The Exchange enewsletter

In addition to the annual fall Exchange magazine, our enewsletter keeps you updated throughout the year.

Want to stay in the loop? Subscribe by emailing your contact information to Mary Sullivan at mjbowen@ksu.edu.

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Summer 2021 enewsletter

K-State Alumni Association Awards

Each year the Alumni Association recognizes students annually with Anderson Senior Awards and Graduate Student Awards.

Faculty and peers nominate students for the awards, and committees consisting of members of the Alumni Association board of directors and K-State students select the recipients.

“These students are role models for leadership, community service, inspiration and academics and exemplify the caliber of students at K-State,” said Tamie Redding, assistant director of student programs for the Alumni Association. “The Alumni Association is pleased to celebrate these students by recognizing them for their contributions to the Wildcat community.”

The Anderson Senior Award recognizes four graduating seniors for excellence academics, leadership, inspiration and service. The award was established in 1998 and pays tribute to K-State’s second president, John Anderson, who served from 1873 to 1879.

Of the eight Anderson Awards, two were awarded to Agricultural Economics students.

Riley Sleichter, Abilene, Kansas, agribusiness, for inspiration.
In his own words: "As I reflect on my time at Kansas State I hope the biggest impact I leave is an aspiration for the students I was involved with to be filled with ambition to chase their dreams and fulfill their goals. I have spent a lot of my time in Manhattan focused on helping develop others personally, professionally, and academically, and I love watching them succeed—whether it be getting that internship they worked for or successfully leading a group. Life can be full of so much more joy and purpose if you take the time to prioritize your personal goals and do what makes you feel fulfilled—that’s the biggest impact I hope to leave: to encourage others to find their ‘Why.’"

After graduation, Sleichter accepted a position with Deere and Company in their Marketing and Customer/Product Support Development Program.

Thomas Smith,Windom, Kansas, agricultural economics, for service.
"I don’t know that I would say that I have one specific instance that I feel was my biggest impact on campus, however, I would say that my biggest impact has been in the relationships that I have made. As a freshman I had a lot of upperclassmen invest in me to help me and that really helped cultivated K-State Experience for the better. After that, I made it my goal to do the same and invest in the future of K-State. I was able to do this through my fraternity, Student Governing Association, College of Agriculture Student Council. Throughout these organizations I was able to work with others to help build and invest in my fellow K-State students in hopes to make their K-State experience better. In addition, I also worked at formerly New Student Services giving tours to perspective K-State Students in hopes of showing them the university that I love so much in hopes that they would choose to come here as well. It is through these interactions that I feel I was able to impact K-State and help shape its future leaders," Smith said.

Smith has accepted a position with StoneX Group, Inc., in Kansas City, MO as a Risk Management Consultant.

The Alumni Association recognizes two graduate students with its Graduate Student Award, which was established in 2010. The award recognizes outstanding graduate students for academics, service and leadership. One of the award winners was from Agricultural Economics.

Hannah Shear, Winchester, Kentucky, doctoral candidate in agricultural economics.
Shear has served the graduate community at K-State in a variety of positions. She served as President of both the Agricultural Economics Department Graduate Student Association (GSAE) and the Graduate Student Council (GSC).

in addition to her formal leadership positions, Shear organized food drop-offs and childcare for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has accepted employment as an assistant professor in Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University.

"We celebrate with our students as they have been recognized for their hard work and leadership during their time in the Agricultural Economics Department," Dr. Allen Featherstone, department head, said. "Hannah, Riley and Thomas are all well deserving of these awards, and are positioned to make a lasting impact as they embark on their life's journey."

When choosing a graduate degree, many potential students want to know what types of jobs previous graduates taken or how successful the program is. One way to evaluate the quality of our graduate students is though their initial employment after completing their degrees.

"We have been very fortune to attract outstanding graduate students over the past several years. I credit that not only to the current award winning faculty, but previous faculty that helped build and maintain the K-State Agricultural Economics brand that we are known for today," said Dr. Dustin L. Pendell, Agricultural Economics Professor and Director of Graduate Studies.

Recent M.S. students have taken jobs at:
- Wamego Telecommunications
- Kansas Farm Management Association
- CattleFax
- StoneX
- Smithfield Foods
- Kansas Department of Agriculture
- Northwest Farm Credit Services
- Kansas Farm Bureau
- continued on to Ph.D. programs
Our recent Ph.D. graduates have taken jobs as faculty at:
- University of Arkansas
- Kyunghee University, Korea
- University of Ghana, Ghana
- Makerere University, Uganda
- Iowa Wesleyan University
- Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Bangladesh
- Georgia Military College
- Africa and Middle East Team Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)
- Post-Doctoral Fellows at University of Kentucky, Kansas State University, Louisiana State University and the University of California-Riverside
- and various government agencies including USDA-Economic Research Services and Korea Institute for International Economic Policy

Spring 2021 enewsletter

Fall 2020 Exchange eNewsletter

Agricultural Economics Faculty, Staff and Students Earn Awards

We are proud to announce faculty and staff have won a number of awards during the fall semester.

Dr. Aleksan Shanoyan
USDA Excellence in College and University Teaching Awards for Food and Agricultural Sciences Regional Award, 2020

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) honored Dr. Aleksan Shanoyan with one of six Regional U.S. Department of Agriculture 2020 Excellence in College and University Teaching Awards for Food and Agricultural Sciences. The award celebrates university faculty for their use of innovative teaching methods and service to students.

"The department of Agricultural Economics at KSU has established a track record of excellence in teaching and learning and I am happy to be able to continue that tradition," Shanoyan said.

Shanoyan has been on the faculty in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University since 2012. He teaches courses in agribusiness economics and management to undergraduate and graduate students where he combines real-world problem-based learning activities with computer-aided real-time learning assessment tools.

"I am grateful to the department and the college for their support and dedication to high quality instruction, and for the opportunity to work with most enthusiastic and hard-working students a teacher can ask for," he said.

In his teaching philosophy he emphasizes the importance of human connection and sincere dedication to student success. Outside the classroom, Shanyonan’s dedication to student success is reflected in his involvement in a wide range of advising and extracurricular activities. He serves as a co-adviser of Agricultural Economics Club, has advised student research projects for the Center for Risk Management Education and Research, served as a mentor for undergraduate students in the K-State Research and Extension Multicultural Summer Research Fellowship program, advises K-State Agricultural Economics Graduate Student Case Study Competition Teams, serves as an academic advisor to undergraduate students and supervises graduate student thesis and dissertation research. Alex is also actively involved in research on teaching and learning and is a frequently invited contributor to teaching workshops and mentoring programs organized by the university and professional associations.

Dr. Glynn Tonsor
K-State Research and Extension and Kansas ACE, Communicator of the Year, 2020

Glynn Tonsor, professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural Economics, received the Communicator of the Year Award. The committee noted his willingness to be available to answer questions and try new things as they helped people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There are many deserving of this and other awards. It is always an honor to be recognized by your colleagues and I want to extend a thank you as I was not able to do so at this year’s Annual Conference," Tonsor said.

Tonsor has been with K-State since 2010, is a regular contributor to the AgManager.info website. His knowledge of swine and beef production was especially valuable during the crisis, and he was a sought-after expert for interviews across the state and nationally. In addition, he prepared several publications and continued his regular communication efforts throughout this time.

“Looking forward, it appears society’s need for objective information has perhaps never been higher. The pandemic has magnified several pre-existing challenges and now there are many divisions within the U.S. meat-livestock industry. While my comments on the economic workings of meat and livestock markets, impacts of possible policy adjustments, etc. are not always popular I do hope they provide value and contribute to the growing thirst for objective information.”

The award is presented annually by the K-State Department of Communications and Agricultural Education members and the Kansas chapter of the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE), the international professional association for Extension communicators.

Dr. Andrew Barkley
K-State Office of International Programs, International Educator of the Year, 2020

Andrew Barkley, professor of agricultural economics, has been named the 2020 International Educator of the Year.

K-State created the International Educator of the Year Award in 2003. It was established by the provost's office and implemented by the Office of International Programs. We announce this award during International Education Week in November each year. This award recognizes an individual who has contributed to advancing international education at the university. Since 2003, Agricultural Economics faculty have been recognized three times with this award.

"I am excited about International Education Week, and honored to be recognized with this award," Barkley said. "I view the honor as a team award because there are a large number of people who work hard to make international programs possible. Our programs in agricultural economics are developed and implemented by Mary Ellen Barkley, Cherie Hodgson and myself, so I am thrilled to accept this award on their behalf. Study abroad programs are supported by a great group of people in Education Abroad and the department of agricultural economics. The dedication of these individuals provides students with truly meaningful life experiences."

Barkley added, "There is no greater reward than sharing international travel with our great students at K-State! The outstanding work of the Office of International Programs provides a once-in-a-lifetime experience for students, with knowledge and compassion that will stay with them for a lifetime!"

Barkley advised many international students and teaches international agricultural economics courses.

Since 2003, the international programs office added additional international award categories to recognize faculty, staff or administrators of the K-State community and external partners for their major contributions and sustained commitment to advancing international education at the K-State.

Robin Reid and LaVell Winsor
along with Dr. Mykel Taylor, Mary Bowen, Mary Huninghake (click here for full list of team members)
K-State Research and Extension Team Award 2020 for the Farm Financial Skills for Kansas Women in Agriculture program

Lead by Reid and Winsor, this large team worked together across the state of Kansas, and in their smaller groups locally, to provide meaningful programming. Seventy-five county and district extension agents across the state set up 32 host sites for the program. The series of four programs, one night a week for 4 weeks, brought in 685 participants. Topics included Farm Recordkeeping, Balance Sheets, Income Statement, Cash Flow, and Goal Setting. While the program was titled Farm Financial Skills for Kansas Women in Agriculture to target as USDA defined underserved demographic, the series was open to anyone and did attract several male participants.

"We were honored to receive this award, but the county and extension agents who got people to attend hosted and facilitated the events made the program successful. Everyone working together made it possible to provide meaningful programming to such a large group," Winsor said.

This award recognizes outstanding efforts by a group of individuals addressing one of the grand challenges facing Kansas: global food systems, water, health, community vitality, and developing tomorrow's leaders.

Bailey Hinkle and Devin Brand
1st Place, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association's National Case Study Competition

Bailey Hinkle and Devin Brand, master's students in agricultural economics, recently competed in the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association's national Case Study Competition and earned first place.

The students were given an in-depth case study covering a real business venture, Solinftec, a Brazilian technology and precision ag company that wants to establish a foothold in the United States. Hinkle and Brand had a month to prepare their proposed solutions and strategies for the company and to submit them in the form of a video presentation.

The video submissions were reviewed by a panel of judges, including faculty from across the United States, as well as the chief operating officer of Solinftec. Hinkle and Brand then had to present their strategy and defend their solutions to the judges in several rounds of live discussions.

"The competition looked a little different this year due to the pandemic, but we were excited about the opportunity to use our education and skills to provide a solution to a real-world problem," Brand said. "We are grateful to our advisor, the competition organizers and the company executive who thoughtfully considered our proposed strategy."

"The first-place win in this national competition is a result of Devin and Bailey's hard work and creativity," said Aleksan Shanoyan, associate professor of agricultural economics and the team's advisor. "It is also a testament to the high-quality training they received in the department of agricultural economics at K-State."

In the past 20 years, the Agricultural Economics Case Study Team has placed in the top three 12 times and has placed first seven times in the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association competition.

"This continues the tradition of K-State agriculture economics graduate students placing top in national and international competition," Shanoyan said of the programs continued success.

Students Complete Summer 2020 Internships

Although many summer activities were put on hold due to COVID-19, some students were still able to participate in summer internships. Internships are an important opportunity to valuable gain on-the-job experience and apply skills learned in the classroom. Here's a brief look a few summer internships.

Avery Aust, Merchandising Intern, Consolidated Grain and Barge

This summer, I had the privilege of interning for Consolidated Grain and Barge as a Merchandising Intern in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This internship allowed me to gain a perspective of both a merchandising and operations side of Consolidated Grain and Barge and introduced me to the skills of how to derive key information to assist in company origination.

Although I worked in an office setting in Tulsa, I also had the opportunity to experience the busy wheat harvest period at the Consolidated Grain and Barge facility in Enid, Oklahoma. I spent a week in Enid, and during this time I learned how to grade wheat, operate the wheat probe, and assisted in customer relations with trucking companies and local growers. I learned information that was applicable to the work I had been completing in the Tulsa office – such as protein grades and the discounts offered on hard red winter wheat. During my internship, I learned the process of basis and hedging in a cash business, the valuation of barge and truck freight and how this drove company exports, as well as the importance of communication and following up with customers to obtain valuable market information for the company. This internship helped me grow both professionally and personally and I am very thankful for my time spent in Tulsa.

Antoinette Dorris

Antoinette Dorris, Accounting Intern, Garden City Co-op

Garden City Co-op hired me to work with Kelly Drees in the Accounting and Finance department. During the spring semester I was able to start working with them through the Collegiate Career Development Program to sharpen my professional and technical skills before I went to the office during the summer. I completed multiple financial projects through the semester and the summer. These consisted of simplifying data to make it easier to understand and access in the future. The co-op helped me gain a better understanding of their grain process by having me shadow employees that are part of their grain department. I shadowed elevator managers, grain merchandisers and grain originators. I enjoyed the inclusion and the learning atmosphere I was a part of this summer. I was able to put college classes to real world experiences. The Garden City Co-op gave me the opportunity to learn more about their industry and gave me skills and values to use in future experiences.

Natalie Harris, Fed Beef Sales and Marketing Intern, JBS

Natalie Harris is a senior majoring in Agribusiness and Global Food Systems Leadership. She began her internship with JBS, USA in Greeley, Colorado this past summer as a Fed Beef Sales and Marketing Intern. Some of her responsibilities included implementing a digital shelf recommendation for key formula customers to improve e-commerce, studied data and analytics to get a better picture of the ideal product, and attended sales meetings with the marketing and outside sales teams. Natalie appreciated the opportunities that JBS was able to extend and to keep their internship program an integral part of the company in the midst of all that’s happened this year.

Morgan Lowderman, Market Intelligence, INTL FCStone

I am currently a senior in Agribusiness that is also obtaining a certificate in Risk Management. This past summer I interned for INTL FCStone, now known at StoneX, in Kansas City, Missouri. There, I was the intern for their Market Intelligence team. At first I felt intimidated and not qualified enough to be on this team, but quickly my feelings changed. My first project was predicting the lean hog index price for the livestock team. I ran many regressions and analyzed them. Luckily, I was very familiar with this kind of analysis thanks to my ag econ classes at K-State. Some of my other projects included predicting US corn and soybean yields and analyzing the differences between food consumed at home versus food consumed away from home. I also helped my team answer daily broker requests that came in. I was able to help my team on the current reports that they sent out, but also develop new reports to be sent out and posted to our portal. I am so grateful I took a step outside my comfort zone and said yes to this internship. I was able to learn how to navigate through different databases including Bloomberg, ProphetX and datamart. I learned how to properly read many USDA reports. I also was ale to further develop my excel skills and my communication skills. This internship showed me that I truly have a passion for data analysis and market research, and it also taught me to be confident in my findings.

Eli Ohlde, Agronomy Sales Intern, Central Valley Ag Cooperative

I interned with Central Valley Ag Cooperative as an Agronomy Sales Intern this summer. I was based out of Clifton, Kansas but spent my time traveling the whole area serviced by Central Valley Ag over the summer. I helped plant and maintain plots, I delivered seed, delivered chemical, offered recommendations for chemicals and fertilizer for producers, and even sold some dry fertilizer to a new customer for CVA. I learned a ton about chemical systems and soil fertility over the summer. My boss and mentor was phenomenal. He was excellent at helping me learn more the technical parts of agronomy. I fit in well with the company culture at CVA and enjoyed working for the cooperative.

Like most offices, administrative staff keep everything running smoothly. We are blessed to have a number of dedicated and experienced staff members in the Agricultural Economics Department. In fact, our four Office Specialists have more than 146 years combined experience between them. We recently celebrated work anniversaries for each:
- Mary Winnie, Office Specialist III - 40 years
- Mary Huninghake, Office Specialist II - 36 years
- Carla Woodyard, Office Specialist II - 35 years
- Deana Foster, Office Specialist - 35 years
We want to thank them and all of our staff for their years of service to the Agricultural Economics Department and Kansas State University!