Hello, CALS,
It’s a beautiful day here in Ames, and we even got some rain yesterday for the thirsty ground all around us. It was a terrific weekend for our college and the university, even if the final score of the CyHawk game did not reflect that. It’s the rivalry that makes it especially fun, and, well, sometimes especially hard to see the score. We’ll have another go at it next year!
The rest of the weekend was filled with wonderful things for us.
We started with the ribbon-cutting dedication of the new Iowa State University Kent Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex! You have all heard of this project coming along for years and years. Now it's ready to fire up! The idea emerged in about 2014 under then dean, now President Wintersteen’s leadership, and over the following years, came together slowly and then more rapidly until today as the equipment gets whirling, students begin learning and so much more. It is the newest and greatest facility – undoubtedly the largest laboratory on campus! Attending the dedication on Friday afternoon were representatives of all the major sponsors, many future users, and about 400 cheering fans. Truly a great celebration.
There are so many people to thank for their work and dedication to the Feed Mill project and its beginning and continuing success. Truly too many to name here in this brief Monday note. So please accept this THANK YOU to all!
On Saturday, I visited several tailgating tents, including those of Iowa Corn, Kent Corporation, PivotBio and lots more. All of them were cheering on the Cyclones and CALS! At the game itself, our college was able to entertain representatives from a number of the organizations that sponsored the Feed Mill project and continue the celebration of that all the way to the end of the fourth quarter.
On Sunday, Jason Ross and I had the great opportunity to attend and speak to the fall gathering of the Iowa Master Farmer Association. Since 1926, this organization, first of Wallace’s Farmer Magazine (Henry A. Wallace founded the award), and now of Farm Progress, has recognized extraordinary participants and servants of the agriculture sector – many of them are Cyclones, too. It was a pleasure to be with those fine folks on Sunday. Please think of terrific people to nominate for the Iowa Master Farmer award. Nominations for next year are due Sept. 15 – there's still time to get one submitted.
And finally, today is Sept. 11. A day of remembrance and dedication to the highest and best ideals of the United States. I’ve heard that about 30% of today’s Americans were not alive on that day in 2001, and an even larger share of the world’s population. But it is a day that rings with agony and a day that deserves awareness by all. It is a day that should engage us all worldwide in a common determination to make the world a better place, to strive "for liberty and justice for all," and to remember those fallen. Please do.
My best for a great week. - Dan
Scenes from CALS
The names of key donors are displayed on a wall inside the Iowa State University Kent Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex, which was dedicated last week Friday afternoon with 400 people attending - a grand celebration!
At the CyHawk game on Saturday, our friends and colleagues at Iowa Corn can be seen on the TV screen as they were recognized on the field as sponsors of the CyHawk series.
You can tell the fall semester is underway with the many events CALS has taken part in already, including the Student Innovation Center's EXCITE open house Aug. 31, the annual CALS Alumni BBQ Sept. 2, and the BBMB Summer Undergraduate Research Program 2023 Research Showcase Sept. 7. We were pleased to present this year's CALS Emerging Iowa Leader Award to Martha Smith (’04 agricultural business, international agriculture) during the BBQ.
