September E-News

Ag One and CWA hosted another incredibly successful Ag Boosters BBQ on September 13 at Rancho Vista del Rio (Borba Ranch) in Madera. Our sincere gratitude goes to Mark and Peggy Borba, who generously opened up their ranch for the 9th year in a row, and to our nearly 1,350 alumni and friends who supported our event. Guests enjoyed an evening full of Fresno State farm products, wine, silent and live auctions and dinner, while helping to raise support and awareness for agricultural education. more

Congratulations to Mr. Jim Healy of Fresno for winning this year's Fantasy Vacation! Mr. Healy will have the opportunity to choose from one of five fabulous vacation destinations, including Hawaii, an American Steamboat Experience, Alaska, the Gems of Britain or Paris and take $1,000 cash along for the ride. In addition to offering an experience of a lifetime to the lucky winner, the Fantasy Vacation drawing proceeds provide many students a chance to fulfill their educational endeavors. more

Local veterinarian and former animal science professor for the Jordan College, Neal Spiro donated his time, talent and treasure to help make the 38th Annual Ag Boosters BBQ live auction an exciting part of the night. Not only did he act as auctioneer, livening-up our guests, Neal made a special donation to support the event, which directly benefits the students in the college. Shout-out to Freddy Padilla, a senior Plant Science - Crop Production Management student who spotted the most bids that night!

George Soares, Co-Chair of President Castro's Commission on the Future of Agriculture has been elected to the board of governors of the California State University, Fresno Foundation. George is a founding member and managing partner of Kahn, Soares & Conway, LLP, a partner in Environmental Solutions Group, LLC, and owner of a dairy and farming operation with his wife, Gloria, in Hanford. His firm was also recently honored by the Lemoore Chamber of Commerce as the 2015 Kings County Ag Supporter of the Year, along with Helen Sullivan, Agriculturalist of the Year. The dinner featured a video, presentations and commentary from friends and local dignitaries. more

Ag One and the Jordan College recognize emeritus agricultural economics professor and assistant dean, Bob Glim for his upcoming milestone birthday as he turns 100 on November 22. Bob served as a professor at Fresno State from 1948 to 1978 and was one of the founding fathers of the agricultural business department. Bob and his wife Dorothy are also credited with introducing the work of the college to the Jordan family, which inspired them to begin a scholarship endowment in 1995. Bob supports the college with his own endowed fund as well, the Robert J. Glim fund. His relationship to the Jordans ultimately led to the largest cash gift ever received in the CSU system, $29.4-million to support building the Jordan Agricultural Research Center. more

The Viticulture and Enology Department thanks Dr. Jim Kennedy for his five years of service as department chair and director of the Viticulture and Enology Research Center. Dr. Kennedy begins the next phase of his career as Vice President of Polyphenolics, a division of Constellation Brand. His last official day was September 16, but he plans to continue with the college as an adjunct faculty member. We raise our glasses in wishing him well - Cheers!

Planting seeds of success...

Students in the Fresno State Winery harvest and crush grapes every fall and this year we look forward to offering exciting new wines under the direction of Matt Brain, the Jordan College's new winemaker. Grapes processed most recently include Merlot, Grenache, Semillon and Cabernet Sauvignon. more

The new semester kicked off with our annual faculty and staff assembly where we welcomed new faculty member Dr. Serhat Asci to the team. Dr. Asci  joins the department of Agricultural Business following his previous appointment conducting research in the Institute for Food and Agriculture at Fresno State. 

Actagro names six Jordan College "Faculty of the Game" to be honored at each of our home football games: Pei Xu, Agricultural Business (9/3); Hend Letaief, Viticulture and Enology (9/19); Steven Rocca, Animal Sciences and Agricultural Education (10/10); Balaji Sethuramasamyraja, Industrial Technology (10/16); Erin Dormedy, Food Science and Nutrition (11/5); and Amber Hammons, Child, Family and Consumer Sciences (11/28).

Important Dates

October 10, 2015 - Ag Fest Football, Utah State vs. Fresno State. Homecoming special ticket prices available here.

 

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!