In this Issue

  • News from the College of Ag
  • COA Faculty of the Month
  • Awards and Achievements
  • Events
  • Publications, Grants and Funding Opportunities

News from the College of Ag

More MSU in the news:

  • Eric and Emma Wickens, owners of Wickens Salt Creek Ranch and MSU alumni, will be recognized with the 2024 Montana Leopold Conservation Award at the Montana Farm Bureau annual convention in November. Read more about their award here!

COA Faculty of the Month

The October faculty member of the month is Rachel Frost of the ARS department! Dr. Frost is the director of the Dan Scott Ranch Management Program, and she was nominated for constantly going above and beyond as a teacher and adviser. She connects her classes with industry professionals, demonstrates a commitment to each student and tailors their educational experience to help them succeed. Congratulations, Dr. Frost!

Awards and Achievements

  • Denise De La Garza, administrative associate in Animal & Range Sciences, received the Director’s Distinguished Staff Award for MSU Extension.
  • Numerous COA, MAES and Extension faculty and staff were recognized at MSU’s Milestones in Service ceremony this month (including our very own dean Dr. Sreekala Bajwa celebrating 5 years at MSU!) Thank you to these exceptional individuals for their dedication to MSU’s mission!
    • 35 years: Bridget Westfall, PSPP; Mark Quinn, WIMU; Denise Thompson, ARS
    • 30 years: Sandy Rahn-Gibson, Extension; Tim McDermott, LRES; Tamera Marcotte, Animal Resource Center; Jeanne Gripentrog, PSPP; Irene Decker, PSPP
    • 25 years: Jane Wolery, Extension; Ed Schmidt, MCB; Sharla Sackman, Extension; Tracy Mosley, Extension; Peggy Lamb, NARC; Jane Ann Boles, ARS
    • 20 years: Cecil Tharp, ARS; Jamie Sherman, PSPP; Igor Schepetkin, PSPP; Fabian Menalled, LRES; Annette Galioto, Extension; Alan Dyer, PSPP
    • 15 years: Lisa White, ARS; Steve Stowers, MCB; Tracy Sterling, LRES; Stacie Rath, LRES; Deborah Holman, Extension; Greg Gilpin, DAEE; Ronald Brown, EARC; Jack Brookshire, LRES; Eric Boyd, MCB
    • 10 years: Ileana Yates-Johnson, WIMU; Heather Walk, MCB; Megan Van Emon, ARS; Jessica Torrion, DRC; Ryan Thum, PSPP; Deann Snyder, MCB; Dusty Perry, DATE; Lance McNew, ARS; Kari Lewis, Extension; Faye Jorgensen, PSPP; Eleri Haney, NARC; Thomas Gross, EARC; Eva Grimme, PSPP; Hannah DelCurto, ARS; Jackelyn Beardsley, Extension
    • 5 years: Qing Yan, PSPP; Sam Wyffels, ARS; Mike Walach, DATE; Jennifer von Sehlen, ARS; Chloe Rice, PSPP; Joel Raisler, Ft. Keogh; Aaron Mugaas, Extension; Kaleena Miller, Extension; Sarah McCoski, ARS; Melissa LoPalo, DAEE; Christian Larson, LRES; Heather Ireland, MCB; Jenni Hammontree, CARC; Terrill Braaksma, COA; Jennifer Birdsall, LRES; Andrea Berry, Extension; Haley Barker, Extension; Sreekala Bajwa, COA; Rachel Anderson, MCB.

Recent Events

  • The Idaho-Montana chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects held their biennial conference, Rendezvous, at MSU Sept. 19-21, hosting over 100 landscape design professionals and students from MSU and the University of Idaho. Landscape design faculty Rebekah VanWieren and Kirsten Ostberg helped organize and present at a field trip event to Story Mill Community Park and campus landscape tour. Senior undergraduate landscape design presented studio projects with practitioners at a poster session. Thanks to Jennifer Thomson for kicking off the conference by giving a wonderful welcome message!
  • Earlier this month, the Department of Ag & Tech Education’s senior Broadfield Teaching Cohort traveled to Billings to attend the Montana Association of Career and Technical Education Conference. Immediately following the conference, all nine students completed the Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE 4 Learning) AG X certification, a national agricultural education certification program.
  • Students in Tim DelCurto's beef cattle management lab attended a foot-scoring clinic held Sept. 26, at the BART Farm. Taylre Sitz, a recent animal science master’s graduate advised by DelCurto, led the clinic, during which students scored and recorded hoof traits, giving them hands-on experience to apply what they learned in the classroom. Sitz’s master’s research, "Importance of Foot and Leg Structure for Beef Cattle in Forage-Based Production Systems," focused on foot scoring and its importance in the selection of animals well suited for forage-based production systems. It was published in Animals in 2023 and has been downloaded more than 4,400 times.

A recap of the 2024 Mountain Meat Summit from ARS/Extension’s Tommy Bass

The Mountain Meat Summit brought together over 130 key figures in the local and regional meat supply chain, including chefs, processors, educators and producers. The event was dedicated to advancing market opportunities, building connections and enhancing skill development, with a strong emphasis on business-to-business collaboration. Highlights included educational tours, technical sessions and networking opportunities. We are deeply grateful to our speakers and tour hosts, who took time away from their businesses to share their wisdom and experience. Additionally, the Summit would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. I believe we all gained valuable insights and connections that will further strengthen our meat supply chain. We hope you’ll join us in Colorado in 2025!

Stats from the Mountain Meat Summit:

  • 100% of respondents said they gained new information from the event
  • 94% said the event would help me be more effective in their jobs
  • 92% said the information they gained would help them reduce risk, save money and/or better grow their businesses

Upcoming Events

Publications and Funding Opportunities

Recent Publications

Recent Grants

  • Lance McNew: “Identifying Conservation Priority Areas for Rangeland Wildlife on BLM lands in the Northern Great Plains.” Bureau of Land Management.

Funding Opportunities

Several calls for proposals from Western SARE are currently open: