AAFS Newsletter Fall 2023

Congratulations to the Applied Agricultural & Food Studies Class of 2023 Graduates

L to R: Tanner Arens, Melanee Petersen, Conner Hill, Skylar Luse, Bethany Widman, Connor Boehr, Ellie Cropley, Vanessa Bohuslavsky, Logan Schulke, Zach Hefty, Tate Kunkel, Beau Wilke

Delta Tau Alpha (DTA) Initiates

Congratulations to six new Spring 2023 initiates in to the Delta Tau Alpha Agriculture Honor Society. L to R: Josh Tibbits, Darien Rabe, Isaac Bower, Tom Moss, and Dylan Hosek. Right: Logan Warkentin

New Agronomy/ Horticulture Professor Joins the A-Team!

Dr. Keren Brooks sprouted on a family farm in south central Kansas and immediately grew to love agriculture riding her dad’s Gleaner combine through the dusty wheat fields. Dr. Brooks' passion for teaching began to take root during her time at Kansas State University, as an undergraduate teaching assistant for several agronomy courses such as crop science, soil fertility, and plant and seed identification. After harvesting her agronomy degree from K-State supplemented with a minor in international agriculture, the strong Kansas wind blew Dr. Brooks to the east coast to pursue a graduate degree from Virginia Tech. While there, she cultivated and diversified her teaching skills by instructing and/or assisting with World Food Crops and Agricultural Global Food Security classes. Additionally, in her Ph.D. research, Dr. Brooks probed deeper into the growing need for sulfur fertilizers in soybean production and the potential for local U.S. edamame production. Her passion for teaching continues to blossom, and she loves spreading the seeds of agricultural knowledge. Dr. Brooks is excited to feed and nurture the budding minds of agriculturalists at Morningside!

Farm Task Force

By Dr. Thomas H. Paulsen, Professor and Department Head

In April 2022, Morningside University purchased 76 acres of farmland two and a half miles southeast of the Morningside Avenue exit on Old Highway 141, roughly 10 minutes from campus. The land is composed of a 13-acre tract south of old Highway 141 and 63 acres to the north. Recognizing that this land provides a great opportunity to enhance the experiential learning opportunities for Applied Agricultural and Food Studies students and the broader Morningside University community, President Albert Mosley impaneled a Farm Task Force to develop a farm implementation plan which was approved by the Morningside Board of Directors at their meeting last May. The Task Force was made up of the following individuals:

Craig Struve - Co-Chair, Former Board Chair, and Applied Ag & Food Studies Advisory Committee

Dr. Thomas H. Paulsen - Co-Chair, Professor and Dept. Head-Applied Agricultural & Food Studies

Robbie Rolena - Morningside University Board Representative

Curt White - Morningside University Board Representative

Dr. Annie Kinwa-Muzinga - Professor of Agribusiness

Cody Griffin - Applied Ag & Food Studies Advisory Committee Chair

Chris Spicer - Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost, Ex-officio

Ron Jorgensen - Vice President for Business and Finance, Ex-officio

Terri Curry - Vice President for Student Life and Enrollment, Ex-officio

Erin Edlund - Vice President for University Engagement, Ex-officio

Audey Maynard - Applied Ag and Food Studies Administrative Coordinator, Ex-officio

The Task Force met throughout the year and developed a Student Integration plan. Beginning with Task Force Planning and several tenant collaboration activities, the plan culminates with a Self-Sustained, Student Managed and Operated Farming Enterprise.

From the Farm Task Force Summary

We believe that the Morningside University Farm will become a Self-Sustained, Student-Managed, and Operated Farming Enterprise that will provide educational learning opportunities congruent with the current (and future) agricultural curriculum, provide additional opportunities for future internal and external collaboration and outreach congruent with that of a regional resource, while at the same time meeting the returns expected by the institution and the endowment. The Morningside Farm will also serve an important student recruitment and retention role as evidenced by the recent growth in deposits and overall student interest.

The recent success of the Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department is due to many factors, but most importantly it stems from the tremendous support of the board, administration, advisory committee, stakeholders, alumni, faculty, staff, and students. To continue to grow the AAFS department programs to the level we believe is attainable in the next five to ten years will require continued support and efforts by all stakeholders of the program to make high-quality, authentic, meaningful experiential learning opportunities ubiquitous across all programs. We must continue to empower students with broad knowledge and transformable skills, a strong sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement; combined with personalized attention which will enhance career success in the Agricultural and Food Industry. We believe the Morningside Farm plays a critical role in this vision.

David L. Lageschulte Trust provides $1 million naming gift for Morningside University Farm

Morningside University President Dr. Albert Mosley has announced that the university will name its recently acquired farm the Lags Farm thanks to a $1 million gift from the David L. Lageschulte Trust.

"Dave 'Lags' Lageschulte, a name etched in our history and throughout our campus, stands as a symbol of innovation and altruistic generosity. An accomplished business leader and a magnanimous benefactor, Lags' benevolence poured into Morningside throughout his life. His family and loved ones have upheld this legacy by perpetuating this spirit of generosity through his trust. An astute entrepreneur and visionary businessperson, Lags' remarkable successes have left an enduring imprint that continues to ripple through time. We are grateful that Lags Farm will be part of that ongoing legacy," expressed Mosley.

Lageschulte was a 1973 graduate of Morningside who served as CEO of LTP Management group, a restaurant management entity that served restaurants throughout the United States. He also invested in and managed business projects ranging from health and fitness centers, medical clinics, geothermal, oil and gas, biodiesel, heavy equipment sales and leasing, and real estate investments. Throughout all of his successes he maintained a strong connection to Morningside. He served on the Board of Directors; provided the naming gift for Lags Hall, a residence hall for upperclassmen constructed on campus in 2006; and established the Lags Endowed Scholarship. Following his death in 2014, Lags’ estate continued his generosity by providing funds for naming rights to Lags Greenhouse and supporting numerous nonprofits and organizations that Lags had relationships with during his life.

The property now known as Lags Farm was purchased in March 2022 to expand Morningside’s agricultural and food studies academic offerings. The land is comprised of two parcels that include 63 acres north of Old Highway 141 and a little more than 13 acres located south of Old Highway 141. The university will use the land for active learning opportunities related to agribusiness management, budgeting, hybrid analysis, and crop scouting. Students are also exploring and proposing other entrepreneurial and research uses alongside faculty.

Students will begin growing cover crops at Lags Farm as early as this fall and will continue to expand facilities and work at the farm over the next few years, and signage identifying the property as Lags Farm will be placed in the coming months.

In celebration of this naming gift, and as an expression of the University’s appreciation to its alumni, friends, and community members, there will be a “Pancake Ag-stravaganza” held on Saturday, October 21, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. The event is free and open to the public and will include information, tours, and a free pancake breakfast hosted by Morningside University’s president, students, faculty and staff in the Regina Roth Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department.

David "Lags" Lageschulte '73

Cargill Donates Funds for Outdoor Classroom

In March 2023, Cargill provided $51,500 to the Regina Roth Applied Agricultural & Food Studies Department to help enhance learning for students in the program by providing funds to lease a tractor and purchase equipment. In honor of the gift, the space located outside of the newly constructed Rosen Ag Center and Lags Greenhouse will be named the Cargill Outdoor Classroom.

“There is a great deal of expense in providing our students with the full range of equipment and materials they need for learning,” said Dr. Tom Paulsen, department chair and professor. “Our board and administration have invested significantly in our program, but there are always additional needs. The gift Cargill has provided us allows us to invest in some critical new pieces of equipment that will elevate the student learning experience.”

The Cargill Outdoor Classroom will encompass 2.5 acres behind the new Lags Greenhouse. It offers space for outdoor agriculture production, research and demonstration classrooms. While students will work cooperatively with faculty to determine the exact uses for the space, the test plots will offer the opportunity to grow larger crops, start trees and shrubs for the campus grounds, grow edible forest plants and landscapes, explore viticulture, possibly start an apiary, and more.

The 2023 Siouxland African Festival

With the need to embrace and celebrate all Africans in Siouxland, the African Association of Siouxland (SAFAS) organized its 8th Annual Siouxland African Festival (SA-Fest) at the Marriott Center, 385 E 4th St, South Sioux City, NE on Saturday, August 12, 2023. The SA-Fest 2023 was a festival of diversity and culture of African countries represented in Siouxland. This event embraces and celebrates all Africans regardless of their religious, geographical and ethnic background. More than 1,400 people attended the festival where they enjoyed delicious African food and the parade of all 54 African countries. In addition, attendees were able to mingle with 22 vendors who displayed African artifacts. The well known drummer and performing storyteller, Kofi Denis from Ghana entertained people with drumming and storytelling. The Ballet “Panier de la Sagesse '', a cultural and traditional group played traditional music of the Kuba ethnic group from the Democratic Republic of the Congo with multicolor raffia dress. Siouxland Public Media (KWIT) in partnership with the African Association had their mobile studio on site and recorded people's stories for the oral history project as we face a changed world.

Dr. Kinwa-Muzinga serves as Vice president of the African Association since 2019 and she is in charge of festival activities. She received the Heartbeat Award for her dedication and service.

Dr. Annie with two young festival attendees in their traditional African attire.

Dr. Annie with the "Heartbeat Award".

Summer Container Gardening Classes

By Dr. Thomas H. Paulsen, Professor and Department Head

In May and June, the Morningside Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department teamed up with Siouxland District Health’s (SDH) Food Policy Committee, Oakleaf Properties, SDH's HOPES program, and ISU Extension and Outreach, Woodbury County to offer container garden classes. Dr. Thomas Paulsen, Dee McKenna, and AAFS student Jakob Jerabek led the classes and provided the tomato plants from the Morningside University greenhouse to over 30 individuals! We had a lot of fun working together to implement this meaningful service project.

Dee McKenna, Morningside Garden manager (far left) and Jakob Jerabek, Morningside Agricultural Teaching Education student (far right, back), with the garden container class participants.

2023 Ag/Business/Science Career Fair

This year marked the largest Morningside Ag Career Fair since it's inception. Thirty-six Ag Industry partners from around Siouxland and beyond attended the two day event on September 11-12th.

A small Career Fair "Mixer" was held the evening prior for 16 businesses and 100 Ag students, where networking and mingling lead in to more in depth conversations for all.

The Ag Career Fair is a crucial annual event which aids in student placement for internships, externships, summer jobs and full time employment after graduation.

Page updated

Report abuse