CALS Online and Dean’s Message
Feb. 17, 2025
Dean’s Message
Hello CALS – Please be careful in the cold this week. And, as always, special thanks to our crews on the farms and elsewhere who work outside no matter the weather. Last week, I was in Arizona with two of our CALS Development directors, Nick Van Berkum and Michelle Blair, to visit alums and donors to the college, and to attend a university-wide ISU Foundation event to recognize the people who support us so generously with their time, treasure and talent… Next week, a group of us will attend the annual APLU CARET meeting and Capitol Hill visits in Washington, D.C. to promote federal funding for Land-grant Universities…
Top Stories
Bird-Tracking Study Shows Nonstop Flight to South America
Nonstop flights direct from Iowa to Venezuela are rare, unless you happen to be a well-fed pectoral sandpiper. They are the most common long-distance migratory shorebirds seen in Iowa, which is a convenient stopping point between their Arctic breeding grounds and their winter home in South America. And according to research by Stephen Dinsmore and graduate student Victoria Fasbender, natural resource ecology and management, if it finds plentiful resources to refuel, a pectoral sandpiper can make Iowa its last stop before a continuous flight of around four days covering thousands of miles. “Many of them didn’t stop anywhere in between Iowa and northern South America. That was surprising to us and hadn’t been documented from here before,” Dinsmore said.
Research
CALS Faculty Receive RIR Funding
The fall Research and Innovation Roundtable focused on the theme of Creating Circular Economies through Sustainability Innovations. Three proposals were selected for support, including Circulating Recovered Agricultural Products. The principal investigator is Jean-Philippe Tessonnier, chemical and biological engineering. Co-PIs are Lisa Schulte Moore, natural resource ecology and management, and Aude Watrelot, food science and human nutrition.
Teaching and Students
CALS Placement Rate Reaches 98.5%
CALS Career Services reports an undergraduate placement rate of 98.5% for students graduating summer and fall of 2023 and spring 2024. Placement includes students who are employed, furthering their education or fulfilling military obligations. “It’s important for people to realize these numbers are reflective of the ’23-24 academic year – which was a very solid year for hiring,” said Mike Gaul, director of CALS Career Services. “Given the current state of the ag economy, next year’s outcomes data could be a bit more interesting.” Of the 1,043 graduates, 77.1% were employed. Of those working, 59.8% remained in Iowa for their first employment experience, the lowest percentage in 27 years; 3.5% returned to a family farm environment, the lowest percentage in 23 years. Those furthering their education totaled 21.4%, well above the 27-year average of 17.6%.
Top Employers of CALS Undergraduates, 2023-2024
Mike Gaul, director of CALS Career Services, reports the following top 10 employers of CALS students who received their bachelor’s degrees during 2023-2024:
- Iowa State University with 29 hires.
- Corteva Agriscience with 24.
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources with nine.
- Bayer CropScience, Cargill and John Deere with eight each.
- Heartland Co-op, ISU Extension and Outreach and USDA Agricultural Research Service with seven each.
- USDA Farm Service Agency with six.
Student Club Spotlight: Iowa Corn Growers Collegiate Club
The Iowa Corn Growers Collegiate Club is the student affiliation group of the Iowa Corn Growers Association at Iowa State. Club goals include connecting with people in the industry, learning about job opportunities and internships, and understanding how Iowa Corn impacts different areas in agriculture.
Seed Science Center Awards 2025 Scholarships
The Seed Science Center Scholarship Program at Iowa State continues to recognize and support outstanding students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, interpersonal skills, and a strong interest in seed science and the seed industry. Open to students across all majors within CALS, these scholarships provide financial support and professional recognition to the next generation of seed industry leaders.
Eight CALS Students Serving as FFA State Officers
Eight of the nine FFA state officers call the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences home:
- Collin Bauer, junior in agricultural and life sciences education, president.
- Chloe Zittergruen, sophomore in agricultural communication, secretary.
- Kadence Boender, sophomore in animal science, reporter.
- Brooke Booth, sophomore in animal science, southwest vice president.
- Cody Messer, sophomore in animal science, southeast vice president.
- Tucker Rohrig, sophomore in animal science, south central vice president.
- Colton Pepin, freshman in animal science.
- Creed Monroe, sophomore in agricultural business, northeast vice president.
Extension and Outreach
Iowa Nitrogen Initiative Launches N-FACT App
The Iowa Nitrogen Initiative recently launched a new decision support tool, called N-FACT, Nitrogen Fertilizer Application Consultation Tool. The tool takes multiple field-level production variables into account, then recommends an optimal nitrogen application rate to help farmers balance productivity, environmental stewardship and input costs.
Calculator Available to Use with Feed Contingency Planning Publication
A recent publication from the Iowa Pork Industry Center on contingency planning regarding feed now has an accompanying calculator and information sheet to assist producers in preparing for the unexpected. Mark Storlie, ISU Extension and Outreach swine specialist, said the calculator provides a hands-on opportunity to estimate pen feed allocations.
Registration Open for Shared-Use Kitchen Workshop
Many small food processing businesses start in their operators’ home-based kitchens. For those wishing to expand beyond their home, the next step may be to use a shared-use kitchen facility. Small food processing businesses can learn about shared-use kitchens during an upcoming workshop on March 31 and April 1 at the ISU Alumni Center.
Around the College
CALS Faculty Collaborate with Kosovan Professors
Two workshops on enhancing science with practice for experiential learning and on using artificial intelligence to support academia and businesses in Kosovan agriculture are examples of efforts to strengthen applied research capabilities, improve teaching methodologies and expand experiential learning opportunities for agriculture students in Kosovo. The “Science with Practice” workshop, led by Mike Retallick and Dusti Ingles, agricultural education and studies, explored ways to integrate research and practical experiences into the curriculum and co-curricular activities. The “Utilizing AI in Agriculture” workshop, led by Joshua Peschel, agricultural and biosystems engineering, demonstrated how generative AI can enhance academic and agricultural practices.
Beitz Receives 2025 CANR Alumni Award
Donald Beitz, animal science and biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, will receive the Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Outstanding Alumni Award at a March 7 awards program. Beitz earned his doctorate in dairy nutrition and biochemistry from CANR in 1967.
Nominations for Gamma Sigma Delta due March 7
The Iowa chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society of agriculture, is accepting nominations for membership and awards. Nomination forms for faculty, staff and alum membership and awards are available online and are due March 7, at 5 p.m.
Calendar
Feb. 21: CALS Chat with the Dean
Dean Robison will host a CALS Chat on Friday, Feb. 21, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in 220 Science II. The informal, drop-in event will be an opportunity for casual conversation.
Feb. 26: Mosaic and Tile Art Walk
University Museums is hosting a mosaic and tile art walk on Feb. 26 from noon to 1 p.m. in the Molecular Biology Building. Science-inspired mosaics in the Molecular Biology Building and Hach Hall will be featured.
Marginalia
‘A Muddy Night’ Featured in Dean’s Gallery
Wyatt Bailey, a graduate student in agronomy and plant pathology, entomology and mircobiology, has two pieces of artwork featured in the “Crosspollinating Art and Science” exhibit located in the Dean’s Gallery of Curtiss Hall – “The Lay of the Land” and the exhibit’s “Most Inspired” award winner, “A Muddy Night.” “One of the most iconic paintings in history was completed by Vincent van Gogh,” Bailey said. “As a soil science major, the greatest cross-pollination in my mind between science and art is a rendition of ‘The Starry Night’ using earthen materials. I attempt to reimagine the movement of brushstrokes with mud and the prominence of a French town with a windmill and farmstead.”
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online
Julie Stewart, Editor
jstewart@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5616
https://www.cals.iastate.edu/cals-online
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Online, the newsletter for faculty and staff in Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is published by email every Monday. The deadline for submitting content is 12 p.m. on Thursday.