Visit the College at the 2009 Farm Show

The many faces of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will be evident at the 2009 Pennsylvania Farm Show, Jan. 10-17 in Harrisburg. The showpiece will be an expanded exhibit with educational stage presentations, but the college's presence will be felt throughout the sprawling Farm Show Complex.

In the college's exhibit in the Main Exhibits Hall just off the Maclay Street entrance, a wide variety of displays will highlight the college's expertise and programs in areas such as land-use planning, bioenergy research, food-safety and preservation, and water quality. More...

You can also take a look at the college Farm Show exhibit via our WebCam

Time to Renew Your PSAC Membership

PSAC membership renewal notices were sent out in November for the 2009 calendar year. You should have received a CVENT email notice to renew your membership online with a check or credit card. Snail mail notices were sent to those who we do not currently have email addresses. The strength of the Penn State Ag Council is in its diverse membership – please renew today! If you did not receive an email renewal notice please contact Rhonda in the College Relations office at 814-863-2822 or rrr11@psu.edu.

Farewell Dinner for Dean Steele to be Held in Conjunction with April Delegate Meeting

Robert D. Steele, dean of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has announced that he will step down, effective July 1, 2009. Steele, who has served as dean since July 1, 1997, will join the college's faculty as a tenured professor in the Department of Food Science. More...

The Penn State Ag Council is hosting a farewell dinner for Dean Steele in conjunction with the council's April delegate meeting. The dinner will be held on Tuesday, April 7, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. This is an opportunity to show appreciation for all that Dean Steele has done for the College and the Ag Council.

The delegate meeting will follow on Wednesday, April 8, at Celebration Hall in State College. The program will be “The Changing Landscape of Agriculture: New Leadership, New Opportunities, New Challenges”. The program will focus on a federal perspective of agriculture under the new administration with speakers invited from the new administration, USDA, plus several Pennsylvania legislators.

You will receive one registration that includes BOTH events - you will be able to register individually for either one or for both. Please look for an email invitation soon.

College Capitol Day Scheduled for March 16, 2009

This year's College Capitol Day, sponsored by the Penn State Ag Council in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Council of Cooperative Extension Associations, will be held at the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg on March 16. Capitol Day provides an ideal opportunity for the agriculture community to educate legislators on the importance of agriculture to the state and the need to increase funding for agricultural research and extension programs. The day will include a morning training session for advocates, followed by legislative visits, and an ice cream social in the lower rotunda. You will be receiving a registration notice in January. Please plan on attending!

2008 Leadership Awards Presented

Jim Davis, Chair of the Ag Leadership Committee, presented the sixth series of leadership awards at the October 27, 2008, delegate meeting. The awards were created to recognize individuals in the agricultural community at large who demonstrate outstanding communications and advocacy skills; exhibit the highest levels of professionalism, performance, innovation, judgment, and problem-solving skills encourage personal development, partnerships, collaboration, and respect; and serve as a role model, mentor, diplomat, and inspiration. More...

Congratulations to the following recipients:

PSAC Leadership Award: Tom Wambaugh
PSAC Youth Leadership Award: Alex Lauffer, Senior, Agricultural and Extension Education
PSAC Leadership in Action Award: School of Forest Resources Alumni Group

You can submit a nomination for 2009 online here.

Ehrhart Elected to Council Board

Mathew Ehrhart, Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Foundation, was elected to the council board at the October delegate meeting. Ehrhart fills the vacant seat created with the rotation off the board of Past President James Shirk. Reelected to a second term were Kristen Goshorn, County Commissioners Association of Pa and James Davis, PA State Association of County Fairs.

Officers for 2009 were elected at the August board meeting to include:

Gregg Robertson, President, Pa Landscape & Nursery Association
Greg Kirkham, Vice President, Westfield Group
Joel Rotz, Treasurer, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
John Rodgers, Past President, Pennsylvania Forage & Grassland Council

Christ Named as New Senior Associate Dean

Barbara Christ, professor and head of plant pathology, has been named senior associate dean in the college, effective Jan. 1. She replaces Paul Wangsness, who retired earlier this year after serving the college as a faculty member and administrator for 37 years.

In her new position, Christ will have broad, college wide duties in planning and implementation related to programs, daily operations, budgets, safety, university policy and procedures, personnel, promotion and tenure, hiring and retention, facilities and land, external relations, and assistance for academic, regional and support units of the college. More...

Messina Named as New Director of School of Forest Resources

Michael Messina, professor and associate department head for undergraduate programs in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Texas A&M University, has been named director of Penn State’s School of Forest Resources, effective January 5, 2009. Messina will replace Charles Strauss, professor of forest economics, who is retiring after more than seven years as director and more than 47 years on the Penn State faculty. More...

Leadership Announced for Pennsylvania Legislative Committees

Legislative leadership elections have been held in both the house and senate for the state of Pennsylvania. Rep. Mike Hanna will continue to chair the House Ag and Rural Affairs Committee with Rep. Sam Rohrer as the new minority chair. Sen. Mike Brubaker will continue to chair the Senate Ag and Rural Affairs Committee with Senator O'Pake as vice chair. Sen. Jake Corman will chair the Senate Appropriations Committee with Jay Costa as minority chair. Rep. Dwight Evans is the chair of the House Appropriations Committee with minority chair Mario Civera.

On a federal note, two new Pennsylvania legislators, Kathy Dahlkemper (D-3) and Glenn Thompson (R-5), have been appointed to the Ag Committee.

2008 Fall Meeting Addressed Water Quality Issues

The fall council delegate meeting was held on October 27 at Celebration Hall in State College. The focus of the program was Upstream Effort, Downstream Impact: Pennsylvania Agriculture and the Chesapeake Bay. For more info click here.

Dean Robert Steele gave a college update, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, Marcos Fernandez, presented the new college enrollment numbers, and Ann Dodd, Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives, gave an update on the current strategic plan and implementation strategy. Presentations given at the meeting can be found by clicking below.

Ag and Environment
Foundation for Pa Watersheds
Pa Beef Council
College Strategic Planning
Undergraduate Education

2008 PSAC College Research Tour had Record Attendance

The ninth annual Penn State Ag Council Research Tour was held on Thursday, September 25, 2008, at the Snider Ag Arena at Penn State. The tour this year highlighted research in Bio-energy and Air and Water Quality. The groups visited a green roof and the olfactometer and attended presentations on nano technology, the Asian Long Horn beetle, water resources, and the Pennsylvania gas rush. The tour was attended by a record crowd of more than 100 people.

New College Blog

Steve Williams, photographer in the college of agricultural sciences, has started a new blog that presents a unique and insightful perspective of the college and agriculture. I highly recommend it!

Theoretical Agriculture - A camera view of agricultural research and science at Penn State.

Stay Connected to the College

To receive news releases from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences via electronic mail, send a blank e-mail message to join-agscinews-l@lists.cas.psu.edu, or call 814-865-6309 for more information.

Upcoming Events - Mark Your Calendars

January 10–17, 2009 Pennsylvania Farm Show
January 23, 2009 PSAC Board Meeting
February TBA Legislative Committee
March 16, 2009 College Capitol Day
April 7, 2009 PSAC Board Meeting
April 7, 2009 Farewell Dinner for Dean Steele
April 8, 2009 PSAC Delegate Meeting
April 25, 2009 Ag Action Network Skybox Event