Digital Commons Network^™

Becoming Agricultured: Creating An Agriculture Literacy Podcast For Consumers, Madalyn C. Souza

Agricultural Education and Communication

Today’s consumers want to become more aware of where their food comes from. There is a need and a desire to bridge the gap between consumers and production agriculture. One way to reach consumers is through audio podcasts. Podcasts are digital audio recordings that are streamed online. The podcast Becoming Agricultured will be a platform to show the relationship between agriculture and the environment, food, fiber and energy, animals, lifestyle, the economy and technology. The podcast is aimed to tell agriculture's story through factual research and personal accounts of those involved in different sectors of the agriculture industry and cultivate …

Increasing Groundwater Recharge Activity In The San Joaquin Valley Of California, Jacob Willhite, Jacob Willhite

Agricultural Education and Communication

Over the past several decades, groundwater has become a primary source of water used for agriculture in California. Surface water available for agricultural use has depleted due to declining rain totals and reallocation to environmental purposes. As a result, groundwater overdraft has become a severe challenge, especially in the San Joaquin Valley of California. This excessive overdraft causes a plethora of issues, one of the most serious being land subsidence (Faunt, Sneed, Traum, & Brandt, 2016). Studies suggest some areas of the San Joaquin Valley have experienced more than a 28-foot drop in the land level since the 1970’s (Alley …

Creating A Livestock Show From The Beginning For The Benefit Of Youth In The Agriculture Industry And Continuing The Tradition Of Showing, Chloé Fowler, Matthew Durian

Agricultural Education and Communication

Youth throughout the country have been shown to benefit through organizations focused on leadership and real-world tangible skills. Organizations such as the National FFA Organization and 4-H Youth Development are key organizations for this growth. Livestock shows are another layer to these organizations and youth development. “Livestock shows provide interactions through different environments that expose participants to different cultures,” (Davis, 1998).

For these reasons it is important to provide more opportunities to the next generation of agriculture. There are currently 28 different livestock jackpots within the state of California throughout one year, (CJLA, 2020). Due to the large geographic landscape …

The Effect Of An Educational Workshop On High School Future Farmers Of America Parliamentary Procedure Leadership Development Teams, Brooke Gilstrap, Alyssa Snow

Agricultural Education and Communication

Within the California Future Farmers of America Association (FFA), there are a variety of Leadership Development Events (LDE’s) including the Parliamentary Procedure contest. Within this contest students sharpen their knowledge through reviewing Robert's Rules of Order and applying this knowledge to an exam as well as a live demonstration. Through this contest, students also improve upon their public speaking skills and research agricultural education and industry issues. Students compete in several invitational contests before entering the sectional, regional, and state levels of competition where their advanced knowledge comes into play with a wider audience. Over the span of California, there …

Brochure For California Counties Affected By Coccidioidomycosis, Taylor Craig Chalstrom

Agricultural Education and Communication

In many areas of California, workers involved in construction and agriculture are susceptible to a soilborne fungus which can cause coccidioidomycosis, or valley fever. The disease, which can be contracted by breathing in dirt or dust on a site, is contagious and can sometimes lead to serious and/or fatal symptoms without proper treatment (CDPH, 2018).

Valley fever has been one of the most prevalent diseases in recent years for San Luis Obispo County (VF Brochure, 2018). To counter the increasing number of cases, San Luis Obispo County and the Public Health Department collaborated to inform as many people as possible …

The Future Of Work: How Employers Are Adjusting To Millennial Expectations, Felipe Vallejo

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this research was to examine how agricultural based companies are staying ahead while new technology advancements and millennial expectations are influencing future labor markets.

Consumer Choice Within Fresh Produce, Victoria C. Ross

Agricultural Education and Communication

This project set out to question whether fresh produce required more specific labeling of pesticides and fertilizer inputs on fresh produce. Like many questions regarding health, environmental science, agriculture, and politics, there is not one simple answer. After listening to professionals and interviewing customers outside grocery stores, it's clear that the majority of consumers are not pursuing additional information, but that there is a small group of customers who would appreciate it. It also became clear that although fear mentality is of concern to professionals in the food industry, consumers don’t seem to understand the negative effects their participation in …

Bonipak Trucker Lounge Improvements, Lauren M. Reade

Agricultural Education and Communication

Bonita Packing Company, also known as Bonipak, has been a produce grower and shipper in the Santa Maria Valley for nearly 90 years and has contracts with customers all over the United States and Canada. Since 1932, the family owned and operated business has maintained steady growth as the population continues to rise all while making it a goal to uphold their family values and maintain their deep roots within the community. Transitioning into a fourth generation family farm, the Bonipak team hopes to continue to promote growth and maintain a positive reputation within the community and beyond. With multiple …

Farming Forward, Karina Medrano

Agricultural Education and Communication

How can the next generation be inspired to be problem solvers and innovators in order to impact the global food system? With the large millennial generation it is as important as ever to develop new platforms to spread agricultural awareness and literacy. With the millennial generation being increasingly connected to technology and media platforms, understanding how to create a mainstreamed farming blog will be valuable in reaching the future generation of agriculturalists.

This project will develop a proposal for a farming blog platform and review essential elements to include within a blog ranging from an up to date news section …

Shasta County Agriculture Activity Book Project, Kylan Morris, Amy Brown

Agricultural Education and Communication

With the development of an agricultural activity book for the kindergarten level, the authors have selected the top commodities produced in Shasta County and have directly applied them to Next Generation Science Standards. The reasoning behind creating a parallel between science lessons and a students’ immediate environment is to allow teachers to utilize their allotted time for teaching for state-mandated subjects while appointing agricultural topics as a vehicle for understanding these lessons.

Agricultural Sciences Outreach Program, Maghan Lea England, Sophie Lorraine Johnston

Agricultural Education and Communication

The College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) mission statement and vision of the Agricultural Education and Communication Department is to develop future leaders, educators, and communicators to advance and advocate for the agricultural industry in a global economy (AGED, 2018). Student organizations, such as Agriculture Ambassadors and Agriculture Leadership Society, facilitate several outreach events to engage and excite prospective students in pursuing their higher education goals in agriculture at Cal Poly (CAFES Ag Council, 2018). In order to maintain growing student numbers, the Agricultural Education and Communication Department, specifically, the Agricultural Science major needs revamped recruiting efforts and …

Creating An Efficient Business Plan For Longview Club Lambs, Karlee J. Dornbush

Agricultural Education and Communication

Longview Club Lambs is a small startup business located in Lincoln, California. Longview Club Lambs has the goal to maintain a high of level efficiency and productivity to compete with other club lamb businesses within the next three years (Longview Club Lambs, 2018). In order to do this, Longview Club Lambs will need to evaluate its current practices and determine the necessary adjustments that should be made to their business plan.

To create this new business model, the business will need to re-evaluate all its management practices and make the needed changes to adjust to a larger scale operation. Implementing …

Hosting The Third Annual Young Women In Agriculture Career And Leadership Seminar, Emma E. Morris, Madyline J. Braught

Agricultural Education and Communication

Agriculture has traditionally been a male-dominated industry; however, recent years have shown a significant growth in female presence. Women are beginning to take leadership roles both on the farm and within advocacy, lobbying, and business entities in the industry. According to the latest agricultural census data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2012, women farmers controlled seven percent of the nation’s farmland (Census, 2014). Additionally, women held leadership roles in 14 percent of the nation’s two million farms (Census, 2014). This data is several years old, and likely the numbers have grown since the last census was …

Fishing For Answers: Barriers To Secondary Agricultural English Course Adoption, Sydney Arlene Keen

Agricultural Education and Communication

Wamba (2012) said, “...literacy education plays an important role in moving people out of poverty toward greater self-sufficiency post-graduation” (p. 109). Nearly 47% of first-time California community college students are enrolled in remedial English coursework (Student Success, 2015). Further, California high school dropout rates are at 11% due to “school-related reasons…implying a lack of engagement and lack of perceived relevance” in curriculum (Gottfried & Plasman, 2017, p. 30). Literacy in our high school classrooms must be addressed.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) coursework has been linked to lower dropout rates; particularly in grades 11 and 12 (Gottfried & Plasman, 2017). …

Cal Poly Farmers Picnic, Emily Anne Dale, Riley Nilsen, Jack Gavron

Agricultural Education and Communication

Agriculture can be seen as the world’s most essential industry. Many products people use daily come directly from agriculture, including the food placed on people’s tables. Knowing where that food comes from, and the overall importance of agricultural education is vital in the United States and the world. This message needs to be shared beyond the classroom: we need agriculture to survive.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “in 2012, there were 3.2 million farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers and an estimated 757,900 agricultural workers legally employed in the U.S.” (USDA, 2012). These findings concluded that less …

Safety Videos For Major Shop Equipment In Cal Poly Brae Lab 1, Trey Joseph Johnston

Agricultural Education and Communication

At California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, students from all majors can take a variety of classes in the BioResource and Agriculture Engineering Department (BRAE). It is essential for future high school mechanics educators to learn the basic shop tools and the importance of safety in the laboratory. In shop 1 of the BRAE Department, there are many different tools students will find in a mechanics classroom. The five main power tools are the Table Saw, Drill Press, Bench Grinder, Radial Arm Saw, and Disk/Belt Sander.

In BRAE 121 Agricultural Mechanics, students learn basic shop skills about lab safety …

A Piece Of Me:Annierose Seifert And The Slo Cowparade, Annie Rose M. Seifert

Agricultural Education and Communication

CowParade is an international art movement brought to sunny San Luis Obispo, California during the summer of 2016. CowParade SLO showcased 101 painted fiberglass cows. Each cow has a different sponsor and artist. This event was created to give back to local charities, attract tourism and notoriety to hosting communities, and give local artists the chance to be on a global stage. CowParade is an international event hosted in more than 70 cities around the globe including Paris, France, Perth, Australia, China and Brazil. The event began in 1999 with the first parade being hosted in Chicago, Illinois.

Working Bodies: A Photo Essay On Tulare County Citrus Workers, Isamar Hernandez-Ramos

Agricultural Education and Communication

Many a times, when people think about their food, they think about origins. Where did it come from? Was it hygienic? Were the animals treated humanely? They seldom include the workers in their thought process, though the workers of the Ag industry provide what is arguably a vital part of the Ag industry. They do back-breaking labor in often lethal conditions for little pay (NFWM). The families of these workers often suffer economically, physically, and emotionally. In Tulare County, one of the top Agricultural counties in the country, the agricultural worker is often below the poverty line (Taylor, 2015). They …

Cost Of Feed Per Pound Of Gain In Cal Poly's Dairy Calves, Kayle Anna Phelan

Agricultural Education and Communication

California is ranked one of the top five states in the United States for dairy production. It produces approximately 40 billion pounds of milk per year for US production. California’s dairy industry is not only the largest milk producer in the nation, but it is also the most financially prominent in the agricultural industry. This industry lead is purely because of its careful management practices. The way calves are raised depend on the resources used, the natural environment present, and the operation of the dairy farm. Essentially, there are numerous ways to care for a cow and calf. However, the …

Assessing Soft Skills At The Cal Poly State Agriculture Ambassador Conference, Mary Luann Allen

Agricultural Education and Communication

In today’s society, there is a disconnect with the agriculture industry, agriculture schools, and the public. Students need to acquire soft skills to aid in furthering the agriculture industry through their careers. Overall, hiring managers found soft skills such as communication, leadership, ownership, and teamwork were missing in this new crop of workers (Payscale/Future Workplace, 2016).

College Agriculture Ambassadors advocate for agriculture, higher education, and their respective schools all across the United States. The Cal Poly Agriculture Ambassadors club provides leadership, communication, and personal development to its members through meetings, activities and responsibilities.

The Cal Poly Agriculture Ambassador club hosted …

Developing Visual Aids For Ffa Promotion In The Classroom, Audrey Y. Lent

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project is to create visual materials for a classroom that the teacher can use as a supplement for information taught about FFA activities and programs shared with students.

The FFA advisor whose chapter would be the beneficiary of the project was consulted to discuss the best subject material for the posters. One poster was created for Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects, one for Career and Leadership Development Events (CDEs and LDEs), one for the California FFA State Conference, and one for career opportunities in the agricultural industry. These four posters were developed using an online program …

Business Model: California Agriculture Marketing Agency, Mary M. Alameda, Emma L. Larson

Agricultural Education and Communication

The importance of creating a marketing agency specializing in agriculture is to bridge the gap between producers and consumers. The lack of transparency from the producer has created a torn industry causing the average consumer to be questioning his or her food, or simply not understanding the agricultural way of life. An agricultural marketing firm in California can represent and advocate for local businesses to start closing the producer to consumer gap.

The American farmer excels at many things, but lacks in public communications. Modern day farmers have been able to produce more food than ever despite fewer resources and …

Visuals And Pathways In The Agricultural Industry, Stephanie Contreras, Chris Curiel

Agricultural Education and Communication

Agriculture is the largest industry in California worth nearly $37.5 billion. The agricultural industry generates $100 billion in related economy (NASDA, 2017). It is imperative all students learn the importance of agriculture in their lives. For students who have a Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter at their school, the program enables students to be exposed and embrace the value agriculture. However, there is a lack of value given to agriculture by students who do not have either an FFA chapter or agriculture related courses taught at their school.

The purpose of this project is to interact with and educate …

Developing A Website For Hamilton Brothers Ranch, Anne Patricia Hamilton

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project is to develop a website for Hamilton Brother’s Ranch purpose is to evolve Hamilton Brother’s Ranch to modern times and make it easier for the customer to see where their product is coming from. The Hamilton Family has a long history in agriculture and what they think is normal is actually very unique and consumers love reading and feeling as if they are a part of where their food comes from. The overall goal of the project is to promote Hamilton Brother’s operation as a whole through a website that will be able to connect …

California Middle School Agriculture Program Enhancement, Claire L. Schauer

Agricultural Education and Communication

California is known for its progressive movements and highly regarded education system. California education is faced every day with how to improve and innovate its system even more. Hence, the importance of proposed middle school agricultural programs. In this piece, the author provides research to show why California not only needs to adopt middle school agricultural programs, but also develop standardized curriculum to encourage the success of the program, students, and teachers. Using past and current studies, the author explores different emphases on curriculum topics and needs. The author discusses methods, results, and conclusions from the studies analyzed.

Produce Meets Pinterest, Lauren E. Tomasello

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to examine Tanimura & Antle’s (T&A) Pinterest analytics. The author will determine if using the site was beneficial for T&A’s marketing plan. T&A has a strong influence in social media marketing and has added Pinterest to the list of platforms they utilize in 2015. Analytics are useful in gauging the effectiveness of content, so analyzing T&A’s Pinterest use will provide measurable marketing tools.

The number of followers is important, but does not indicate the overall success. Therefore various metrics were measured to see who T&A’s audience was and what they were like. The findings …

Agricultural Communication Transfer Student Guide, Carly Victoria Boudreau

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to create a brochure students will use as an informational tool that would in turn make them successful in the agricultural communication major.

The final product was a brochure designed to provide information that will guide students from when they are accepted into Cal Poly agriculture communication major until they graduate. Areas of focus include advising, involvement, opportunities, internship, and graduation requirements.

A Website Of Agriculturally Related Activities For Elementary Grade Levels, Bailey M. Kirby

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project is to develop a website containing agriculturally-related activities designed for the elementary classroom, including kindergarten to fifth grade. This website was created in order to bring agriculture into the elementary classroom and introduce the topic to students at an earlier age because the subject is currently only taught at the high school level. Two activities were created for each grade level and fit into the current curriculums for those grade levels. The website was designed in a way that teachers will be able to continually submit activities to be added to the website at any …

Designing A Natural Resource Workshop For Students: Working With Wood: Adventures In Forestry, Maddison Easley

Agricultural Education and Communication

There is a need for additional education focused on natural resource related careers and issues. As communities become further removed from these subjects, hands-on workshops and educational trainings are necessary to rekindle interest in these topics, especially in regards to application in fields like agriculture. The goal of this project was to create a logical outline to follow when designing and implementing natural resource workshops. An additional outcome of the project involved the implementation of a forestry workshop through the 26 Hours of Science and Technology program at California Polytechnic State University on March 11, 2015. The outline provided in …

Ag In Motion, Kerri Bermudez, Annelise Jensch, Michaela Stone

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to gauge the interest levels of Ag in Motion for the Central Coast. Positive feedback would allow the project to continue on after this project is finished. Ag in Motion is an important asset to middle school aged children because they have the opportunity to learn about agriculture and it’s value. This is especially important considering California is number one producer of agricultural commodities in the United States.

The Central Coast is defined as these three counties: Monterey County, San Luis Obispo County, and Santa Barbara County. An online survey was developed and sent …