Bradley Sladek a Turfgrass Managment student in the Department of Plant and Soil Science , has been awarded the second highest 2005 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Award. The Program, funded by the Robert Trent Jones Endowment and administered throught The Environmental Institute for Golf, awards outstanding undergraduate students who are planning careers as golf course superintendents.

The Meats Judging Team placed 4th at the International contest in Dakota City, Nebraska, on November 13, 2005. The contest was hosted by Tyson Fresh Meats. It was a stiff competition with only a 46 point difference between 1st and 4th places. The team received an overall 2nd place in Placings and an overall 3rd place in Beef Judging. Charles "Cowboy" Mock, Animal Science major, received an individual 2nd place in Beef Grading. Justin Derington, also an Animal Science major, individually placed 3rd in Placings.

The Meats Judging Team was awarded 1st place at the Cargill Meat Solutions High Plains contest on October 30, 2005 where 15 university teams competed. They were 72 points above the 2nd place finisher, Iowa State University. Charles "Cowboy" Mock, an Animal Science major, placed 1st in High Individual Overall, Lamb Judging, and Reasons; 2nd place in Total Beef; and 3rd in Beef Judging and Pork Judging. Justin Derington, Animal Science major, placed 1st in Placings and 3rd in High Individual Overall. Due to the Meats Judging Team 1st place finish, Texas Tech received $6,550 in scholarship and endowment award money. Congratulations to the Meats Judging Team!

Recent alumni from the Texas Tech Rodeo Team are placed in the world standings. Kyle Bowers (Ag Education) is in 2nd place in bareback riding. Wes Stevenson (Interdisciplinary Agriculture) is 10th in the barebarck bronc riding with Talina Bird (Elementary Education) 13th in barrel racing. Greg Fuller (Ag Education) is 16th in bull riding. Texas Tech is proud of their accomplishments!

The 56th Texas Tech Rodeo was held October 20th-22nd with 17 colleges and universities participating. The men’s team placed second overall. Adam Gray, a senior civil engineering major, came in first place in calf roping; Hunter Cure, an Ag Economics major and the 2004 national champion steer wrestler, placed first in steer wrestling, and Ryan Gray, an Interdisciplinary Agriculture major, placed second in bareback bronc riding. Ryan Gray, the rodeo team captain, will participate in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas the first week in December. He is currently 4th in the PRCA world standings.

Two TTU Horse Judging Teams earned top five rankings at the Arabian Horse Association’s U.S. Nationals competition in Albuquerque, NM, October 28, 2005. The U.S. Nationals ranks as the most prestigious North American championship in the Arabian show horse industry. Both amateurs and professionals compete in a number of competition classes. Team A, comprised of Allison Rogers (Animal Science major), Ashley Opyt (Pre-Vet), Lauren Pond (Animal Science), Andrea Yelek (Ag Communications), and Rebecca Gotti (Animal Science), clinched the second spot in overall horse judging rankings. Team B, comprised of Jessica Clay (Animal Science), Kalyn Sanders (Ag Communications), Amy Bell (Animal Science), Greg Clark (Animal Science), and Brandy Daugherty (Animal Science), followed closely in third place. There was a 3 point difference between 2nd and 3rd places! Clark, Clay, Cody Maxwell (Pre-Vet major and on Team C), Opty, Rogers, Sanders, and Yelek earned top ten individual rankings in at least one contest division.

Texas Tech University College of Agricultural Sciences and

Natural Resources announces the creation of the $500,000 Bayer CropScience Endowed Professorship.

        The endowment will enable the college to expand its work in the molecular genetic enhancement of major crops with an emphasis on cotton. Genomics is the study of how genes are arranged on chromosomes and how they function and interact to impact plant growth and development.

       “With this professorship, the college can recruit a recognized scholar to the

Department of Plant and Soil Science," said Dr. Marvin Cepica, dean of the college.

"Genomics allows scientists to effectively use genes to improve traits such as plant production and to enhance the quality of the crops, all vital to the continued success of

our crop producers across the country."

 

       The professorship was presented by Dr. Mike Gilbert, global cotton manager of Bayer CropScience.

      

       "Bayer CropScience is proud to partner with Texas Tech University to fund this professorship in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources," said

Gilbert. "We are committed to agriculture and especially to the cotton seed and biotech industry. We are committed to plant science research as well as the development of today’s students. The scientists being educated today by Texas Tech will lead the agricultural industry in years to come. The research being conducted today will be an important platform to continue to provide food, feed, and fiber to a growing population."

     

      Bayer CropScience, through its FiberMax cotton seed brand, is the second largest cotton seed supplier in the United States. Bayer CropScience LP is the United States business of Bayer CropScience, which has its global headquarters in Monheim, Germany. The company, which has a global workforce of about 19,000 and is represented in more than 120 countries, is a world leader in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology.

 

      The professorship is one of several established under the Texas Tech University System Regents Faculty Endowment Program. The program is part of the university’s goal of recruiting and retaining quality faculty members.

 

Julie Weathers, a senior majoring in Animal Science, is a recipient of the 2005 Honors College Collaborative Learning Award.Â

The Meat Science Academic Quiz Bowl Team was named the 2005 National Champion Team at the Reciprocal Meats Conference held in Baltimore, MD.  Team members included Jesse Collins, Julie Weathers, and Jessica Clay, all seniors majoring in Animal Science.  17 teams competed in the competition; TTU defeated Texas A&M in the finals.

The Tech Equestrian Team was represented by Robin Morris, a junior range management major from Colorado City, TX, who placed 3rd at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) National Championships held May 5-8 in Sunbury, OH.  Morris competed against the top 18 riders in the nation for the title of Open Horsemanship champion.  This division is the highest level of competition for collegiate riders.

Riders competed on randomly selected horses and were not permitted time to practice with their mounts.  Competitors were judged on their riding ability, position, and accuracy, and completed a pattern with their horses.

Morris currently serves as the western student coach for the Equestrian Team and will continue to compete in intercollegiate competitions next year. 

This is the 3rd time in 4 years a member of Texas Tech’s Equestrian Team has competed at the IHSA national championships.