Standout students, staff and faculty from across Texas Tech's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources were honored this month as part of its virtual Honors Banquet. Sponsored by the CASNR Ag Council, the annual event features a variety of honors, including selection of this year's overall Outstanding CASNR Student and May 2021 CASNR Banner Bearer Taylor Schertz, a senior animal science major from Krum, Texas.

Recipients of the outstanding student departmental awards were:

• Agricultural & Applied Economics: Chase Gibson
• Agricultural Education & Communications: Sherrie Ray
• Animal & Food Sciences: Taylor Schertz
• Landscape Architecture: Katie Roberson
• Plant & Soil Science: Alexandra Lee
• Natural Resources Management: Jorge Alejandro Ochoa Gonzalez

Students with the highest academic achievement in their respective departments were:

• Agricultural & Applied Economics: Matthew Blalock, Chase Gibson, Timothy Lilly, Morgan Miller, Allison Morgan, Abigail Spindle, Tyllor Ledford, and Grace Blackwell
• Agricultural Education & Communications: Megan Dunn, Avery Price, Sherrie Ray, Creigh Rourke, Madison Schumacher, Kamryn Pepper, Samantha Barnett, Kylie Harlan and Lacy Jackson
• Animal & Food Sciences: Grace Baxter, Sarah-Jane French, Devin Gonzales, Taylor Schertz, Kamlynn Thomas, Tatum Whitewood, Allyssa Almager, Riley Bridgewater, Megan Letkeman, Juliannna Norrell, Anjali Patel and Bailey Wheeler
• Landscape Architecture: Katie Roberson
• Natural Resources Management: Jansen Ivie, Johnathan Syfert and Justin Dawsey
• Plant & Soil Science: Alexandra Lee, Haynes Lafferty, Jonathan Peters and Roland Rodriguez

Outstanding students in each discipline were:

• Agricultural Communications: Morgan Miller
• Agricultural Education: Sherrie Ray
• Animal Science: Taylor Schertz
• Food Science: Bailey Teter
• Agricultural & Applied Economics: Timothy Martin Lilly
• Agribusiness: Chase Gibson
• Conservation Law Enforcement: Colten Davis
• Natural Resources Management: Jorge Alejandro Ochoa Gonzalez

Ag Council ‘Matador of the Month' recipients were:

• Cason Lutrick – AgriTechsans
• Belinda Brown – Collegiate FFA
• Ariana Rivera – Wildlife Society
• Mia Lopez – Sigma Alpha
• Kallie Childress – Block & Bridle
• Emmie Grace Mynatt – Wool Judging
• Tyler Brimager – AgriTechsans

Separately, Ag Council leaders for the 2020-2021 were recognized. They are Kylie Harlan, president; Conner Watts, vice president; Samantha Barnett, treasurer; and Jamie Hubbell, scribe. The club of the semester for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 was AgriTechsans.

Meanwhile, outstanding professor awards went to Ronald Phillips, an adjunct professor in the Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics for Fall 2020, and Laura Fischer, an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Education & Communications for Spring 2021. Outstanding staff members were Matt Williams from the CASNR’s Development & External Relations Office for Fall 2020 and Macie Williams from the CASNR Dean's Office for Spring 2021.

Morgan Miller, a senior agricultural communications major from Hotchkiss, Colorado, was named the Outstanding Returning Agri-Techsan; and Tyler Brimager, a sophomore natural resources management major from, New Braunfels, Texas, and Jeremiah Neal, a sophomore agricultural communications major from Jacksonville, Texas, were recognized as the Outstanding First Year Agri-Techsans.

In other action, Kenneth Madrid, a senior animal science major from Guatemala, was named the 2020-2021 Overall Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher for Natural Science. This is the fifth year these undergraduate awards have been presented.

Ag Council members include the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow; Agricultural Economics Association; Agri-Techsans; Agronomy Club; Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity; Alpha Zeta; Ambassadors for Agriculture; American Society of Landscape Architects; Block & Bridle; Collegiate 4-H; Collegiate FFA; Collegiate Horsemen's Association; Equestrian Team; Food Science Club; Horse Judging Team; Livestock Judging Team; Meat Judging Team; Meat Science Association; MANRRS; Rodeo Team; Sigma Alpha Sorority; Soil Judging Team; Student Association for Fire Ecology- SAFE; Tech Pre-Vet Society; Wildlife Society of Texas Tech; and Wool Evaluation Team.

CONTACT: Cindy Akers, Interim Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or cindy.akers@ttu.edu 

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