Contact:
 Dean Browell ,  (540) 365-4301, dbrowell@ferrum.edu

    The 19th annual Agriculture Banquet was held on Saturday, April 29, 2006 in Franklin Hall on the Ferrum College campus. This event brings together alumni, current students and their families, Life Sciences faculty, and guests. Dr. George Byrd, Associate Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences Division Chair, and Dr. Jennifer Braaten, President of Ferrum College made opening remarks. During the banquet, Mr. Scott Sink, Virginia Farm Bureau, spoke on the opportunities available to the Ferrum College Agriculture Club and the Agriculture Program through their participation in the Young Farmers Committee of the Virginia Farm Bureau. After Mr. Sink’s speech, Dr. George Byrd and Dr. Daryl Nash, Assistant Professor of Agriculture and Agriculture Program Coordinator, began the awards portion of the banquet.

    Each year the members of the Ferrum College Agriculture Club vote for a club member of the year for each class and officer of the year. The 2005-2006 recipients are:

Freshman of the Year: Tim Shipe (Agriculture major and Teacher Education minor from Staunton, VA)
Sophomore of the Year: Jason Emigh (Environmental Science major and Agriculture minor from Midlothian, VA)
Junior of the Year: Tabitha Puckett (Pre-Veterinary major from Hillsville, VA)
Senior of the Year: Heather Logee (Horticulture major from Eastford, CT)
Officers of the Year: Heather Logee and Amanda Sale (Agroecology major from Spotsylvania, VA)

    Each year the Agriculture professors, Dr. George Byrd and Dr. Daryl Nash, present Academic Achievement awards to Agriculture majors and Agriculture Club members. The 2005-2006 Academic Achievement award winners are:

Amy Hoback, a freshman Agriculture major from Wytheville, VA
Porter Knight, a sophomore Environmental Science major from Ashland, VA
Heather Logee, a senior Horticulture major from Eastford, CT
Kimberly Mitchell, a sophomore Pre-Veterinary major from Somers Point, NJ
John Myers, a senior Agriculture major and Economics minor from Chatham, VA
Amanda Overfelt, a senior Horticulture major from Patrick Springs, VA
Ashley Pitsenbarger, a freshman Agriculture major from Churchville, VA
Tabitha Puckett, a junior Pre-Veterinary major from Hillsville, VA
Derek Ritenour, a senior Agriculture major and Teacher Education minor from Mount Jackson, VA
Amanda Sale, a senior Agroecology major from Spotsylvania, VA
Autumn Spencer, a freshman Pre-Veterinary major from Ferrum, VA

    The average GPA of the 2005-2006 Academic Achievement award recipients is 3.47.
During the awards portion of the banquet, Dr. Daryl Nash also announced the recipients of the Cattleman’s Awards for the 2006 Cattle Show. Each year, the students in the Fitting and Showing class (AGR-150) vote for the Cattleman's Awards, given to the students who helped their classmates the most and gave extra effort to prepare for the annual Cattle Show. The 2006 recipients of the Cattleman’s Awards are Tim Shipe (a freshman Agriculture major and Teacher Education minor from Staunton, VA) and Chuck English (a freshman Agriculture major from Mechanicsville, VA). Both Chuck and Tim received engraved plaques at the Agriculture Banquet.

    After the conclusion of the awards portion of the banquet, the new Agriculture Club officers for 2006-2007 were announced and outgoing Agriculture Club president, Amanda Sale, was honored with a gift from the 2005-2006 officers.

    The Agriculture Club officers for 2006-2007 are as follows:

President Jason Emigh, a sophomore Environmental Science major and Agriculture minor from Midlothian, VA
Vice President Tabitha Puckett, a junior Pre-Veterinary major from Hillsville, VA
Secretary Kimberly Mitchell, a sophomore Pre-Veterinary major from Somers Point, NJ
Treasurer Tim Shipe, a freshman Agriculture major and Teacher Education minor from Staunton, VA
Historian Ashley Pitsenbarger, a freshman Agriculture major from Churchville, VA
Reporter Autumn Spencer, a freshman Pre-Veterinary major from Ferrum, VA
Parliamentarian Chuck English, a freshman Agriculture major from Mechanicsville, VA

    Special guests of the Ferrum College Agriculture Club and Agriculture Program in attendance were Dr. Jennifer Braaten, President of Ferrum College; Mr. Leo Scott and his wife, Geraldine; Mr. Ed Goode and his wife, Reva; and Mr. Scott Sink (speaker). Mr. Leo Scott owns KC Farms (registered Red Angus) in Ferrum, is a Ferrum College alumnus and the 2001 recipient of the Beckham Medallion, Ferrum’s highest alumni honor. Mr. Ed Goode is also a Ferrum College alumnus, a former agriculture instructor at Ferrum, and a retired Franklin County dairy farmer.
      Ferrum College is a four-year, private, co-educational, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Ferrum offers a choice of nationally recognized bachelor’s degree programs at a cost well below the national average for private colleges. For more information on Ferrum, visit www.ferrum.edu.

Contact:
 Dean Browell ,  (540) 365-4301, dbrowell@ferrum.edu

    The 2006 Ferrum College Cattle Show was held on Saturday, April 29th. The Cattle Show is the culmination of the Fitting and Showing class (AGR-150), which is taught each spring by Dr. Daryl Nash, Assistant Professor of Agriculture and Agriculture Program Coordinator. The following nine students participated in the 2006 Cattle Show:

Brian Darden, a senior Agriculture major from Newsoms, VA
Chuck English, a freshman Agriculture major from Mechanicsville, VA
Bari Hamric, a freshman Health Sciences major from Newport News, VA
Amy Hoback, a freshman Agriculture major from Wytheville, VA
Reagan Miles, a senior Biology major and Agriculture minor from Christiansburg, VA
Ashley Pitsenbarger, a freshman Agriculture major from Churchville, VA
Tabitha Puckett, a junior Pre-Veterinary major from Hillsville, VA
Will Sealey, a freshman Agriculture major from Troutville, VA
Tim Shipe, a freshman Agriculture major and Teacher Education minor from Staunton, VA.

    During the Cattle Show, students are judged on their ability to fit (prepare by washing and grooming) their heifer for show and on their ability to show cattle (getting their heifer to stand in such away that makes the animal look its best, to lead and control their heifer, to show respect for the animals as well as the other participants, and respond to the judge’s questions and commands). This year’s judge was Gayle McNeil, a 2002 Ferrum graduate. Gayle was raised on a dairy farm and has an extensive background fitting cattle for show and showing cattle. As a 4-H member, she was a four-time Virginia state champion in cattle fitting and showing. Gayle was a Virginia state officer for the Future Farmers of America (FFA). Ferrum students Julie Anderson and Derek Ritenour photographed and videotaped the Cattle Show.

    Cattle for the show were loaned to the students by Leo Scott, a Ferrum College alumnus and owner of KC Farms (registered Red Angus) in Ferrum, and Don Sink, owner of Southway Dairy (Holsteins) near Rocky Mount. Hay was donated by Leo Scott. Grain pellets were donated by the Jack Garst Agency, a Southern States Cooperative retail store in Boones Mill, in conjunction with the Southern States Cooperative feed mill in Vinton. Cattle fitting and showing demonstrations were given to the students during the course by a Ferrum alum, Gayle McNeil, and three current Ferrum agriculture majors, Billy Hughes, Jake Leonard, and Steven Michael. During the 2006 Cattle Show, the Ferrum College Agriculture Club sold garden plants and hamburger and hot dog lunches.

    Each year, the students in the Fitting and Showing class vote for the Cattleman's Awards, given to the students who helped their classmates the most and gave extra effort to prepare for the show. The 2006 Cattleman’s Award winners are Tim Shipe (beef) and Chuck English (dairy). Both received plaques at this year's Agriculture Banquet. Tim is a freshman Agriculture major and Teacher Education minor from Staunton, VA, and Chuck is a freshman Agriculture major from Mechanicsville, VA.

    Two classes of cattle were judged on Saturday. The placings in each class were as follows:

Beef Heifers (Red Angus)

Fitting:
1st) Ashley Pitsenbarger
2nd) Tabitha Puckett
3rd) Tim Shipe

Showing:
1st) Ashley Pitsenbarger
2nd) Tim Shipe
3rd) Tabitha Puckett

Dairy Heifers (Holsteins)

Fitting:
1st) Reagan Miles
2nd) Brian Darden
3rd) Will Sealey
4th) Chuck English
5th) Bari Hamric

Showing:
1st) Brian Darden
2nd) Reagan Miles
3rd) Will Sealey
4th) Bari Hamric
5th) Chuck English

      Ferrum College is a four-year, private, co-educational, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Ferrum offers a choice of nationally recognized bachelor’s degree programs at a cost well below the national average for private colleges. For more information on Ferrum, visit www.ferrum.edu.