The 2018 Ag Olympics took place on March 6! Several teams participated in various events, such as the Ag Watermelon Relay, which involved carrying a teammate with a watermelon, a hay bale hurdle with a watermelon and a mud crawl with a watermelon.
Congratulations to this year's winning team: Cow Bells, advised by Dr. Natasha Bell
Javelina Nation Representing in Washington D.C.
Dr. Kimberly McCuistion and Dr. David Ruppert traveled to Washington D.C. in March to attend the United States Department of Agriculture-Hispanic Serving Institution Program Directors Conference with several College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Science students -- Victor Flores, Jorge Chavarria, Miriam Rico, Gabby Garcia, and Jonah Trevino. The students presented poster presentations of their USDA-NIFA-funded research projects and summer internship experiences.
Chavarria to Attend Texas A&M University for Vet School:
Last summer, George Chavarria worked at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service as a summer intern under the USDA-NIFA Hispanic Service Institute funding from A&M-Kingsville. He is one of five animal science students who were accepted into the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine for fall 2018.
This fall will be the first year of a Memorandum of Agreement between Texas A&M University's Veterinary School and A&M-Kingsville, in which up to five additional slots are made available to students that qualify for Vet School.
Texas Beef Council's Pasture to Plate Program
This past April, Dr. Richard Machen and Dr. Tanner Machado hosted the Texas Beef Council's Pasture to Plate program. This year's event included 15 chefs and food/beverage management personnel from Hilton hotels. Participants came from Boston, New Orleans, Houston, Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth.
The participants also visited A&M-Kingsville. Topics of discussion included the United States beef industry, and pre-and-post-harvest beef production. Machado also conducted a beef fabrication demonstration in the meat lab.
Wildlife Photography Exhibition
A new course in Wildlife Photography was offered this semester by professional photographer Brian Loflin. Students who participated in the course had an exhibition of their photos on Sunday, May 6, at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Center.
Best Habitat photo by David Campbell
Best Wildlife photo by Alex Meza
Best in Show by Kelley Wood
Students received either camera bags or a cash award for their winning photos. The course will be offered again in the fall semester, along with a course in post-processing of digital wildlife photos.
72nd Annual Meeting of the Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Society
The 72nd Annual Meeting of the Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Society was held on February 9 at Rio Farms, Inc. in Monte Alto, Texas.
The society’s objective is to advance and develop subtropical plant sciences, animal sciences and environmental sciences. This year, over 300 participants attended, including several professors and students from Javelina Nation.
Dean of the Dick and Mary Lewis Kleberg College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences Dr. Shad Nelson was an invited speaker, and gave a presentation on the topic Advancing Student Learning Opportunities in the Agricultural and Biological Sciences through Hispanic-Serving Institutional Collaborations.
Dr. Randy Stanko was also an invited speaker, whose topic was Utilization of Hair Sheep as an Alternative Small Ruminant in South Texas.
Several additional accolades for A&M-Kingsville include plant and soil science student, Ruby Saldana, receiving second place in the student poster competition, and Dr. John da Graca receiving the Arthur T. Potts Award, which recognizes outstanding work in the horticulture industry.
Robstown Showbarns
A&M-Kingsville Agriculture Science hosted FFA competitions for our area's 115 local high school FFA programs. Many agriculture students were on deck to help assist with hosting responsibilities for the more than 1,400 high school students in attendance.
Vet Tech Student Offered Position in Florida Keys
Congratulations to veterinary technology student Beatriz Jiminez, who has been offered a job in the Florida Keys! The vet tech senior completed an externship with renowned reptile expert Dr. Doug Mader last summer. Jiminez graduated in May.
Read more about her adventure in the Florida Keys in the Fall 2017 issue of Javelina Today.
First Annual Veterinary Technology Oath and Reception Ceremony
Seventeen veterinary technology students received commemorative pins during the first annual Veterinary Technology (VETT) Oath Ceremony and Reception on Friday, May 18. Watch the recap below:
A Moment with Veterinary Technology
Take a behind-the-scenes look at the A&M-Kingsville veterinary technology program! We dive into the differences between pre-vet and veterinary technology, and also explore the hands-on facets of the program.
Javelinas Helping Boy Scouts
JAVELINAS IN THE NEWS: Several A&M-Kingsville agricultural students helped a group of Boy Scouts earn a merit badge by learning basic welding skills. Read more about their experiences in the Kingsville Record and Bishop News.
