Hello
all!
For
the last year I have had the privilege of serving as the President of this
fantastic organization. What started as group of friends around a meeting table at the
local bistro just a few years ago has grown into a diverse team of young men and
women who come together to accomplish so many wonderful things. I have learned
so much from working with my peers in this amazing, 100% volunteer
organization, and I am now honored to be stepping down from an active
leadership role in the group and passing the torch to an excellent executive
officer team.
I
cannot thank the group members and the 2013 executive officer team enough for
all their hard work over the last year. Below are a few bullet points on
just *some* of the outstanding things the group has accomplished:
- The group
has to date raised nearly $150,000, mostly through generous private
donations, to fund one of our activities, the Upson Lecture Series at
Kansas State University. There is still work to be done however, to meet
our goal of $250,000 to complete the endowment and ensure the long-term
sustainability of the lectureship. I am confident that the new leaders,
along with our faculty advisers, Drs. Dan Thomson and Don Boggs can and
will accomplish this goal in the near future, cementing and honoring Dr.
Upson's lifelong commitment and passion for educating K-State students and
the community.
- The
group hosted two extremely successful Upson Lectures led by outgoing ULS
Chair, Lacey Robinson, in the Spring and Fall of 2013, by Rachel
Ramsey-Cruze and Dr. Jude Capper, respectively.
- The
group has recently partnered with K-State's PowercatPR chapter of the
Public Relations Student Society of America, led by outgoing
Communications Chair, Cassie Kniebel, to aid in managing communications,
design, and event planning for the group's effort while also providing an
avenue to actively engage a group of future influential peers and share
experiences about agriculture.
- The
Outreach committee, led by outgoing and incoming chairman, Jacob
Hagenmaier, has engaged a group of students at the University of Kansas
Medical School in Kansas City and has begun initial plans and feasibility
assessments for a Joint Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance to take
place in the Kansas City area which will target human & veterinary
medicine and agricultural students at the state's two top universities.
While the conference hopes to bring to light and discuss an important and
inherently controversial topic among parties from human medicine,
veterinary medicine and agriculture, it will also provide a novel and
dynamic venue for communication and networking among groups of
students that is not provided anywhere else.
- Food
For Thought, led by logistics chairman Kiah Gourley, partnered with the
Kansas Soybean Association and the Kansas Pork Association to help plan
and execute an outreach event at Johnson County Community College in
Overland Park, Kansas, in February. The event provided hundreds of
primarily urban JCCC students information and education of how pork and
soybeans are produced and the importance of the two industries to one
another, family farmers, and the consumer. The JCCC culinary program
also participated in the event, providing a bountiful supply of everyone's
favorite meat candy, BACON!
- Perhaps
most important of all for the future success and sustainability of the
group, new members abound in the roster thanks to the tireless recruiting
efforts and activities of outgoing Membership chairman, Alex Moran.
I
am tremendously excited for the future of the group and have great confidence
that the list of accomplishments and achievements will continue to grow. Please
join me in thanking the group and the executive officer team for all their hard
work in the past year as well as congratulating and welcoming the incoming executive
officer team.
President: Hyatt Frobose
Hyatt was born and raised on a diversified
livestock and cropping operation in Pemberville, Ohio, and is currently a 2nd
year PhD student at K-state focusing on Swine Management and Nutrition. Hyatt
serves as the head coach of the KSU Meat Animal Evaluation Team and assistant
coach to the KSU Livestock Judging Team. As a founding member of Food For
Thought, he is excited to continue our mission of bridging the gap between
production agriculture and the end consumer. The group is currently engaged in
multiple outreach and agricultural advocacy programs, and will continue to
serve as a conduit for increased awareness about modern food production.
Logistics Chair: Tonia Traas
Tonia grew up in Waunakee, a small town in Wisconsin and attended
University of Wisconsin-Madison where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in
Animal Science. She is currently a second-year veterinary student at Kansas
State University interested in a career in beef production medicine. Although
not from a farming family, she worked on a dairy farm during her undergraduate
years which only fueled her desire to work in agriculture. Tonia has a great
amount of respect and passion for the agriculture industry and is excited to be
a part of the Food for Thought team!
Communications Chair: Brandi Buzzard-Frobose
Brandi
Buzzard Frobose is a native of Colony, KS where she grew up rodeoing and
showing livestock with her family. She attended Kansas State University where
she earned her B.S. in Animal Sciences and Agriculture Economics and her M.S.
in Animal Behavior, Well-Being and Health. Currently, Brandi is the Manager of
Issues Communication for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Outside
of her professional interests she enjoys spending time with her husband and
family, rodeoing, K-State sports, working on the farm and globetrotting. Her goals
going forward include increasing the number of monthly blog posts and taking reader
requests for blog content.
Upson Lecture Chair: Kiah Gourley
Kiah is a junior in Animal Science and
an Oregon pig farm is where she calls home. She has plans to attend graduate
school for swine nutrition once she graduates. Kiah is currently on the livestock
judging team and enjoys traveling with them to see the many different areas
involved in agriculture. She loves speaking on behalf of Ag to show
transparency within the industry that feeds us all.
Membership Chair: Karly Frederick
Karly
is a freshman in Ag-Business with a minor in Leadership from Alden, KS and grew
up on a farming and custom harvesting operation. She serves as an Ag Ambassador
for the College of Agriculture and enjoys promoting all things K-State and
Agriculture. As the new Membership chair
for Food For Thought, she hopes to recruit new members from diverse backgrounds
and interests. She looks forward to working with FFT in the next year and
helping to educate others about where their food comes from.
Outreach Chair: Jacob Hagenmaier
Jacob is a second year veterinary student at Kansas
State University, with an emphasis on Beef Production Medicine. He grew up on a
commercial cow-calf/backgrounding operation in the Flint Hills of Northeast
Kansas that sits on the homestead originally settled by ancestors from Germany.
Jacob developed a passion for agriculture at a very young age. He was very
involved in activities such as 4-H and FFA while growing up. His love for the
beef industry and agriculture in general has led him to veterinary school.
Jacob’s career goal is to obtain a position within the animal health sector
that allows him to work among the different segments of beef production and
help producers continue to meet the demands of a growing world population. He
hopes to find a position that fulfills this desire that is close to home and
will allow him to stay involved with the family operation. He enjoys being a
member of Food For Thought because of the ability of the group to work together
and looks forward to contributing to the group’s mission to educate consumers
that are removed from the farm.
It's plain to see that Food For Thought is in the capable hands of a great group of young leaders that
will continue to advance the standard of excellence for the group and the
community.
It has been a great pleasure and honor to serve the group.
Best Regards,
DJ
“In
God's wildness lies the hope of the world." - John Muir
