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 Dr. Montague Whiting was named the recipient of the 2019 Distinguished Service Award at the environmental science, forestry and spatial science scholarship banquet held this spring.
Whiting joined the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture in 1972 as an instructor and camp director of the forestry field station, then held in Milam, Texas. In 1979, he was promoted to assistant professor of forest wildlife management where he served the university for more than two decades before retiring in 2002 as the Henry M. Rockwell Chair of Forestry. Following retirement, Whiting was named Professor Emeritus.
“I think it is safe to say that his reputation for being a hard-nosed, demanding professor was always accompanied by caring for his students and seeing that they succeed in their career and in life,” said Dr. Hans Williams, dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. “He is the embodiment of a student-centered educator.”
Whiting continues to contribute to the college by maintaining and establishing relationships with alumni. He is also actively involved in the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society and organizes a Stephen F. Austin State University alumni gathering each year.
Whiting earned a Bachelor of Science in forestry from Auburn University, a Master of Science in forest watershed management from University of Arizona, and a doctorate from Texas A&M.
Read more ...
 Kasen McCall, a freshman agribusiness major, will represent Stephen F. Austin State University in the team roping event at the 2019 College National Finals Rodeo June 9 through 15, in Casper, Wyoming.
McCall, a Lufkin native, has been involved in rodeo since the age of 9 and is currently a member of the SFA Rodeo Team. He and his roping partner, Clayton Lowry of Panola College, will compete alongside more than 400 students from across the United States, as well as Canada, Brazil and Australia for individual event championship titles that include cash prizes, scholarships and championship hardware comprising buckles, rings and plaques.
“I am ecstatic for him and extremely happy for our university,” said Rachel Clark, SFA coordinator of student publications and SFA Rodeo Club advisor and team coach. “This is a monumental moment where we’re able to showcase our university on yet another national
stage.”
To qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo, McCall and Lowry competed in 10 rodeos across Texas and Louisiana, earning enough points in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Southern Region to receive a national bid.
McCall said he and his partner practice as much as they can utilizing arenas owned by family members and friends, as well as the arena located at SFA’s Walter C. Todd Agricultural Research Center.
During the team roping event, a steer is released from a chute into the arena. After the steer reaches a certain point in the arena, the two team members pursue the animal on horseback from their respective chutes. One team member, known as the header, ropes the steer’s horns or neck while turning the animal to the left, enabling the heeler to rope the steer’s back feet.
Read more ...
The East Texas Forest Entomology Seminar is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, May 9 and 10. Thursday's session will be held at Kurth Lake Lodge, between Nacogdoches and Lufkin, with the traditional crawfish boil. Friday's session will be held in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry Conference Room #117 at Stephen F. Austin State University.
Read more ...
 Visitors to Stephen F. Austin State University's swine center won't find Dr. John Mehaffey behind the desk of a typical professorial office space. More likely than not, they will have to pass through multiple doors following the intermingled sounds of student voices and contented pig grunts to locate him.
Although Mehaffey, associate professor of agriculture in SFA's Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, didn't initially plan to pursue a career in academia, it seems, as the adage goes, he has taken to it like a pig to mud.
"My favorite part of teaching is the students," Mehaffey said. "You get to see a lot of different perspectives on life, and each student has something to offer to our program, to me as an individual and to my family."
Mehaffey joined SFA in 2012 following a career in research and development in the meat industry. He believes this experience in the private sector provides him with valuable insight to share with students.
Students in Mehaffey's classes obtain direct and extensive experience in swine, goat and sheep production - from reproduction and health to sales.
"I almost see my classroom as an experiment," he said. "The swine center is a constantly evolving process."
Mehaffey explained that because there is not a large market for commercial swine in Texas, the center focuses its efforts on providing quality livestock for 4-H and FFA students to show across the state.
Read more ...
 Agriculture graduate students Garret Ashenbranner and Ian Brock received top honors at the Ninth Annual Agricultural Consortium of Texas Research Symposium hosted by Texas A&M University.
Ashenbranner’s research investigating a composting poultry litter system compared to a conventional poultry litter system and its effects on the performance of broiler chickens was named top research poster, while Brock’s research evaluating the water consumption of broilers reared on different water treatment programs placed second.
Fellow students Kennedi Achilles and Shania Simons also presented in the graduate research competition, while Carly Wright competed in the undergraduate portion.
Annual Agricultural Consortium of Texas Research Symposium is comprised of all universities in Texas who offer courses in agriculture.
Read more ...
 Stephen F. Austin State University’s Landscape Competition Team won multiple awards at the 2019 National Collegiate Landscaping Competition held in Fort Collins, Colorado, during spring break.
Anna Clair Cunningham, a junior horticulture major, was named Top Student and overall winner of the event’s school social media competition.
“I posted 153 photos to Instagram in three days,” Cunningham said. “The point was to promote the event, support other teams and raise awareness of the competition.”
For her efforts, Cunningham received $1,000, and the SFA Landscape Competition Team received $1,000 worth of landscaping equipment.
Dr. Jared Barnes, assistant professor of horticulture and faculty advisor for the team, won the faculty social media competition for his coverage of the event and also received $1,000.
“When you have a student and faculty member who win a social media competition, I think it shows that we also are teaching the concept that you have to share what you do and what you love,” Barnes said. “I think that is something we as an industry haven’t done enough.”
Junior horticulture major Jevon Richeson placed in the top 25 among 90 competitors in the interior plant identification competition and said that his work growing plants with the SFA horticulture program provided him with valuable experience.
Read more ...
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