March E-News

In Memory

Professor Ken Fugelsang passed away on February 20. He was a Professor Emeritus of Enology at Fresno State. Professor Fugelsang joined the university in 1972 and taught enology for more than four decades. He has published over 150 technical papers and 14 books including Wine Analysis and Production. Professor Fugelsang is the past president of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and recipient of the University's Outstanding Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award the Salgo-Noren and NACTA Awards, the Claude Laval Award for Innovative Technology, and the Outstanding Alumnus Award (Top Dog Classes of 1969 and 1972). During his service to the enology program, Professor Fugelsang also managed Fresno State's 20,000 case commercial winery where his students received hundreds of awards in major wine competitions. Memorial tributes may be made payable to the Ag One Foundation for the K.C. Fugelsang/C.J. Muller Enology Endowment which supports students pursuing degrees in Enology. Click for more information about the K.C. Fugelsang/C.J. Muller Enology Endowment

 

San Joaquin Valley Wine Pioneer, Angelo Papagni, passed away on February 27. Angelo started farming at age nine when tall enough to follow his father's footprints in the soft vineyard rows. Using farming techniques learned here and abroad, Angelo started his winery in 1973. His belief in the region led to his first gold medals in Italy in 1976. By 1986, Angelo's farming practices earned him the moniker "Maverick In the Big Valley". Today, his technological advances in wine juice concentrate enhance the production of high quality wines at home. He attended Fresno High School and Fresno State college. He was very supportive of the Viticulture and Enology department at Fresno State, both financially and with his leadership. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial tributes may be made payable to the Ag One Foundation for the Angelo Papagni Scholarship Fund in support of Jordan College students. Click for more information about the Angelo Papagni Scholarship Fund

William C. "Bill" Cutting passed away on March 4. Bill was born in Kansas in 1929 – coming to Fresno at the age of 12. He graduated from Fresno State College in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture – emphasis in Animal Science. Beginning in 1951 Bill helped develop the family’s Cutting Veterinary Supply to become the fifth largest animal health business in the USA. He also owned the landmark “Golden Horse” store on Blackstone Avenue in Fresno. Faithful to his alma mater, Bill served thirty years on the Agricultural Foundation Board at Fresno State. He earned recognition in 1990 for service to Fresno State while elected to the Ag One Board of Directors and a 1998 Jordan College Lifetime Service award. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial tributes may be made payable to the Ag One Foundation for the W.C. "Bill" and Sharon Cutting Endowment, which supports students studying animal husbandry. Click for more information about Bill Cutting and the W.C. "Bill" and Sharon Cutting Endowment

Thank you to the sponsors and guests who supported the Stanislaus County Alumni and Friends dinner on March 9, making it a night to remember! We welcome this year's honorees, Art Bowman ('72) and Dave Rumble ('72) from Salida Ag Chem, into the Stanislaus County Hall of Fame. Proceeds from this event support the Stanislaus County Alumni and Friends scholarship fund, which is awarded to Jordan College students from Stanislaus County. Congratulations again and many thanks to Art and Dave!

Join us for the 46th annual Turf Day Golf Classic on May 1 at the Belmont Country Club! Proceeds from the tournament will benefit deserving students and programs in the Jordan College.
Date: Monday, May 1, 2017
Place: Belmont Country Club, Fresno
Time: Registration 10 a.m.; Shotgun start 11 a.m.; lunch at the turn; 19th Hole Social and dinner following play
Cost: $160/player, $640/team
Entry Deadline: April 21, 2017 ($175/player after deadline)
There are a number of ways you can participate in the tournament. Register as a player or sponsor today! 

Many thanks to Community Medical Centers who have partnered with Ag One and The J.R. Simplot Company to support the 2017 Community Salute honoring the Borba Family as the dinner sponsor. The Community Salute will be held onFriday, July 14 at the Fresno Convention Center Exhibit Hall.  Visit the Ag One website for information about sponsorships and tickets. 

Planting seeds of success…

• Jordan College Dean Sandra Witte spent time with Congressmen Jim Costa and Devin Nunes while in Washington D.C. for the APS/NARRU joint winter meeting (Academic Program Sections for Non-land-grant Agriculture and Renewable Resource Universities).
• The Jordan College was highlighted at the Ag Fest Fresno State Baseball Game on March 10; festivities included a petting zoo, the first pitch by Associate Dean Kathie Reid-Bevington, and recognition of the Soils Judging team from the Plant Science department.
• Pre-veterinary student, Kellen Habib, was selected as the student representative for the Alpha Zeta Honorary Agricultural Fraternity’s High Council at the organization's annual conference in Stillwater, OK. Congrats Kellen!
• Thank you to the 200+ supporters who participated in the Fresno State Sigma Alpha Walk for Rosemary! The 5K, held on campus, helped raise $3,000 towards medical and transportation costs for Ag Education senior Rosamaria Meza from Caruthers as she battles Ewing's Sarcoma bone cancer. Learn more about her story here.
•  The Fresno State Horticulture Nursery will host its annual spring vegetable plant sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.March 18 at the Fresno State Gibson Farm Market. The event is the nursery’s largest of the spring and will feature 18 varieties of tomatoes, six types of herbs, artichokes, strawberries and flowers
• The Fresno State Soil Judging Team is headed to national intercollegiate competition at Northern Illinois on April 23-28 thanks to their 2nd-place finish at the Region 6 Soil Judging Competition. Congratulations also go to team leader Georgina Reyes and Jagdeep Basi who finished 2nd and 3rd individually overall. Other team members are Aldo Garcia, Nancy Valdez, Mark Castanon and Ricardo Rodriguez.  In preparation for the national competition, the Soils Judging Team is looking for support. For more information about making a donation to the Soils Judging Team, click here. 
• Ag Leadership students and the Fresno State Plant Science Club participated in the annual Farm and Nutrition Day on March 17, which was hosted by the Fresno County Farm Bureau and The Big Fresno Fair. This event brings more than 3,000 third grade students from Fresno County to the fairgrounds to learn about the agriculture industry and healthy eating choices.
• Congrats to sophomore Bodi Dodds and junior Colton Campbell who won the team roping buckles at the Fresno State Rodeo Team (Bulldoggers) home event last weekend!
• The Fresno State Sigma Alpha sorority will be hosting the "Sigma Belles and Shotgun Shells" Trap Shoot on April 1 at the Fresno Trap and Skeet Club in Kerman.
• The Jordan College recently hosted faculty from the Yunnan Agricultural University in China to explore further collaborations after creating an initial partnership with Fresno State in 2016

• At its recent California and Nevada section conference, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers recently honored Fresno State Industrial Technology professor Dr. Balaji Sethuramasamyraja as its Ag Engineer of the Year. Grad student Arthish Bhaskar and junior Huy Le also won first place in graduate and undergraduate research poster competitions.

  
  

Meet our staff 

Shannon Fast - Associate Director of Development

Shannon graduated from Fresno State in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies. She worked for many years in the construction industry before beginning her career in development. She most recently worked at Valley Children’s Hospital before joining the Ag One/Jordan College Development team in December 2012. 

Alcidia Freitas Gomes - Ag One Executive Director/Senior Director of Development

Alcidia graduated from Fresno State in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Ag Business. After working in the dairy industry for seven years, she returned to campus to work in development for the Jordan College. She has served in this capacity for 23 years and helped raise over $85 million.

Important Dates 

March 18, 2017 - Horticulture Nursery Spring Vegetable Plant Sale, Gibson Farm Market

March 22, 2017 – Common Threads Awards Luncheon, Tulare

April 27, 2017 - Ag Business Club Banquet; for more information, contact the Ag Business Department at559.278.2949, stephenn@csufresno.edu. RSVP Form

May 1, 2017 – Turf Day Golf Classic, Belmont Country Club, Fresno

May 6, 2017 - Dairy Club Banquet, Tulare

June 14, 2017 - North Bay Alumni and Friends Dinner, Santa Rosa

July 14, 2017 – Community Salute honoring the Borba Family, Fresno Convention Center Exhibit Hall

 

Become an Ag One Member!

If you’re not already a member, please consider joining Ag One and receive 10% off selected items like wine and olive oil at the Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market!