Archived News Items

AgrowKnowledge 2008 Photo Contest Starts "The Future of Agriculture" - Cash Prizes Awarded $50 to $150!

5/1/2008

AgrowKnowledge’s 2^nd Annual Photo Contest starts accepting photo submissions on May 1^st. The purpose of this photo contest is to select 12 photos that will be featured in our 2009 AgrowKnowledge calendar. The photos will also provide educators and students with a wide range of photography free of charge that otherwise may not be readily available for use. These images will be available through the AgrowKnowledge website (free registration required to access images) and allow photographers to showcase their work. The topic for the photo contest is “The Future of Agriculture” Participants can to submit up to ten photos illustrating what they think best represents “The Future of Agriculture."

http://www.agrowknow.org/photo/

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Registration for AgrowKnowledge National Faculty Development Workshop Open!

5/1/2008

http://www.agrowknow.org/Workshops/WorkshopMain.php?CID=19

The first of AgrowKnowledge’s nationally recognized 2008 Faculty Development Workshops is now open for registration. June 16th - 17th, 2008, (just prior to the NAAE Region III Conference) in La Crosse, WI. Participants will receive an overview of entrepreneurship including innovation and creativity, opportunity recognition/idea evaluation, marketing/market research, finance, and business operations as they relate to agriculture.

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Iowa State, ConocoPhillips and National Renewable Energy Lab to Cooperate on Biofuels Research

4/17/2008

Iowa State, ConocoPhillips and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory have reached a Memorandum of Understanding to identify promising cellulosic biomass conversion technologies.

To find out more go to the website by clicking on "More"

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Breaking News on AgrowKnowledge Conference Scholarships

4/10/2008

Due to a software glitch on our website, scholarship applications for travel costs to attend the AgrowKnowledge National Conference – “Case Study: Agriculture, Merging Math, Science and Technology,” May 29-30, 2008 were lost. We apologize for the inconvenience.

If you applied before April 9, 2008 please resubmit your application. If you have not yet applied, please apply now here. The new deadline is April 30th.

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Request for Proposals: Funded Opportunity to Develop a Three-credit Introduction to Biofuels College Course

4/7/2008

AgrowKnowledge seeks proposals from individuals interested in developing an online, three-credit introduction to biofuels, a semester- long, college- level (100 to 200) course. The course will include: a syllabus with learning objectives (competencies), topical outline and assessment methods; lesson plans and class activities for 60 hours of instruction (classroom and laboratory); PowerPoint presentations; readings (URLs for readings on websites or PDFs) for each topic in the outline; discussion topics; assignments; case studies; quizzes and tests. Content of the course should reflect the current knowledge of the production and future of biofuels.

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2009 International Farm Management Congress

3/19/2008

“Agriculture: Food, Fiber and Energy for the Future" has been selected as the theme for the International Farm Management Congress.

Agriculture in the United States, and for sure in other regions of the world, has always had a focus on food and fiber. Now, as corn and other biomass crops are being used for the production of ethanol, and soy oil is becoming a greater factor in the production of diesel fuel.

A good deal of the program during the 2009 Congress will address the elements of the theme. There will be a great many academic papers presented and the subjects of those presentations will springboard off the food, fiber and energy for the future.

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Alternative Energy and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education

3/10/2008

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) just completed (Feb. 2008) a 20-page bulletin "Clean Energy Farming: Cutting Costs, Improving Efficiencies, Harnessing Renewables." See http://www.sare.org/publications/energy.htm for the full-text pdf.

SARE’s approach in the bulletin was to address several aspects of energy use and generation on the farm, including improving efficiency, farming practices to reduce energy use, generating energy on the farm, and growing feedstocks. The bulleting contains a glossary (page 19) that distinguishes between biodiesel, biofuel, bioenergy, etc., and a full page of links to additional information (page. 20).

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Technology, AgrowKnowledge and CSI Featured on Local TV

3/4/2008

Jim Wilson, AgrowKnowledge member and instructor at the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) was featured in a news story on the local TV (Channel 11, KMVT) March 3, 2008. AgrowKnowledge and John Deere are also mentioned. Here is the text from the story:

“Today is the first day of a special Agricultural Technology Training course at the College of Southern Idaho.

Thanks to groups like AgrowKnowledge, John Deere and the College of Southern Idaho, local farmers can be trained in how global positioning systems can change fieldwork.

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Conference Scholarship Applications due April 14

3/3/2008

Apply for a scholarship towards the travel costs of attending the AgrowKnowledge National Conference – “Case Study: Agriculture, Merging Math, Science and Technology,” May 29-30, 2008

Click here to complete and submit your application.

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California Transforms Sewage into Drinking Water

2/8/2008
A new facility daily transforms 70 million gallons of treated sewage into drinking water for 2.3 million residents of coastal, central and northern Orange County. To water-starved Californians it is a benefit. The $490 million facility, which covers 20 acres, provides Orange County with a reliable source of locally controlled water that will help make the county drought-proof and stabilize the water supply. Once the system is at full capacity, officials say it will be able to reclaim 130 million gallons of water daily.
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Agriculture and Carbon Credits

2/7/2008

The Idea: Individuals can neutralize the rest of their pollution—through offsets or carbon credits. When individuals buy offsets, they essentially pay someone to reduce or remove global warming pollution in their name. For example, when an individual buys 10 tons of carbon offsets, the seller guarantees that 10 fewer tons of global warming pollution (carbon dioxide, methane) go into the atmosphere. While the pollution the individual produces is the same, the individual gets the credit for that 10-ton reduction.

Agriculture and Carbon Credits: Farmers Union’s Carbon Credit Program allows ag producers and landowners to earn income by storing carbon in their soil through no-till crop production, conversion of cropland to grass, sustainable management of native rangelands and tree plantings on previously non-forested or degraded land. In addition, the capture of methane from anaerobic manure digester systems can also earn carbon credits. Farmers Union has earned approval from the Chicago Climate Exchange to aggregate carbon offsets (carbon credits) and sell them on behalf of producers. National Farmers Union’s Carbon Credit Program earned more than $2.5 million for producers in its first year of operation.

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Job Training for the Energy Industry

2/7/2008
The U.S. Department of Labor requests proposals for High-Growth Job Training Initiative Grants for the Energy Industry and Construction and Skilled Trades in the Energy Industry. Through this initiative, DOL seeks the implementation and replication of high-impact, industry- driven training solutions that address identified workforce challenges in the energy industry or in the construction and skilled trade occupations that support the energy industry. Each solution must take place in the context of a regional talent development strategy designed to contribute to a strong regional economy. $10 million expected to be available, individual awards NTE $1 million each. Responses due 3/25/08.

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Free Online: Renewable Fuels: Challenges and Opportunities in 2008

2/5/2008

FREE ONLINE SEMINAR FEBRUARY 21 at 2:30 PM CST.

DTN Refined Fuels Editor Brian Milne and DTN Trading Markets Product Manager Michael Browne will discuss strategies to manage these challenges:

• Assessing the impact of the new renewable fuels standard

• Overbuilding ethanol production capacity

• Spiking commodity prices driving input costs higher

• Progress in addressing continuing logistical issues

• How soaring energy prices drive demand for renewable fuels

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SkillsUSA Geospatial Technology Competition

1/31/2008

SkillsUSA instituted a college/postsecondary-only contest in Geospatial Technology in 2005. The Third Geospatial contest will be held at the 2008 SkillsUSA Championships in downtown Kansas City, Missouri June 23 -June 27, 2008. College/postsecondary students studying GIS, RS and GPS from across the United States will be invited to compete.

Who qualifies? All registered US College or US University GIS students.

How do I sign up for this contest? First, you must register for the contest on line @ www.digitalquest.com/SkillsUSA08 . Registration opens Feb. 15, 2008.
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Garmin Enters the Cell Phone Market

1/31/2008

GPS maker Garmin unexpectedly announced the nuviphone late on January 30, 2008, which combines a cell phone with GPS technology -- or, in Garmin's case, vice versa.

As of now, the nuviphone is a phone in search of a carrier. No partnerships were announced. Users should expect it in the third quarter of 2008 at an undisclosed price.

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Biotechnology Provides Alternative Energy Source

1/23/2008

Scientists have genetically engineered E. coli that is highly efficient in producing butanol, a promising new type of biofuel. This new technology could speed up the development of butanol biofuels into a cost-effective alternative to ethanol.

Butanol has many attractive properties. Because butanol packs more energy per gallon than ethanol does, cars running on butanol get better mileage. And, unlike ethanol, it doesn't mix with water, so it can be shipped in existing petroleum pipelines without causing problems.

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NCSR Professional Development Opportunity

1/22/2008

The Northwest Center for Sustainable Resources (NCSR) will conduct a professional development institute July 13 – 18, 2008 –“The Impact of Land Use Change on Environmental Quality.” The institute will be held at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon. It will feature laboratory and field activities designed to facilitate 2 and 4-year faculty adaptation of NCSR curriculum materials to their natural resource programs and ecosystem-based support courses. Attendance will be limited to 20 participants so early application is advised. NCSR will provide all materials, lodging, most meals and a $600 stipend as part of the Institute.

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Apply Now – Deadline February 15

1/10/2008

The Integrated Geospatial Education Technology and Training (iGETT) project offers two-year college faculty professional development opportunities that will enhance existing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) programs by integrating remote sensing and Global Positioning System (GPS) data in ways that support workforce needs.

Make application now for the 2008 opportunity by going to this website: http://igett.delmar.edu/

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Opportunity with CORD

1/10/2008

Ag instructors are needed to assist with curriculum design and development tasks. $2500 will be provided to instructors to assist in compiling and reviewing various curriculum materials. If you need or like to review new curriculum materials, here's your chance to get paid for it!! Anyone that feels they would be a good candidate for the project can go to the STEM Transitions webpage (www.stemtransitions.org). Instructors will be selected in each of the career cluster areas.

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Industry Council Meeting

12/12/2007
Notes from Industry Council Meeting held December 6th and 7th in Cedar Rapids.

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Welcome members

12/7/2007
This is a short message

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AgrowKnowledge Photo Contest Winners Announced

12/3/2007
Congratulations to all the participants and winners of AgrowKnowledge’s First Annual Photo Contest. Over 300 photos by 53 photographers were submitted to the contest, with the final photos being chosen by the staff at AgrowKnowledge. The winning photos can be found on AgrowKnowledge’s website http://www.agrowknow.org/Photos.php. This year's photo contest's theme was "What is Agriculture."
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Geospatial Go to Meeting

11/29/2007
Go to Meeting for Geospatial Resource Team Members, 2:30 ct., November 29
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Agricultural Biotechnology Curriculum Development

11/6/2007

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President Bush to nominate Edward T. Schafer as USDA Secretary

11/1/2007

On October 31, 2007 President Bush announced his intention to nominate Edward T. Schafer to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. The grandson of Danish immigrants who farmed throughout their lives, Governor Schafer gained extensive experience with the agriculture industry during two terms as North Dakota's governor. Agriculture is North Dakota's leading industry. According to the North Dakota Agriculture Department, nearly 24 percent of North Dakota workers are farmers and ranchers or are employed in farm-related jobs.
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Impact and Progress

10/31/2007

Sometime we need to spend a little time reflecting, and that is exactly what we did as we prepared to submit our proposal to the NSF for AgrowKnowledge to become a resource center. While Deb Klopp analyzed the data from our past workshops, annual conferences and technology grants, she came up with some enlightening facts about the impact of AgrowKnowledge over the past seven years:

Total participation in AgrowKnowledge faculty development workshops, technology grants, planning institutes and annual conferences exceeds 1,541 individuals representing 122 two-year colleges, 203 high schools, 38 universities and 16 middle/elementary schools. Participants have come from 41 states, the Ukraine and Canada. Additionally, students have actively participated in AgrowKnowledge planning institutes and conferences.
Faculty development workshops have a high (more than 90 percent) rate of satisfaction. Partner colleges have hosted 28 workshops in 12 states with a total of 561 instructor-participants from 38 states. Of these participants, 58 percent came from postsecondary institutions and 33 percent came from high schools. Interestingly, only 23 percent of the workshop participants were from partner colleges. If you consider each of these instructors teaching two sections of their discipline with 25 students in each class, they potentially impacted 28,050 with some of the workshop content.
Since 2002, AgrowKnowledge technology grants funded 52 initiatives at 19 colleges. These technology grants allow colleges to explore new ways of enhancing their curriculum with math, science and technology.

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AgrowKnowledge Photo Contest

9/18/2007

AgrowKnowledge is now running its first annual photo contest. The purpose of this photo contest is to select 13 photos that will be featured in our 2008 AgrowKnowledge calendar. The photos will also provide educators and students with a wide range of photography free of charge that otherwise may not be readily available for use. These images will be available through the AgrowKnowledge website (free registration required to access images) and allow photographers to showcase their work. The topic for the photo contest is “What is Agriculture?” Participants can to submit up to ten photos illustrating what they think best represents the “new” agriculture.

Read more about the photo contest at http://www.agrowknow.org/photo
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AgrowKnowledge Welcomes New Staff Member

8/16/2007

The AgrowKnowledge Center at Kirkwood Community College is pleased to welcome Josie Bosse. She officially started her position as Office Coordinator on August 16, 2007

Josie grew up in rural Arkansas City on a commercial cow/calf farm of about 150 head. After graduating from Arkansas City High School she started college at Emporia State University. She transferred to Kansas State University her sophomore year after realizing she wanted her degree to be agricultural based. She was very involved with K-State’s Block and Bridle chapter and also with National Agri-Marketers Association. While attending K-State she completed three internships. She was a Marketing Intern for Country Stampede, a Marketing/New Product Development Intern for Cattlesoft, Inc. and a Records Intern for Kansas Wheat Office.
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Father of the Green Revolution Honored

7/26/2007

Norman Borlaug, originally an Iowa farm boy, was awarded the Congressional Medal by President Bush on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 in the Capitol Rotunda. He is one of only five people in history to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, the Nobel Peace Prize, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The other individuals are Mother Teresa, Elie Wiesel, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela.

Borlaug, known widely as the “Father of the Green Revolution” for his work on high-yield disease-resistant varieties of wheat, is credited with saving up to a billion lives. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, and in 1986 founded the World Food Prize, an annual $250,000 award to individuals whose work increases the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world.

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What is Leadership?

7/3/2007

For years, I had a sign in my office that said, “Do something. Lead, follow or get out of the way.” As I look back now, that sign reminds me of four traits of leadership. First, good leaders are good followers. They understand the need to support the leader. Second, people recognize leaders. Even though they cannot quantify leadership characteristics they know it when they see it. (Sort of like my former English teacher. He could not tell me what was wrong with a paper I had written, but he told me that when I got it right he would recognize it!) Third, leaders will always have those who either need to “get with the program” or step aside. Fourth, leadership is active. Leaders do things.

Leadership means having a vision - a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation, the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be. With a clear vision of what is to be, leaders push forward to make the vision reality. After nearly 35 years, I can still remember a speech that I heard Bill Lear give during a college seminar. He told us of the night in his home when he reorganized the kitchen chairs in their living room to create the vision of a small corporate/business jet. With his ability to share that vision with others, he successfully led the development of the LearJet.

Are leaders born or developed? We hear things like “born to lead,” or “natural born leader.” To some extent leadership probably has some genetic basis. But like so many of the genetic traits, the environment also plays a tremendous role in fulfilling a genetic potential. Leadership can be learned or developed just like we can learn a technical skill or a talent. Many organizations promote leadership development and identify the traits of leadership that can be learned. A quick Google of the World Wide Web leads to this conclusion. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) developed some leadership competencies. (Anyone familiar with technical education should recognize the use of competencies to develop skills.) Briefly, the AACC identifies five competencies include:

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Celebrating Six Years

6/1/2007

This is the six year anniversary of AgrowKnowledge – the national center for agriscience and technology education. AgrowKnowledge moves toward a common vision by concentrating on three key strategies:

1. Curriculum development

2. Faculty development

3. Capacity building

The Vision:

Forging partnerships to educate and prepare workforce-ready graduates to use emerging technologies for businesses and industries in agriculture, food, and natural resources (AFNR)

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What is a National Resource Center?

5/23/2007

A national resource center is an organization that has shown an ability to provide resources and support to community colleges in a specific discipline. AgrowKnowledge has been a National Center of Excellence for almost six years. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) with $6 million, almost $700,000 in financial and in-kind support from industry, and an incalculable amount of support from educational partners, the center has become recognizable for supporting agriculture technology on a national basis. Strategies to develop faculty skills, provide curricular resources, and build capacity of schools to provide a seamless education for their students are the core of the Center’s success..

So with all of these activities, has AgrowKnowledge made an impact? We can show that many teachers have additional skills to teach science, math, biotechnology and geospatial technologies. There is a model program of study and plans of study to guide teachers and colleges to build rigorous programs and to help students plan for a career in agriculture. We are helping to build a seamless education system through our planning institutes and assistance with development of Agricultural, Food and Natural Resources knowledge and skill statements. The clearinghouse is becoming a dependable resource for sharing and distributing instructional materials. But is this impact? What difference have we made on the science, math and technology skills of students? Are business and industry satisfied with the technological quality of the graduates they are hiring because of AgrowKnowledge? These are ultimate outcomes that we need to answer and that we are striving to evaluate and prove.

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CHS FOUNDATION AWARDS 50 SCHOLARSHIPS

5/9/2007

ST. PAUL, MINN. (May 7, 2007) — Fifty agricultural students recently received scholarships from the CHS Foundation’s expanded Two-Year College Scholarship Program. The CHS Foundation is the major giving entity of CHS Inc., a leading energy and grain-based foods company with a stewardship focus on building vibrant communities.

“This is an impressive roster of promising agricultural students from some of America’s top two-year schools,” says William J. Nelson, CHS Foundation president. “The CHS Foundation is proud to help educate and train tomorrow’s producers, scientists, teachers, agronomists and agribusiness leaders.”

An independent, external committee selected recipients based on essays, transcripts and reference letters. Under the expanded Two-Year College Scholarship Program, awards were increased to $750 and are applied toward students’ second-year costs. Also new this year, CHS Foundation scholarship winners will have increased connections to valuable opportunities such as internships, professional or leadership development programs, career openings and international experiences.

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Wisconsin Technical College System - Vision 2020 Planning Institute

5/16/2007

During the spring 2005, Wisconsin was invited to participate in the AgrowKnowledge Vision 2020 Planning Institute at Vincennes University. Based on that experience and in consultation with leaders with the National Center-AgrowKnowledge and Vision 2020 national project specialist Dr. Curt Shumaker, planning was undertaken to involve the technical colleges, universities and secondary schools in Wisconsin toward the objective of articulation planning in agriculture, food and natural resources systems education.

The principal point of contact for Wisconsin has been provided by the Wisconsin Technical College System. Beginning with the WAAE (Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators) annual summer conference in June 2005, face to face consultation and planning occurred between and among technical college agriculture and natural resources program coordinators, high school instructors and agricultural teacher educators from the University of Wisconsin (three institutions-River Falls, Platteville and Madison).

In mid-December 2005, two day-long Institutes were conducted, one in north central Wisconsin (December 13^th, at North Central Technical College-Wausau) and another in southern Wisconsin (December 15^th,) at Blackhawk Technical College-Janesville). AgrowKnowledge staff, a faculty member from Iowa State University and a guest from North Dakota participated in one or both events. Altogether there were over 100 persons in attendance including teachers from over 30 high schools, eleven technical colleges, five campuses of the University of Wisconsin, and a number of industry representatives.

The strategy for follow-up for this Vision 2020 Articulation Planning Institute process was developed around six scenarios: careers in agriculture, science in agriculture, natural resources, agribusiness and production agriculture, and veterinary technology. Members of the discussion groups in each location had developed conceptual and practical follow-up strategies to achieve their vision of seamless career preparation toward their vision of the year 2020.

James L. Gibson, Ph.D., Education Director,

Agriculture and Natural Resources

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College of Southern Idaho Partner Host Two Workshops

5/1/2007

Through our partnership with AgrowKnowledge, College of Southern Idaho (CSI) will host two faculty development workshops this summer. The first is a regional GPS and GIS workshop for Idaho high school agriculture instructors. This workshop was at the request of several area high school instructors to gain more knowledge of GPS and GIS which is one of the things AgrowKnowledge does so well.

The dates for the workshop are July 12 and 13, 2007 here on our campus in Twin Falls. AgrowKnowledge’s principal investigator, Terry Brase, will be in Idaho to conduct the training and at the same time provide instruction for faculty to become certified trainers. The University of Idaho (U of I) holds a teacher in-service and this training will take place during the last two days of their workshops. The U of I AEE department is helping with finances and registrations.

In July, CSI is hosting a Math and Science AgrowKnowledge faculty development workshop on the fertilizer industry. The dates for this workshop are July 25-27. I thought this was a great opportunity to showcase the Idaho Phosphate industry and all the math and science that goes into the making of fertilizer. The workshop will be held in Pocatello, Idaho with travel to a mine and tours through several processing plants. Pocatello is over 100 miles from our campus and a good effort has been made in schedule all the phases of the workshop. Dr. Ross Spackman has been a great asset in assisting with planning. He is teaching the Texas Instrument calculator section the first day and has helped get speakers and tours scheduled. Please join us in July. The area of Idaho we will visit is beautiful.

Jim Wilson, Partner

College of Southern Idaho

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FFA Collegiate Inter Position Available

4/24/2007

The National FFA is seeking applications from qualified individuals interested in a 6 month internship at the National FFA Center in Indianapolis, IN. The position will start no later than June 11, 2007 and end no later than Dec 14, 2007. The National FFA Collegiate Programs will use this position to promote opportunities and develop relationships from across the country through activities and events on college campuses. The primary responsibility for this position would be to organize and facilitate five collegiate tailgates at college football games in strategic locations. They would promote programming and integrate the sponsor into all activities at the events. This position would also provide trainings and attend collegiate events throughout their time on staff. This position would assist in collegiate convention activities at the National FFA Convention in October.

Education/Experience Requirements

Education:

Enrollment in post-secondary studies preferred

Experience:

Knowledge of agricultural education and Collegiate Agricultural Organizations are important State or National experience preferred

Travel

30% Travel required, including weekend travel

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Celebrate Agriculture

3/13/2007

Celebrate National Agriculture Day!

National Agriculture Day activities will begin next week (March 18 through 24). The purpose of this national celebration is to honor agriculture for providing safe, abundant, and affordable products; a strong economy; a source of renewable energy; and a world of job opportunities.

The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) provides this spotlight on the agriculture, food, and fiber industry on March 20^th, the first day of spring (National Ag Day), to help consumers understand not only how food and fiber products are produced, but to celebrate accomplishments in providing safe, abundant, and affordable products.

As part of this annual event, the ACA hosts an essay contest for 7th through 12th grade students. The students are invited to submit an original essay of 450 words on the importance of U.S. agriculture. This year's theme was "American Agriculture in 2025."

More information on Ag Day/Week activities is available at http://www.agday.org/

Share some interesting facts about American agriculture from the Ag Day website. Read on.

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Scholarships Available

3/7/2007

Five Grant Recipients Will Learn the Latest GIS Technology at the 2007 ESRI Education User Conference

Redlands, California—ESRI and Tele Atlas, a leading global provider of digital map data and dynamic content for navigation and location-based solutions, are teaming up to provide five educators from the United States and Canada with a trip to the 2007 ESRI Education User Conference (EdUC). Through the scholarship program, Tele Atlas will present recipients with $400 toward travel costs and ESRI will provide complimentary admission to the conference in San Diego, California, June 16–19, 2007.

To apply for a scholarship, please visit www.esri.com/educ for guidelines and instructions. All applications must be received by March 23, 2007. For more information about the ESRI EdUC, please visit www.esri.com/educ.

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2007 Faculty Development Workshops

3/27/2007

Register Now!

AgrowKnowledge’s highlight each summer is the opportunity for educators to upgrade their teaching methods and technology skills by attending one of our Faculty Development Workshops. Summer workshops are essential in the quickly evolving fields of biotechnology, renewable energy and precision agriculture methods. These and other cutting-edge knowledge and skills are needed in our modern Ag economy and crucial to educators preparing students of our nation's economic future. You should be a part of the future!

We are inviting you to take part in the AgrowKnowledge 2007 Faculty Development Workshops. From California to Iowa, Idaho to Oklahoma, creative and energetic educators will share ideas and best practices with industry professionals to impact the future course of agricultural education at the high school, community college and university levels.

When the worlds of education and industry change rapidly, successful educators adapt their instruction to incorporate the latest science, math, and technology tools. AgrowKnowledge is leading the way with a series of innovative summer workshops. AgrowKnowledge invites you to share innovative ideas and the ability to network with your peers and industry partners. Register now for one of our Faculty Development Workshops!

To register and obtain more details for our summer Faculty Development Workshops. Visit us online at www.agrowknow.org

The five workshops offered include:

Bio-Link National Fellows Program; University of California, Berkeley, CA, June 4 – 8

Biotechnology Level I; Redlands Community College, El Reno, OK, June 13 - 15

Tying Entrepreneurship Skills to Math, Science, Technology & Agriculture; University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, June 27 - 29, 2007

Alternative/Renewable Energy; Parkland College, Champaign, IL, July 18 - 20

Math, Chemistry & Geology of Phosphorus Fertilizer Production; College of Southern Idaho-Twin Falls, ID, July 25 – 27

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International Opportunity

2/15/2007

International Travel Opportunity for Students

Collegiate FFA programs will sponsor an international program and travel experience to Morocco and Egypt through generous funding provided by the U.S. Grains Foundation.

When and where are we going? The trip will take place in mid to late May of 2007. The expected departure is around May 18, and will return 12-14 days after that. Please allow for two to three day flexibility on the dates. We will travel to Morocco and Egypt during our time abroad.

How much will it cost? Currently, we are gathering information for the itinerary and program specifics. At this time we do not have an “official” trip cost. Estimates for this type of trip range between $3,000-4,000. A $2,000 scholarship will be provided to each of the selected student participants.

Why? The U.S. Grains Council and Foundation seek to build global markets for American grains. It is their wish to provide this opportunity for collegiate students to learn about how the global marketplace affects American agriculture. Students interested in pursuing international agriculture as careers are preferred.

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Scholarships Available

2/2/2007

CHS Foundation Expands Two-Year College Scholarship Program

ST. PAUL, MINN. — First-year agricultural students at two-year colleges are invited to apply for 50 $750 scholarships from the CHS Foundation, which recently expanded its Two-Year College Scholarship Program to provide greater financial assistance to more students. The CHS Foundation is the major giving entity of CHS Inc., a leading energy and grain-based foods company with a stewards

hip focus on building vibrant communities.

Scholarship amounts have been increased to $750. Students must apply before March 1 during their first year of study; funds will go toward to their second-year costs. An independent, external committee will select scholarship recipients based on essays, transcripts and reference letters. Students should visit www.chsfoundation.org for application forms and full details.

“Many leaders in agribusiness, cooperatives and production agriculture receive excellent early training from our nation’s fine two-year educational institutions,” says William J. Nelson, CHS Foundation president. “We’re proud to expand this scholarship program and help plant seeds for a strong future.”

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Change is happening.

1/9/2007
Change is here at AgrowKnowledge: Partner Leadership Training – July 8, 9, and 10, 2007

A major uniqueness of AgrowKnowledge resides in the concept of partnerships. Looking toward the sustainability of AgrowKnowledge we must carefully consider activities that make us unique. Many organizations offer annual conferences that cover topics similar to the AgrowKnowledge annual conference; for example in the area of teaching and education NAAE, ACTE, AAAE, and NACTA all hold annual conferences. Additionally, many conferences are available on specific technologies. (Check out the calendar on the AgrowKnowledge website for the dates and locations of many of these conferences.)

With these factors in mind we have determined to replace the annual conference with a Partner Leadership Training meeting. The intent of this training is to build self-sustaining partnerships. This will be a first class training event that will provide each partner with new tools and concepts to take a leadership role in enhancing math, science and technology in agriculture, food and natural resources programs, and in providing a quality workforce at the two-year college level.

This year’s Partner Leadership Training will be held July 8, 9 and 10 in Springfield, IL (same as the original time scheduled for the annual conference). Here is a tentative schedule:

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Did You Know

1/5/2007

Vigortone Ag Products provided financial support for substitute teachers for the secondary educators who attended the recent Iowa Planning Institute. This support was essential for the secondary educators to be able to attend and participate. See article on Iowa Planning Institute.

By Joining the AgrowKnowledge discussion group you can receive “news you can use,” and have access to useful files such as an AgrowKnowledge poster and a collection of photographs. Join the AgrowKnowledge news group by sending an email to: agrowknowledge-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Then respond to a follow up email and you will be all set.

Join the AgrowKnowledge news group by sending an email to:

Agrowknowledge-suscribe@yahoogroups.com.

AgrowKnowledge scheduled three faculty development workshops for 2007:

June 27 to 29: Tying Entrepreneurship Skills to Math, Science, Technology and Agriculture; Pappajohn Business Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.

July 18 to 20: Alternative Energy; Parkland College, Champaign, IL

July 25 to 27: Math, Chemistry and Geology of Phosphorus Fertilizer Production; College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls, ID

Watch the website for details.

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Happy New Year

12/30/2006

Soon we will be in a month named after the Roman god Janus, an appropriate personification of the start of the New Year. This particular Roman god had two faces so that he could look ahead toward the future and back at the past at the same time. As we get leave an old year and look forward to a new one, we all try to be a little like Janus. We know through experience what we did wrong and what we did right, and hope to do better this year. Some people make ambitious New Year’s resolutions; others just take a deep breath and hope for the best.…

From the Staff at the AgrowKnowledge Center, here is to our best in the coming year.

Other thoughts on the New Year

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Holiday Season

12/8/2006

We all have memories we rely on to help us capture the spirit of the Season. Memories, images and visions that remind us the feelings of the Season are not something bought in a store.

It's our hope you make the effort at this special time of year to remember the special people that have meaning to you and, in so doing, rediscover the magic that makes the Season so special. Finally, it's our hope you'll commit to creating a few similar memories for those you love.

Happy Holidays from the AgrowKnowledge Center Staff in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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AgrowKnowledge and John Deere Precision-Ag Instructors Report

11/29/2006

“John Deere Training is taking a page from the university approach as they welcomed two visiting instructors this summer. Jon Farquharson, Blue Mountain College in Pendleton, Oregon, and Gaines (Buddy) Miles, Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, had temporarily joined the John Deere Training staff – an arrangement that was facilitated by John Deere’s relationship with AgrowKnowledge™”. You can read the article at www.agrowknow.org/about/news/NewsletterDisplay.asp?MsgID=84

The internships were completed over the summer and the following are excerpts from the reports of the two participants:

Gaines (Buddy) Miles, Purdue University

The primary purpose of this internship was to enhance my knowledge of John Deere AMS (Agricultural Management Solutions) technologies, experience distance learning from a student’s perspective, and learn to make live presentations via the WWW. This was accomplished through web-based training from John Deere University, classroom and experiential learning at Deere facilities, personal study, opportunities to teach farmers/customers, and a limited amount of direct one-on-one instruction.

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Notes from the Director

11/13/2006

Last spring we asked students at Partner colleges to apply for scholarships provided by AgrowKnowledge and Pioneer. We received 65 applications for these scholarships. As one of the individuals assigned to score the scholarships I made some interesting observations.

The application required the students to write a short essay addressing educational and career plans, emerging technologies and the agricultural technologies of now and the future. This seemed to be appropriate topics since AgrowKnowledge focuses on emerging technologies.

Most of the students described their educational and career plans with a frame of reference that reflected the thinking of students from 20 or more years in the past. Very few of the applicants saw any new careers in agriculture as a result of emerging and changing technologies in agriculture. For example the applicants made comments like:

“I plan to return to the family farm and help my father. I will also have a secondary job possibly with an insurance company.”

“I hope to manage the family farm.”

“My plans are to move back to my home state, start a custom feeding operation and raise rodeo stock.”

“I will find a successful career in the agribusiness industry.”

“My parents work separate jobs to support the ranch. I plan to help when I graduate.”

“I will take over the dairy farm and use all the new technology.”

“I plan to be truck driver and help by hauling the grain from our farm to market.”

“When I graduate I will find a job in agriculture that suits me.”

Too many students indicated in their essay that farming also included holding another job!

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Defining Ag Career and Iowa Planning Institute Meetings

11/6/2006

November 8, 2006

Emerging technologies such as geospatial, biotechnology, and information technology have resulted in many new, emerging, and changing careers in agriculture, most of which are undefined. Defining an emerging career means to identify it as a current or future need within the agriculture industry. In addition the technical skills, fundamental science and math knowledge, and the advanced technology skills needed by employees will be broadly identified.

Industry and education must work together to identify and define these new careers. As a national center which focuses on agriculture, technicians, science & mathematics, technology and working with industry, it becomes the responsibility of AgrowKnowledge to start this initiative. The Defining Emerging Ag Careers is designed to build a list of emerging careers and identify the skill sets needed by technicians and specialists so colleges can adapt their curriculum to meet this need.

The process used for “Defining Emerging Agriculture Careers” (DEAC) is based on gathering information from industry representatives that have a broad overview of emerging careers. Organizing the DEAC with educators allows communication on a consensus for goals of an effective educational system.

Vision 2020-November 9, 2006

The one-day Vision 2020 Planning Institute is designed for site partnership team members of all levels of education and industry who are interested in developing strategies to: 1) improve the academic and technical performance of students at the high school and postsecondary level; and 2) ease the transition of students from high school to postsecondary education and on to successful careers.

By improving academic and technical performance and easing student transitions, we help ensure an adequate pipeline of highly qualified individuals for employers in the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources industry.

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News You Can Use Version 2

10/25/2006

This post contains a variety of useful information –news you can use. First off is the AgrowKnowledge Yahoo! Group. For more news you can use join the AgrowKnowledge Yahoo! Group.

Here are the details:

To subscribe to the news group send an email to: agrowknowledge-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To send an email to the group send to: agrowknowledge@yahoogroups.com

Post messages, discussions and share information that can be useful to everyone. Join today! Items in the Yahoo Group will be similar to what you find in this posting on the AgrowKnowledge website.

For additional information go to the group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agrowknowledge

Other Items in this post include:

· Sources of Free Lesson Plans and Labs

· 2007 RFA for Secondary and 2-Year Postsecondary Ag Ed Challenge Grants

· New Book for PrecisionAg

· Manpower, Inc White Papers

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Notes from the Washington, DC Summit

10/4/2006

The AgrowKnowledge team of Rick Parker, Carey Kopay, Esther Worker, and Shah Rahnema completed their first day at the “Leadership Summit to Effect Change in Teaching and Learning” on October 3. The Summit is being held at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC. Over 300 invited participants from colleges, universities, societies, organizations and industry are involved in the Summit. The discussions for the first day sought to answer these questions as we look to the future of agriculture:

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AgrowKnowledge Team Chosen for National Summit

9/8/2006

October Summit to Help “Define the Future of Undergraduate Education in Agriculture”

A team of four individuals from AgrowKnowledge, the National Center for Agriscience Education have been selected to participate in the National Academies “Leadership Summit to Effect Change in Teaching and Learning," October. 3 to 5 in Washington, DC. Members of the AgrowKnowledge summit team include:

Rick Parker, AgrowKnowledge Co-Principal Investigator and Director;
Shah Rahnema, AgrowKnowledge Partner and Chair at Ohio State University – ATI, Wooster, Ohio;
Carey Kopay, AgrowKnowledge University Council and Assistant Director, University of California -Davis Biotechnology Program; and
Esther Worker, AgrowKnowledge Industry Council, and Technical Educator, ESRI, Broomfield, Colorado.

Top, Shah; bottom left to right Carey and Esther

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Attaining Sustainability

8/30/2006

I’ve used the growth of an oak tree as an analogy to AgrowKnowledge. Adding to that analogy with another type of tree, we recognize that fruit trees that do not bear fruit are of little value and should be taken out of production. On the other hand, a productive fruit tree is recognized and sought after. For AgrowKnowledge, producing fruit is key to sustaining the center.

The fruit that AgrowKnowledge needs to produce is the resources that help instructors across the nation incorporate emerging technologies into their programs. Institutes and faculty development workshops are extremely successful. Clearinghouse and curriculum materials were developed, but this is where we need to further concentrate our energies if we are to attain sustainability.

Having a robust set of curriculum and instructional materials will have several favorable impacts for our center. It will draw educators to AgrowKnowledge to find needed resources. It will serve to leverage other financial resources to build additional resources. It will attract support from business and industry.

How do we build this robust set of curriculum? It is beyond the scope and ability of the AgrowKnowledge staff to write it all. We know that there are materials and resources that are already being used that can be shared. Submitting these materials to the clearinghouse is only a first step. Putting these materials into a format and structure that can be easily accessed by instructors is being developed. This will provide not only the resources but the accessibility to those resources that is needed by instructors.

I encourage you to take part in the growth of AgrowKnowledge and attaining sustainability by submitting material in the area of emerging technology to our website!

Terry Brase

Principal Investigator

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Programs of Study – A How To

8/22/2006

With the reauthorization of the “Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Improvement Act of 2006” new requirements for “programs of study” build on current initiatives to ensure that students have the academic and career and technical skills necessary to be successful in further education and careers, and can move seamlessly through the education continuum.

Did you know that the AgrowKnowledge web site Resource Clearinghouse has sample programs of study for the career clusters in agriculture, food and natural resources? Sample programs of study found in the Resource Clearinghouse on the AgrowKnowledge web site can be used to create your own.

Click here to see the list of programs of study on the AgrowKnowledge web site.

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Free Webcast from ACTE on new Perkins Act

8/11/2006

Congress finally passed the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act. The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is hosting a free webcast (August 15 at 11:00 a.m. EDT) to help career and technical educators understand the implications of the new law including key changes in store for local and state CTE programs and professionals. You are welcome to join the webcast. If you are not available to view the live webcast, it will be archived on the ACTE website for later viewing. From an ACTE news release here are the details.

The event will be moderated by ACTE president Bob Scarborough, and will be lead by Alisha Hyslop, ACTE’s assistant director of public policy, and Hans Meeder, former deputy assistant secretary of the federal Office of Vocational and Adult Education. Viewers will have an opportunity to submit questions before and during the Webcast.

The Webcast will be accessible from ACTE’s Website (http://www.acteonline.org/) on August 15th, and will be archived for those who are unavailable on the 15th.

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Senate approval of the “Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006”

7/27/2006

On July 26, 2006 on Capitol Hill the U.S. Senate voted to approve final reauthorization of the “Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006”.

The federal investment in high-quality career and technical education (CTE) is essential to meeting the needs of both specific employers and the economy as a whole as the nation’s education and workplace systems continue to evolve. This legislation sends an important message that career and technical education is critical to ensuring individuals have opportunities throughout their lifetimes to develop the knowledge and skills needed to keep the United States competitive.

The current bill updates the terminology from “vocational education” to “career and technical education,” maintains state administrative funding at 5 percent of a state’s allocation, and maintains the Tech Prep program as a separate funding stream within the legislation.

Additionally, this bill reflects the positive changes being made and implemented in CTE programs across the country. In particular, new requirements for “programs of study” build on current initiatives to ensure that students have the academic and career and technical skills necessary to be successful in further education and careers, and can move seamlessly through the education continuum.

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Practical Remote Sensing Methods for Conservation Biologists

7/20/2006

Applications are now being accepted for a course entitled: Practical Remote Sensing Methods for Conservation Biologists. This course will be offered at the American Museum of Natural History's Southwestern Research Station located in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona from Monday 9 October to Friday 13 October 2006. The course will focus on the practical aspects of remote sensing with the goal of providing sufficient information so that participants will be able to download and display satellite imagery for their area of interest, learn to interpret the imagery by making the connection between abstract image information and the landscape, and use this information to support a range of conservation objectives. Participants will work with visual image products and an overview of the automated land cover classification process will be presented including an assessment of the advantages and drawbacks of these map products. The target audience is conservation researchers with little or no remote sensing experience.

For more information on this course and others taught through the American Museum of Natural History visit our web site http://geospatial.amnh.org.

The course involves a mix of lecture, computer lab applications, discussions, and field work. Each participant is encouraged to bring with them a project they would like to work on so lessons learned during the course can immediately be applied to a meaningful example. These projects can be discussed with the course organizers in advance to ensure they are appropriate. If participants do not have their own project one will be assigned to them during the course.

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News You Can Use

7/19/2006

The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) is a good source of resources for science and technology. For example, CAST recently released a new Issue Paper, “Safety of Meat, Milk, and Eggs from Animals Fed Crops Derived from Modern Biotechnology.” This is the fifth in CAST’s nine-part series “Animal Agriculture’s Future through Biotechnology.”

“The safety and availability of high-quality food and animal feedstuffs are critical to populations worldwide,” says Task Force Chair Professor Richard H. Phipps, School of Agriculture, Development and Policy, The University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom. “During the last decade the area of biotechnology-derived crops has increased dramatically from 4 to 90 million hectares/year, and crop varieties of corn, soybean, cotton, and canola are now widely used and are an important feedstuff in livestock production systems. It is essential, therefore, to consider the safety of meat, milk, and eggs obtained from animals fed crops derived from modern biotechnology.”

Written and evaluated by a Task Force of international scientists—from the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, and Brazil—this timely CAST Issue Paper has the following objectives:

1. To provide an overview of regulatory assessments of biotechnology-derived crops; and

2. To summarize the empirical data generated for assessing the safety of meat, milk, and eggs from animals fed biotechnology-derived crops that express agronomic input traits.

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News from the Center

7/10/2006
AgrowKnowledge received a renewal of the NSF grant until June 30, 2007. Looking back, other positives the last six months include: the successful 5^th Annual Conference combined with a Partner Meeting and an NVC meeting, student scholarships provided, mini-grant RFPs and proposal submissions, three filled faculty development workshops, one additional workshop held in partnership with Bio-Link, presentation and attendance at NAAE, National PAS, and NACTA meetings, meeting with John Deere representatives on AMS technician training and future funding for technology grants and faculty development workshops, addition of conference materials to website, RSS on website, and investment and impact reports on all faculty development workshops and last year’s mini-grants.

Our successes of the past and some of our past misses chart the future. While we have accomplished much, much remains to be done. Besides the strategic plan for the next year, AgrowKnowledge must have a business plan to guide it into some type of a sustainable model over the next two years. Included in the plan should be items that will develop new partnerships, maintain partnerships and enhance the role and recognition of AgrowKnowledge as a national center. Continued involvement of our current partners will be vital to maintain and improve the quality of our annual conference, faculty development workshops, and our website. AgrowKnowledge will need to provide a better evaluation tool to measure its impact on educators and to determine effectiveness at the student level. Other emerging technology areas need to be explored and incorporated; for example food processing technology, bio-energy, RFID, and natural resources. The AgrowKnowledge website benefited from some major changes over the years, and still needs to be a larger part of everything we do. Partner colleges need to contribute more to the website. The website should take a more central role in distributing training and curriculum, and in connecting partners and individuals. For example the website will offer podcasting, short courses, webinars, and blogs.

Rick Parker
Co-PI and Director
rick.parker@agrowknow.org

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2006 Recipients of World Food Prize Announced

6/16/2006

The recipients of the 2006 World Food Prize were announced June 15, 2006 at the U.S. State Department, featuring Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and founder of the World Food Prize Dr. Norman E. Borlaug and hosted by Hon. Josette Sheernan Shiner, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs. The three men who will share the 2006 World Food Prize are former Brazil Minister of Agriculture H. E. Alysson Paolinelli and former Technical Director of EMBRAPA Cerrado Research Center Mr. Edson Lobato, both of Brazil; and Washington representative of the International Research Institute, Dr. A. Colin McClung of the United States.

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Leadership

6/1/2006

Leadership in the Classroom of Life (used by permission)

By Brad J. Schloesser

The AG ED Council President

This article was published in the Monday Morning Monitor, May 22, 2006, and we thought it should receive additional exposure. The concept of leadership is critical to the role and mission of AgrowKnowledge. We appreciate Brad Schoesser giving us permission to use his article.

Leaders arrive constantly in each of our classrooms on a daily basis. Where do they originate? Do we recognize these individuals and understand what makes them leaders? Can you identify the mixture used to develop leaders? Can you assist in developing leaders who don’t know they are (leaders) yet?

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New Booklets Illustrate Investment and Impact

6/2/2006

A glance back

helps us check our progress as we move forward. This month AgrowKnowledge produced two new booklets that allow us to take a look back at our accomplishments and plan our course ahead. Both booklets review our investment and impact. The first booklet, reviews the investment and impact of 17 faculty development workshops provided to 372 instructors in 34 different states. Each faculty development workshop is briefly described in the booklet. The second booklet describes the investment and impact of last year’s six mini-grant projects (now called technology grants).
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New and Emerging Technology

5/25/2006

Iowa State University Engineer Testifies Before Senate on Biorenewables

Iowa State University Professor Robert C. Brown took the message of his Office of Biorenewables Programs to Washington testifying before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry that corn and soybeans alone won't meet the country's renewable fuel needs going forward. Brown says switchgrass produces twice as much fuel as corn and that innovation and development of new technologies is the key to future success developing biorenewables. "The Department of Energy calls for renewable fuels to meet 20% of U.S. transportation demand by 2030," he told the Senate last Wednesday. "Currently ethanol represents only 3% of transportation fuels, but even the most optimistic scenarios do not predict grain ethanol to displace more than 6 to 8% of gasoline demand. Agriculture must think beyond corn and soybean production if it is to supply a significant fraction of U.S. transportation fuels."

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Do you know about RSS?

5/12/2006

Have you seen this symbol on websites? Have you seen it on the AgrowKnowledge website? Do you know what it means?

Using RSS you can now be informed when new items are added to the AgrowKnowledge web site.

What is RSS?

RSS stands for Rich Site Summary, or Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a protocol, an application of XML that provides an open method of syndicating and aggregating Web content. Using RSS files data feeds are created that supply headlines, links, and article summaries from a website. This means that users can have constantly updated content from websites delivered to them via a news aggregator, a piece of software specifically tailored to receive these types of feeds.

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Register Now for the 2006 Faculty Development Workshops

4/28/2006

Each year, AgrowKnowledge offers Faculty Development Workshops to agriculture, food and natural resource instructors as way to expand their technological skills, experience advanced technologies, and discover new and innovative teaching methods. These workshops are partially supported by AgrowKnowledge and by registration fees. Workshop registration and stipend includes:

$300 travel stipend
Lodging for three nights
Meals
Copies of the educational materials used

To find our more, click on the titles for this year’s workshops:

Expanding Your Instructional Skills through Flash

Bio-Link National Fellows Program: AgrowKnowledge Track

Be sure you register on the AgrowKnowledge website for this workshop.

GIS for Agriculture Decision-Making

Math and Science: Investigating Plants and Soils

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Making Systemic Change

4/19/2006

As one would expect, this year’s AgrowKnowledge Annual Emerging Technology Conference featured keynote speakers, presentations, posters, and tours. But just as powerful as the organized events were the unplanned happenings — the spontaneous networking and side discussions. With each exchange came new thoughts and ideas, the kind that can lead to true change.

I had several discussions with people in hallways, over dinner or at poster sessions. Though the topics varied, the general idea was the same — how do we make change? And what kind of change or impact are we going to have?

Are we going to change parenting and social structure so students get the support from home to succeed in school? Are we going to change the amount of money federal and state government invests in education? Are we going to increase the math and science scores on standardized tests? Are we going to impact discipline and other educational issues?

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University Credit Available for Workshops

4/13/2006

Through an arrangement with the University of Idaho, participants in any of the four AgrowKnowledge Faculty Development Workshops can receive one undergraduate (AGED 405) or graduate credit (AGED 505) for the workshops. At the time of the workshop participants wanting University of Idaho credit will pay a very reasonable fee for undergraduate or graduate credit, and they will complete a short (one page) registration form. Transcript request forms will also be available at the time of registration.

Spread the word to others you know who might be interested in the workshops.

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Biotechnology in the News -- Attend a New Workshop

4/5/2006

We just added an additional faculty development workshop to our list for this year. This fourth workshop is in conjuction with Bio-Link. Participants in this workshop will be able to attend Bio-Link's Annual National Biotechnolgy Fellows Program, June 3 - 8, 2006 at the University of California, Berkeley.

Here are some interesting stories in today's news showing the importance of biotechnology.

Double-Digit Growth Pushes Biotech Industry Revenues Over $60 Billion

4/4/2006

In the 20th anniversary edition of “Beyond Borders: The Global Biotechnology Report 2006,” Ernest & Young reports that the revenues of publicly traded biotechnology companies surpassed $60 billion for the first time in the sector’s 30-year history.

“The global biotechnology industry’s revenues are growing at strong rates, product approvals are bringing innovative drugs to market, and the long-elusive goal of profitability is quickly approaching,” said Donn Szaro, leader, global biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors, Ernst & Young.

By virtually every performance indicator, the global biotechnology industry showed robust growth in 2005. Significant global milestones include: Revenues of the world’s publicly traded biotech companies grew 18% in 2005; as revenues increased, the industry’s net loss decreased by 30%; and the U.S., Canada, and the Asia- Pacific region collectively improved their bottom line by about $3 billion.

“Since our first report 20 years ago, we’ve seen historic scientific advances and dramatic changes in market conditions combine to produce a rapidly maturing industry,” said Szaro. “Companies from around the globe are pioneering new technologies, platforms, industry segments, and business models.”

Source: GEN Updates—Sticky Ends Online (http://www.genengnews.com/stickyends/article.aspx?sid=271)

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Delgado Community College Needs Your Help

3/29/2006

The Delgado Community College Horticulture program was devastated by the events associated with Katrina. They are still trying to recover and could use our helpful donations of the following:

 Student computers and printers w/ desks
 Reference books for Horticulture, Botany, Landscape Design, etc.
 Landscape equipment and tools
 Wheelbarrows
 Lawn & Landscape power equipment such as weed eaters, lawnmower, leaf blower, pruning equipment, etc.
 Hand tools, work gloves, measuring equipment for landscaping
 Soil, fertilizer, mulch, perlite, vermiculite
 Asst. pots and seed trays
 Seeds, plug trays, stock plant material
 Potting shed/ bench /storage bins
 Fans for small greenhouse
 Land line phone and a fax
 Any additional supplies not on this list are welcome!

The next page tells who to contact if you have a donation and also on the next page is an open letter from Bettie Abbate.

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Registration now open for workshops

3/27/2006

As of today, you can register online for the four new 2006 AgrowKnowledge Faculty Development Workshops. To register and to get full details on the workshops click on this link:
http://www.agrowknow.org/faculty-development/2006/

Save your spot in the workshops and register early. Travel and lodging stipends are available for qualified instructors, and registration for participants includes tour, class materials, most meals, and other benefits. Carefully read the full descriptions for each workshop.

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News Flash! SkillsUSA Announces a New College Competition

3/24/2006

SkillsUSA will be offering new national college competitions for the following programs of study that support fast growing occupation:

Geospatial Technology (http://www.skillsusa.org/geospatial.html)

These competitions are designed to provide colleges with an effective way to validate their technical programs and measure them against national standards. This new contest structure allows individual students to join SkillsUSA and enter a competitive event at the national level. An online exam will serve as a state qualifying system.

Online Qualifying Test
Students will be required to take an online qualifying exam to determine their contest eligibility. This test will be offered in March and April 2006. The online exam will test for academic knowledge, technical knowledge within the subject area, and general employability skills, in order to ensure a well-rounded individual.

National Competitions
Those with scores high enough to meet the national standard will be allowed to advance to the SkillsUSA Championships in Kansas City, Missouri for a three-day conference and competitive event in their technical area.

Industry recognition and medallions for winners will make this an exciting event that provides a career-enhancing opportunity for each participant. The contest will be planned and judged to industry standards for an entry-level worker in the field.

Events will be held on June 19-21, 2006 in Kansas City, Missouri. There will be opportunities to attend a general session with more than 12,000 participants at Kemper Arena, a hands-on competitive event, an awards ceremony, and an optional tour of the SkillsUSA Championships.

This is a demonstration event that allows students to compete at a national, $30 million event that has been hosted by business and industry for the benefit of technical students since 1967. The SkillsUSA conference currently offers more than 88 national competitions with nearly 5,000 competitors annually at the national level.

To register with SkillsUSA in order to receive additional information about these new events as it becomes available, go to: http://www.skillsusa.org/pscontestinfo.html

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AgrowKnowledge Awards Scholarships to 20 Students

3/16/2006

AgrowKnowledge, the National Center for Agriscience and Technology Education announced 20 scholarship awards for agriculture science students in 12 different states. The scholarships were funded by a grant from Pioneer Hi-Bred International.
Scholarships were awarded to students at colleges throughout the U.S. They include: Thompson School of Applied Science, NH; Hawkeye Community College, IA; Joliet Junior College, IL; Bismarck State College, ND; Blue Mountain Community College, OR; Ohio State Agricultural Technical Institute, OH; Parkland Community College, IL; Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, WI; Great Basin College, NV; Lake City Community College, FL; Ridgewater College, MN; College of Southern Idaho, ID; Vincennes University, IN; and Muscatine Community College, IA.

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Don Aslett and Jay Lehr keynoters

3/14/2006
During the recent AgrowKnowledge 5th Annual Conference in Kansas City, Don Aslett, World’s #1 Cleaning Expert, spoke to the participants of the conference. He told them that to draw attention to agriculture and the new careers in agriculture we need to “ag-ize” everything we do. To do this he demonstrated how he took one of the least admired careers, a janitor, and made it fun and recognizable by “janitor-izing” everything he did. Don told us of janitor rodeos, fashion shows, unique business cards and as the photo below shows unique objects to draw attention to the career.

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Successful AgrowKnowledge Conference Ended

3/10/2006
As they say: "And the rest is history." The 5th annual Emergying Technology Conference, "Technology: The Heart of Agriculture," ended on March 3rd. Approximately 150 participants were rewarded for their attendence, and over the next few weeks we will highlight some of the conference events and speakers.

The conference kickoff was a keynote by Dr. Joe Jen, Under Secretary of the USDA. Dr. Jen's humor, knowledge, and focus on science and technology set the stage for the next two days of conference presentations and workshops.

Here Dr. Jen is telling the group about a DVD from the USDA that can be used to teach history using the history of agriculture.

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Plan to Celebrate National Ag Week

3/19/2006

National Agriculture Day, celebrated each year on or around the first day of spring, March 20th, is a time to celebrate American agriculture and honor the people who work to meet our everyday needs.

This year’s celebration will kick-off on March 16, when associations, corporations, universities and government agencies will gather in our nation’s capital to educate Americans about how food, fuel and fiber products are produced and about the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.

The Agriculture Council of America is coordinating events in Washington, DC, to highlight the importance of agriculture to America’s economy and society. With speakers from government and industry, the celebration will serve to educate citizens about an industry many take for granted.

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Last Minute Change from USDA

2/23/2006

Due to a last minute change of plans Dr. Pierson will not be speaking at the AgrowKnowledge reception after all. Instead, Dr. Joseph Jen, Under Secretary, will take his place. Dr. Jen is Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics.

Joseph Jen was sworn in as the under secretary for research, education, and economics by Agriculture Secretary Ann. M. Veneman on July 17, 2001.

He will oversee four agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture: the Agricultural Research Service, the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, the Economic Research Service, and the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Jen is a widely recognized agricultural scientist and educator, with experience in both the public and private sectors. Since 1992, Jen has served as the dean of the College of Agriculture at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. In this capacity, Jen oversaw eleven departments with 3,500 students, 250 faculty and staff, and a budget in excess of $30 million.

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Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture at Conference

2/16/2006

News Flash!

Dr. Merle Pierson, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, will address the AgrowKnowledge 5th Annual Conference reception at 6:30 pm on February 28th. After his remarks to the conference participants he will be available for questions.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns appointed Dr. Merle D. Pierson as USDA's Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE) on July 15, 2005. He previously served as Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) from February 2, 2002 to December 1, 2004, and Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety from December 1, 2004 until his REE appointment. As Deputy Under Secretary, Pierson provides leadership to the four agencies that comprise the Research, Education and Economics mission area: the Agricultural Research Service; the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; the Economic Research Service; and the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

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AgrowKnowledge Annual Conference in Kansas City

2/10/2006

Conference-at-a-glance.
Please select sessions and tours.

Last day to Register for the 5th Annual Conference. Enjoy these benefits:
- Stipends still available
- 26 workshops/presentation
- 40 industry and college booths
- Industry tours
- Free curriculum
- Inspiring and informative keynote speakers

Don't miss out! Do it today and make your room reservations while rooms are still available.

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Great Keynote Speakers

2/3/2006

Register for sessions through our Conference-at-a-Glance

Deadlines approaching for registration discount of February 1, 2006 and registration will end February 6, 2006.

“Technology, the Heart of Agriculture” on February 28 - March 3, 2006 in Kansas City

Come hear Don Aslett and Dr. Jay Lehr, the keynote speakers, on March 1 & 2. You will be rewarded for your time!

Don Aslett, an Idaho born and raised farm boy, organized a “cleaning company” to earn his way through college. His company, Varsity Contractors, Inc., became so successful that even after graduation he stayed in cleaning. Now Varsity is one of the nation’s leading companies in the Total Facility Services industry, over 75 million in sales. Don’s first book, Is There Life After Housework? firmly established him as the World’s #1 Cleaning Expert. Don has written over 40 books, ranging from business to self help, and of course cleaning and dejunking!

Don is a nationally known speaker and media personality as well as consultant and owner of several businesses. He has given thousands of speeches, seminars, and presentations that are inspiring as well as entertaining. For businesses, organizations, schools, and youth groups, Don is a sought after keynote speaker and is a main show attraction at home and garden shows. Clients include: Bell/GTE Telephone, AmX, Procter and Gamble, US Navy, McDonald Douglas, AT&T, Kodak, Rubbermaid. At the AgrowKnowledge Conference, Don will address the topic of “meeting challenges and seeing new perspectives on old problems.”

Don and his wife, Barbara, are the parents of six children and eighteen grandchildren. The couple spends time at their homes on Kauai, Hawaii and in McCammon, Idaho.

For the AgrowKnowledge Conference, Don Aslett is kindly sponsored by John Deere.

more information

Plan to attend the 5th Annual AgrowKnowledge Conference

1/9/2006

Register for sessions through our Conference-at-a-Glance

Deadlines approaching for registration discount of February 1, 2006 and registration will end February 6, 2006.

“Technology, the Heart of Agriculture” on February 28 - March 3, 2006 in Kansas City

AgrowKnowledge, the National Center for Agriscience and Technology Education, announced the dates and place for their 5^th Annual Conference. This year’s conference will be held at the Clarion Hotel Sports Complex Kansas City, MO (816-737-0200). The conference theme is “Technology, the Heart of Agriculture.”

Participants can choose conference sessions from these six different areas relating to education in agriculture, food and natural resources: geospatial technology, biotechnology, agricultural literacy, information technology, educational issues, career awareness, bioterrorism and food safety. Participants will enhance their curriculum and teaching skills through hands-on workshops, networking with other instructors, businesses, poster sessions, industry booths, and learning more about the opportunities provided by AgrowKnowledge.

Register early as the first qualified 100 college or secondary agriculture, math or science instructors will receive a stipend for conference meals, lodging expenses, and $300 toward travel expenses. To register (and for more informati