AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State University Ag Business Club brought back both the Outstanding Club and Creative Club Awards from a national competition.
The SS-AAEA or the Student Section of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association has awarded the club both awards for 11 of the past 15 years.
The Outstanding Club Award is based on the club’s activities during the past year, the application and its presentation.
The Creative Club Award is based on a new activity the club pursued during the year. Georgeanne Artz, club advisor and assistant professor of economics, said the activity should be one example other clubs would find useful.
“This year we did a mixer of sorts with industry representatives the day before Ag Career Day,” Artz said. “We modeled it after speed dating, so students could meet several representatives from different businesses.”
The club has about 250 members. The members who attended the meeting included Nate Christenson, a junior in agricultural business and global resource systems; Sydney Elson, a senior in agricultural business; Neil Gerstein, a senior in economics and global resource systems; DeAnna Hanner, a junior in agricultural business; Geordan Hanson, a junior in agricultural business; Katie Klaes, a senior in agricultural business; and Drew Mogler, a senior in agricultural business.
Gerstein received the Outstanding Paper Competition Award for “Food Security, Labor Efficiency and Technology Choice.”
Elson was selected to present her paper, “Changes in Local Recreation Patronage in Small Towns 1994-2014.”
Mogler placed second and Hanner placed third in the first Earl O. Heady Decision Tool Spreadsheet competition.
Artz co-advises the club with Amy Brandau, an academic advisor, and Ron Deiter, an economics professor.