Student News
More than 10 student clubs from CAFES attended the Cal Poly Farm City Nights at the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market last week to showcase all the exciting opportunities available for students.
General News
On Cal Poly’s Day of Giving on March 10, the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences raised $22,745 from 96 gifts. Those funds will be used to directly support student experiences both in and out of the classroom. To learn more, click here.
Student News
Students from the AG 452 class, Issues Affecting California Agriculture, met with legislators and top policymakers in Sacramento recently to discuss key issues affecting the agriculture industry and the political process tied to it. The class, envisioned by George Soares, alumnus and founding partner at Kahn, Soares & Conway in Sacramento, has been taught at Cal Poly since 2003. The classes policy paper, titled “Dairy Cattle Management Practices and the Effect on Climate,” detailed various new and currently used management practices that can aid in lowering the total amount of methane produced by the dairy cattle industry.
Student News
Four students from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences were selected during a highly completive process to represent Cal Poly at the virtual 2022 CSU Research Competition on April 29-30. In addition, Professor Jeremy James, head of the Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences Department is mentoring a student team from the College of Science and Math. Those projects include:
| Efficacy of Free Chlorine and Peracetic Acid Against Listeria monocytogenes in Spent Citrus Water | Kimiko Casuga (CAFES) & Chloe McGovern (CAFES Alum) | Prof. Amanda Lathrop (CAFES) |
| Metabolomic profiling in plasma distinguishes metabolic alterations across pregnancy in women with gestational diabetes: A case-control time-course analysis | Hannah Heath (CAFES) | Prof. Michael La Frano (CAFES) |
| Use of Preference Analysis to Identify Early Adopter Mind-Sets of Insect-based Food Products | Isaac Ho*(CAFES) | Prof. Amy Lammert (CAFES) |
| An Integrated Approach for Controlling Verticillium Wilt in Strawberry | Jack Koster (CAFES) | Prof. Shashika Hewavitharana (CAFES) |
| Drought Impacts on Carbon Storage in California Rangelands | Jack Alexander (CSM) & Mary McCafferty (CSM) | Prof. Jeremy James (CAFES) |
Events
Open House is Cal Poly’s premier annual event to highlight our campus to admitted and current students, their supporters, alumni, and the San Luis Obispo community. In the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, students have been volunteering since last fall with faculty and staff to create an unforgettable Open House event. Read the full list of events here.
Student News
A team of four Cal Poly Agricultural Business seniors won first place in the National Grocers Association 2022 Student Case Study Competition for their presentation on March 1. This is the second consecutive year that Cal Poly has won first place.
The team included students Carsen Beckwith, Kaylee Earnshaw, Megan Poyar, and Brittney Tran. Agribusiness Associate Professor Ricky Volpe advised the team.
Tran said the opportunity to represent Cal Poly at the national level was something she had dreamed of since her freshman year. “It was surreal to pitch an idea we had worked countless hours on and meet passionate members of the industry,” Tran said. “I couldn’t be prouder of how far I’ve come as a student at Cal Poly and of my team and what we’ve accomplished.”
This year’s competition focused on providing solutions for Woodman’s, a 19-store independent supermarket chain operating in Wisconsin and Illinois. Woodman’s was seeking ideas for improving its e-commerce presence and better utilizing customer data.
Nine schools, including Cal Poly, competed in a bracket-style competition from Feb. 27 to March 1, with Cal Poly and Auburn University competing in the final round. Teams from Arizona State University, Cal Poly Pomona, Findlay University, Fresno State, Niagara University, St. Joseph’s University and Western Michigan University also participated.
Faculty News
Wine and Viticulture Associate Professors Federico Casassa and Jean Dodson Peterson (and their students) received the best paper award for their research published in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture. The research, led by Casassa, titled “Whole Cluster and Dried Stem Additions’ Effects on Chemical and Sensory Properties of Pinot noir Wines over Two Vintages” has been chosen as the best enology paper for 2021. The paper includes the findings from an experiment on Pinot noir from Edna Valley in San Luis Obispo, that was conducted in partnership with industry partner Chamisal Vineyards – making the findings relevant for the local wine industry and California at large.
Faculty News
Ricky Volpe, associate professor in the Agribusiness Department, teaches classes on food retail and supply chain management focused on the grocery sector. Prior to joining Cal Poly in 2014, he worked as an economist at the USDA Economic Research Service in Washington, D.C. Volpe is interested in better understanding the impact that the food retail sector has on other industries such as transportation, construction and labor markets. He’s recently been published in several news articles related to inflation and increased food prices, including a recent story in the L.A. Times: https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2022-02-17/are-inflation-fears-justified-for-most-middle-class-households and a Q&A shared by the Ratio Institute: https://ratioinstitute.org/are-covid-19-and-climate-change-risks-or-opportunities-for-food-retail/.
General News
A special guest will participate in this year’s 80th annual Poly Royal Rodeo on Saturday, April 9. The Cal Poly Rodeo Team has been working with Make-A-Wish® Northeastern & Central California and Northern Nevada to fulfill the wish of 11-year-old Maddie Owens, who at age 10, was diagnosed with Ewing Osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer. After treatment, surgery, and the fortunate circumstance of an early diagnosis, she is now in remission and ready to saddle back up and spend more time doing what she loves – riding horses. With the help of Sierra Spratt, assistant coach and member of the Cal Poly Rodeo Team, Maddie was invited to practice on campus several times leading up to the big event. At the Poly Royal Rodeo, she will compete in the barrel racing event as a special guest of Cal Poly. Maddie recently spent some time on campus with Cal Poly Rodeo Women’s Team, which is currently ranked first in the nation, to prepare for her big day in April.
Events
The 80th annual Poly Royal Rodeo is returning to its roots to commemorate eight decades of history at the Cotton Rosser Rodeo Complex on campus. The Poly Royal Rodeo Finals, open to the public, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 9, and will be followed by a concert by a headlining country music band, which will be announced soon. Tickets go on sale March 1.
Athletes will compete for a championship title in events such as barrel racing, team roping, breakaway roping, tie down roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding and steer wrestling. “This is our big comeback event,” Coach Ben Londo said. “These students have been working hard behind the scenes for the last two years while COVID-19 precautions limited their ability to compete. Now, they get to shine.”
A special guest will also participate in this year’s Poly Royal Rodeo. The Cal Poly Rodeo Team has been working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to fulfill the wish of 12-year-old Maddie Owens, of Winton, California, who at age 10 was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer. She will make a cameo appearance as barrel racer at this year’s 80th annual Poly Royal Rodeo as a special guest of Cal Poly.
The Saturday evening event is slated for 6:30 p.m. April 9. Tickets are $20 for children ages 2 to 12; and $40 for general admission. Admission is free for children under 2. Tickets will go on sale March 1 at https://tickets.calpoly.edu. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Cal Poly Rodeo Program.