. He taught and coached at Lynnville-Sully High School from 1987 to 1992 and at Carroll High School from 1992 to 2008 before completing his terminal degree.
The Morningside University Regina Roth Agricultural and Food Studies program prepares students for careers in agricultural and food studies, agriculture education, agribusiness, environmental policy and law, agronomy, and food safety.
AgYield Simulation in the Classroom
AgYield Simulation in the Classroom
by Dr. Annie Kinwa-Muzinga
How can I make students have fun while learning Futures and Options contracts? How can I assess changes in students 'understanding of different risk management tools and the frequency of using them? AgYield simulation is the answer to my questions. AgYield simulation is an online commodity-marketing competition, where students trade corn and soybean futures contracts over a simulated 36-week timeframe. Within the simulation, a week represents 6 hours. In 2020, students enrolled in “Futures Markets and Risk Management” class participated in two separate AgYield simulations held during the second and 13th weeks of the fall semester. With AgYield simulation, students test their marketing decisions based on commodity prices, USDA reports, weather, and other variables within the game. The Morningside University Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved the AgYield simulation research.
The AgYield Team led by Kevin Puccinelli and I worked closely in the setting of the simulation game. For the first simulation game, students participated in the simulation game with little knowledge of futures markets. We directed them to watch a video explaining what to expect in the simulation game. Then, students were asked to be able to use different risk management tools including futures and options, crop insurance, basis, cash sale, and hedge to arrive tools to mitigate risks associated with soybeans and corn. For the second simulation in November, students were competing with both peers and two faculty.
From students’ reflections, AgYield simulation positively influenced their learning experience with futures markets at no cost. Students gained valuable insight from making decisions and receiving instant feedback from the simulation be it positive and negative. In addition, students appreciated competing with peers and faculty. Two abstracts were accepted for presentation in the NACTA conference in June of 2021 from this project. Overall, students enjoyed the experiment and recommended the simulation activity in the future. Thanks AgYield Team!
Morningside University Ag & Food Studies
Morningside University Ag & Food Studies
Tailgate & Football Game
Tailgate & Football Game
Senior Ag Visit Day
Senior Ag Visit Day
Come join us! Morningside University Admissions would like to invite high school senior students to join us for our Senior Ag Visit Day on Saturday, October 30. This special visit day was created with high school students in mind; someone with an interest in Agriculture and/or Food Studies. This will allow students the opportunity to get an up close and personal look at the Regina Roth Applied Agricultural and Food Studies program and Morningside University with planned tours of campus, the Ag Department, and facilities. The day also includes a pre-game Tailgate sponsored by AgriVision and game passes for the Morningside football game.
To register for the Senior Ag Visit Day, click the link below!
Externship Update
Externship Update
by Melissa Nelson
by Melissa Nelson
The Externship. It’s the highlight of our Applied Agricultural and Food Studies program at Morningside University. I talk with employers in the agriculture industry often and they love our externship program. They love that the externship takes what our students learn in the classroom to another level. Those employers understand better than anybody that students can only learn so much in the classroom and many of the skills they need for whatever job they take are best taught on the job.
Students are also a big fan of the externship. They’re able to get their hands dirty and really jump into the industry head first. Their employers give them projects that require them to think outside the box and get out of their comfort zones. This is when the real learning has begun and they’ll take these newly-honed skills with them throughout the rest of their career journey.
We had nine externs in 2020 and all nine received full-time job offers from their externship employers. Eight of the nine continued to work for their externship employer in some capacity after their experience ended. The remaining student found employment elsewhere in the agricultural industry.
We currently have six students out on their externship experience this fall semester. They are placed at sites around the greater United States; Front 20 Farms in Star, Idaho, Whiskey Creek Farm and Feedlot near Sioux City, Bob’s Bike Shop in Le Mars, Central Valley Ag in South Sioux City, Plendl Feed near Kingsley, and Olsen Farms near Dakota City. These students aren’t taking any courses this semester and are instead working full-time. The knowledge they’re gaining through this experience is invaluable and will truly set them apart when it comes time for them to find a job after graduation. They’re a step ahead of their competition because of this externship experience.
Gage Dewsbury
Gage Dewsbury
Gage Dewsbury is shown holding a lettuce plant that was grown in the greenhouse he is helping manage at Front 20 Farms in Star, Idaho. Gage is also responsible for growing other plants and fish aquaponically in the greenhouse shown.
Will Hurd
Will Hurd
Will Hurd has been working for Central Valley Ag in South Sioux City in an Agronomy Sales role. He spent the entire summer at Central Valley Ag and will complete his externship experience through the rest of the fall semester.
L to R: Jerry Kapesa, Dr. Annie Kinwa-Muzinga, and Morningside student Zach Hefty.
Morningside University Garden
Morningside University Garden
& AAFS Garden Club
& AAFS Garden Club
By Dee McKenna
By Dee McKenna
Year after year, I say it: “We have the best students!” As faculty, we call on our students to step up and go beyond the classroom and they do. Let me tell you how. The garden was missing a place to sit and meet. Under the leadership of Anna Van Dusen, Garden Club President, the garden club secured funding from Morningside Student Government to purchase the supplies to build a gazebo. Seniors, Carter Anderson, Zack Keller and Roger Freese built the structure. It sits in the middle of the garden and fulfills its purpose beautifully!
Garden work is laborious! Not everyone wants to get their hands dirty; fortunately, the AAFS department has students who have the work ethic needed! Summer garden interns were Megan Drey, Anna Van Dusen, Kerrie Klingensmith, Conner Boehr and Bethany Widman. They kept the garden watered during a very dry hot summer. Despite the lack of rain, the garden has been bountiful. We planted a larger variety of vegetables; however, potatoes continue to be our number one crop. The array of ways potatoes can be cooked and served fits well for Sodexo. To date, we have harvested 1,028 pounds of veggies. We have about one month of production left.
This year, the garden included a specialty crop, amaranth. Yes, you read that right amaranth! Dr. Annie Kinwa-Muzinga, Ag Business professor, brought the seed to us. She explained that the African immigrant community in Sioux City is looking to buy the vegetable. Amaranth is a nutritious part of their diet that they miss after moving to the United States. Students have harvested over 60 pounds of amaranth leaves. The fresh amaranth was a featured dish during the Sioux City African Night. Collaborating with the African immigrant community has been positive for all involved.
After years of discussing a Morningside sweet corn patch, we finally planted one. The new Rosen Ag Center comes with a nice flat plot of land. Dee McKenna and Dan Witten taught a garden May Term. Students enrolled in the class planted the sweet corn patch with the help of Cody Griffin, chair of the AAFS advisory board. Local farmer, Dave Howe, donated Seminis sweet corn seed and Mike Willard of Conklin and Marty Vohs at Nutrien donated fertilizer. The Ag Club served sweet corn during freshman move in day. The Garden Club and AAFS Department hosted a sweet corn feed for Morningside staff in the garden. Of course, the Café cooked up corn on the cob for the student body to enjoy during dining hours.
As the days get shorter and the temperature drops, the garden will continues to host educational activities and tours, produce cold hardy crops for the café, sprout cover crops and provide an outdoor laboratory for the AAFS Department.
To stay up-to-date on garden and Garden Club activities follow us on Instagram!
The 2021 NACTA Conference at Morningside University
The 2021 NACTA Conference at Morningside University
Attending and presenting at the NACTA national conference has become our tradition in the department of Applied Agricultural and Foods Studies (AAFS) at Morningside University. The North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) is a professional society with a focus on scholarship of teaching and learning agriculture and related disciplines at the postsecondary level. NACTA holds its national conference in June of each year at different college and university campuses across the US and Canada. In addition to learning new teaching techniques and ideas from oral presentations and posters, NACTA members enjoyed social activities including tours to different businesses.
AAFS faculty are very active members of NACTA and have been successful in getting their abstracts accepted for either oral presentation or poster at the NACTA national conference. The following three abstracts from AAFS faculty were submitted and accepted for the NACTA conference in June 2021:
Students’ Perceptions Related to Using the AgYield Marketing Simulation by Dr. Thomas H. Paulsen and Dr. Annie Kinwa-Muzinga
Using AgYield Simulation to Enhance Student’s Experiential Learning in a Futures Marketing Class by Dr. Annie Kinwa-Muzinga and Dr. Thomas H. Paulsen
Helping Undergraduate Students Find Their Purpose Through Experiential & Service Learning by Mr. Dan Witten and Mrs. Melissa Nelson
Because of the pandemic, the NACTA conference was virtual. However, AAFS faculty were determined to enjoy the virtual conference and the formal tour component in Siouxland. AAFS faculty were able to enjoy three insightful tours including Palmer Candy factory in Sioux City on June 22, 2021, GELITA-USA plant in Sergeant Bluff, IA on June 23, 2021, and Perry Creek Dairy in Merrill, IA on June 24, 2021. Each tour ended in time for faculty to return to campus for the 11 am virtual NACTA conference. These companies offer many internship and externship opportunities for Morningside students in general and AAFS students in particular.
On June 24, 2021 the last day of the NACTA conference, AAFS faculty were happy to see the name of Dr. Paulsen as the 2021 Recipient of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Teaching Scholar Award.
We are looking forward to the 2022 NACTA national conference in Wooster, Ohio.
DELTA TAU ALPHA INITIATION
DELTA TAU ALPHA INITIATION
On March 23, 2021, the Morningside University Delta Tau Alpha national agricultural honorary initiated eight new members. To be eligible for DTA, students must have completed at least 45 academic credits, nine credits of agricultural coursework, and be in the top 35% of their academic class by GPA/class rank. DTA is a society for students from non-land grant colleges and universities that promotes and recognizes the scholarship and leadership accomplishments of agricultural students while emphasizing character development, enhancing preparation for professional positions, and in the promotion of agriculture.
Congratulations to Morningside College’s 2020-2021 initiates to DTA!
From left: Conner Hill, Zachary Hefty, Weston Schultz, Kyler Krieg, Rachel Kenny, Tanner Arens, Lindsay Flammang, Megan Drey. Not present include: Brooke Boyle, Thomas Heetland, Bethany Widman.
Morningside Ag Club
Morningside Ag Club
With school starting up, the Ag Club has had many new opportunities for students to participate in. Here is an update of everything we have been up to lately!
Last year, before the school year ended, we hosted an All Clubs Activity Banquet with parents being able to livestream the event. At the end of the banquet, we initiated our new Ag Club officers for the 2021-2022 school year.
The 2021 school year kicked off in grand fashion with a “Welcome Back Cook-Out” sponsored by the Alumni Relations, Members of the AAFS faculty, and the Ag Club. We hosted a booth that featured fresh, locally raised sweet corn, along with burgers, hotdogs, brats, and ice cream sandwiches. This event gave both club members and faculty a chance to meet many of the first year students. Plans are already underway to participate in next year’s event.
L to R: Vice-President: Rachel Kenny, President: Megan Drey, Secretary: Conner Hill, Reporter: Vanessa Bohuslavsky, Treasurer: Bethany Widman
The Morningside Ag Club continues to offer its members a variety of opportunities to interact with other members of the local and campus community. Members of the club participated in the Ag PhD Field Day in Baltic, South Dakota. Megan Drey and Zach Hefty were part of a career fair booth during the event and spoke with many prospective students about the Morningside AAFS program. In early August, members of the club read record books and got to chat with the young bucket calf showman at the Woodbury County Fair. Megan Drey and Bethany Widman read through 60 bucket calf record books and the following day, Bethany Widman and Mattie Tucker chatted with the showman in the ring.
To welcome back all our members in late August, we had a cookout where we grilled and had a sweet corn eating contest. Shout-out to Carter Anderson, a senior winning with 8 ears and a close second to Dylan Hosek, a first year student finishing with 7 ears in 3 minutes! One of our biggest events that we hold is Feed the Farmer where we team up with local high school FFA chapters to deliver meals to farmers during harvest season. We are also planning to send 10 students to the National FFA Convention in October.
Make sure to follow the Morningside Ag Club on social media.
We are looking forward to a great semester!
The Morningside University Experience cultivates a passion for lifelong learning and a dedication to ethical leadership and civic responsibility.
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