2010 ISEF Fellowship Recipients
Daniel Abreu
Daniel Abreu is an Agronomist and a student of the prominent Universidade Federal de Vicosa, where he is pursuing his masters in Animal Science focusing in Ruminant Nutrition and Development Agriculture and Sustainable Livestock. In 2004, he was an exchange student at the University of Minnesota, where he concluded part of his education. After returning home, he participated in an important study in a state within Brazil that has the lead position in beef cattle production. The study became a book on the Beef Production Chain in that state. Last but not least is the "Strategies for Sustainable Production in Livestock" - Book Chapter. Currently, he dedicates his time to Animal Production Science which involves field experiments, statistics and laboratory analyses, presenting in seminars, symposiums and meetings, and is a part of the group that develops projects that support the government organization MAPA. "Agriculture represents the base of survival of society, and our job is to produce healthy protein through red meat to feed the world by transforming life into food. The system must be sustainable and safe to satisfy the necessity of today's generation without compromising future generations. We must adapt to new changes and create a better position for beef production in the future global commerce."
Daniel Abreu Student Paper
Joel Anderson
Joel Anderson grew up on a small grain and cattle operation in southern Ohio. He was actively involved in 4-H and FFA and showed steers at the county fair. His family owns twenty crossbred cows and feeds out a handful of calves for freezer beef each year. Anderson recently graduated from The Ohio State University where he majored in Animal Science. He was a member of Saddle & Sirloin Club where he served as a co-chair of the Scarlet and Gray Midwest Showdown. Anderson was a member of the 2007 Livestock Judging Team and served as an assistant coach for the 2008 and 2009 teams. Anderson has also interned with Ned and Jan Ward Polled Herefords in Sheridan, Wyoming and Select Sires, Inc., in the beef department in Plain City, Ohio. Anderson is currently a freshman in the College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University, and continues to focus on the livestock industry and looks forward to doing so throughout his career. "Agriculture provide the nourishment of society."
Joel Anderson Student Paper
Jennilee Bernier
Jennilee Bernier grew up on a large cow-calf operation in Fisher Branch, Manitoba and graduated from the University of Manitoba in 2008 with a B.Sc. in Agriculture and a major in Animal Science. She is currently pursuing a masters degree at the University of Manitoba where she is researching the environmental sustainability and nutrient utilization of overwintering beef cows fed a forage-based diet supplemented with drier distillers' grain with solubes. She is the winner of numerous awards and scholarships, including the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Undergraduate Research Award, University of Manitoba Gold Medal for highest academic standing in the Faculty of Agriculture and the Province of Manitoba Graduate Scholarship in 2008, as well as the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship in 2009. She currently manages her own herd of purebred Simmental cattle and is active in several industry associations across Canada. "Growing up on a cow-calf operation in rural Manitoba has ingrained livestock agriculture into my life, making it an undoubted passion of mine. Issues facing the livestock industry are of significant importance to me and I am interested in contributing to developing solutions to industry challenges. I believe Eisenhower was correct to say 'Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the corn field' - 1956."
Jennilee Bernier Student Paper
Cheyenne Dixon
Cheyenne Dixon grew up in Des Moines, New Mexico where her family owns and operates a small, custom meat processing plant. Growing up, her family maintained a small club-calf herd and showed steers, hogs, and lambs. While attending Colorado State University in pursuit of her B.S. degree in Animal Science, Dixon participated on the 2007 National Champion Intercollegiate Meat Judging Team at CSU. Dixon also loves to educate young people about our industry and has coached the Larimer County 4-H Meat Judging Team for the past three years. She is currently pursuing her masters degree in Meat Science at CSU. Since starting graduate school, Dixon has received the opportunity to work on an international pork audit project that has taken her to Mexico, Japan, and China. Upon graduation, Dixon plans to pursue a career within an industry association or company to promote the market livestock commodities, such as a branded beef or international trade organization. "Being involved in both the meat and livestock industries has opened countless doors for this small town kid. Now, I am ready to return the favor and start working towards solutions to make American agriculture more sustainable, profitable, and productive."
Cheyenne Dixon Student Paper
Carrie Fischer
Carrie Fischer grew up in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia before moving to Victoria, British Columbia to pursue a degree in Biochemistry. Completing her B.Sc. with a particular interest in Veterinary Science, she began her doctorial degree focusing in veterinary research at the University of Calgary in Alberta. She is currently working with a model of bovine respiratory disease to investigate mechanisms through which certain antibiotics deliver anti-inflammatory benefits. Indeed, exaggerated immune responses during infection have significant detrimental effects to the beef industry by reducing feed intake, reproduction, and metabolic health. She became very interested in medicine and improving cattle health and thus aspires to be a veterinarian specializing in large animal care. Fischer has been recognized for her scholastic and research achievements with several awards, including two National Science and Engineering Research Council scholarships that have fully funded her current degree. "Living in cattle country, I understand the importance of the animal agriculture industry. This experience will be both educational and practical for building a career in large animal health that can positively impact the local and global agriculture communities."
Carrie Fischer Student Paper
Melissa Green
Pursuing a career in agriculture is a natural extension of Melissa Green's background, passion and interests. Green was born and raised on the family ranch in a small farming community in California. Her family raises cattle and breeds sheep to produce club lambs for local fairs. Green has been actively involved in the everyday operations of the ranch since she was old enough to see over the steering wheel. Green finds all aspects of animal life interesting, which is why she attended California State University, Chico to receive her B.S. degree in Animal Science. During her undergraduate education, Green was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to serve as a National Beef Ambassador. It was during this year that she discovered her passion for educating the public about the beef industry. In order to obtain a full understanding of the field to plate process, Green is currently pursuing a masters degree at Colorado State University in Animal Science with an emphasis in Meat Science. In the future, she hopes to combine her passion for animal science with the deep desire to support producers while educating an often misinformed public. "A vital part of invorming the public about the benefits of agriculture is to be informed yourself."
Melissa Green Student Paper
Jeff Jaderborg
Jeff Jaderborg grew up in Spooner, Wisconsin. In 1994, he started in the livestock industry by developing is own business, a Purebred Cow/Calf Charolais and Red Angus operation. Currently, he attends the University of Minnesota pursuing a masters degree in Cow/Calf and Feedlot Ruminant Nutrition. Jaderborg obtained an undergraduate degree in Animal Science and was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. He has spent multiple summers interning with Trans Ova Genetics, University of Minnesota-Diagnostic Laboratories, University of Minnesota-Reproductive Biotechnology Center, and University of Wisconsin-Spooner Research Station. Over the last year, Jaderborg has conducted numerous research projects involving dry matter intake and waste in beef cows, TMR supplement comparison, and feedlot E. coli O157:H7 research. As an extra activity, he was a co-coordinator of the 2009 Alimental-Teknal Nebraska Feedlot Tour where the group hosted 31 nutrition consultants and feedlot owners from Argentina and Uruguay. "The continued success within the industry is up to us as youth to educate one another, including those within and outside the industry, as to the benefits our industry brings to communities. I believe it is important for us to stay up to date with the issues that we are facing now and in the near future as an industry."
Jeff Jaderborg Student Paper
Theresa Jeske
Theresa Jeske is currently pursuing a masters degree at North Dakota State University with Dr. Kasey Maddock Carlin. Jeske grew up on a Maine-Anjou cattle operating in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin and was active in local 4-H and livestock programs across the state. She attended the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where she received a B.S. degree in Animal Science with a meat animal emphasis. As an undergraduate student, she spoke at several livestock clinics for 4-H youth beef exhibitors, was on the livestock judging and Midwest ASAS academic quatrathalon team, as well as being active in both the Block and Bridle Club and Delta Theta Sigma Little Sisters. At North Dakota State University, Jeske has been studying animal health effects and the addition of by-product feeds in finnishing diets on carcass quality. She was a member of the Barbeque Bootcamp team which recieved the North Dakota Extension Program of Excellence Award for 2009. "I truly believe that youth are the future of agriculture and that we need to continue to educate them, whether they are agriclutural based or not, about livestock production."
Theresa Jeske Student Paper
Lance Leachman
Lance Leachman grew up near Maidstone, Saskatchewan, Canada. His family owns and operates Big Gully Farm which produces seedstock Hereford cattle along with alfalfa, wheat, canola and oats. Leachman is near completion of a Masters of Science degree in Animal Breeding and Genetics from Virginia Tech University, focusing on beef cattle quantitative genetics. He serves as coach of the Livestock Judging Team and a teaching assistant within the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences. During the 2009 Beef Improvement Federation Annual Meeting, he was awarded the Frank H. Baker Memorial Scholarship. Leachman previously graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Sciences & Industry from Kansas State University. At KSU, he was a member of the 2006 Reserve National Champion Livestock Judging and 2006 All-American teams. Leachman is a member of the Canadian and American Hereford Associations. "Educating youth, whether or not they grew up with livestock, about the fulfillment, opportunities and careers available in animal agriculture is critical to society's long-term appreciation of its pivotal role in everyone's standard of living."
Lance Leachman Student Paper
Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee if Adelaide, South Australia is pursuing a doctoral degree funded by the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Beef Genetic Technologies and The University of Adelaide. He is based at the Roseworthy Agricultural Campus where his research focuses on improving maternal efficiency in pasture-based production systems. Lee completed a B.S. degree with First Class Honours in Animal Science in 2005, where he assessed the relationship between gene markers and feed efficiency for cattle. After graduating as Dux of Animal Science, Lee worked in a technical role providing advice to livestock breeders throughout Australia and New Zealand. In addition to his current studies, he has recently completed the Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship focusing on agricultural supply chains and business logistics of large-scale, fresh produce retail. He has been a member of the Rural Industries Youth Advisory Group to the Australian Minister for Agriculture and was Chairperson of the South Australian Ministers Youth Council. Lee retains a direct interest in the cattle industry, having established his own Murray Grey cattle stud in 2002. "To overcome today's challenges and harness tomorrow's opportunities, all stakeholders need to work together to ensure the most efficient production of high quality beef."
Stephen Lee Student Paper
Darlington Sabasi
Darlington Sabasi is from Marondera, a small town in Zimbabwe, Southern Africa. Currently pursuing a dual masters degree in Agricultural Economics and Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming, Sabasi did his undergraduate work in Zimbabwe majoring in agribusiness. While an undergraduate, Sabasi was class president and president of Model United Nations, among several extracurricular activities and positions. He is a published poet and author. In 2007, Sabasi received the Kalamazoo University Partner Fellowship and spent a year at Kalamazoo College in Michigan. Sabasi graduated in June 2009 with honors, several awards and was selected for the inaugural Geneva Model United Nations. Furthermore, Sabasi received a full graduate assistantship from the University of Wyoming. He envisions being a beef producer and packer and building towards that, he is researching on captive supply and its impact on alternative marketing arrangements as well as spot market price. "Through planning, implementation, and perseverance, offering service in the agriculture sector is my number one goal, because when agriculture stumbles, the economy crumbles and humanity suffers."
Darlington Sabasi Student Paper
Rebecca Tokach
Hailing from St. Anthony, North Dakota, Rebecca Tokach is currently pursuing her masters at Texas Tech University in Meat Science and Muscle Biology. Tokach graduated summa cum laude from Kansas State University with a B.S. degree in Animal Sciences and Industry. During her undergraduate career, she interned with Cargill Meat Solutions, Certified Angus Beef, and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. In addition, she served on the National Junior Angus Association Board of Directors, participated on collegiate meat judging and quadrathalon teams, studied abroad in Costa Rica, Argentina, and Chile, as well as being an active member in agricultural organizations on campus. For her involvement, she was recognized as the 2008 College of Agriculture Student of the Year and has received numerous scholarships. "Growing up on a purebred Angus ranch with a family active in the beef industry, I have been fortunate to be exposed to the agricultural industry on a daily basis. My experiences have allowed me to learn that the only way to continue to make an impact on our industry is by expanding our knowledge of not only the agriculture industry in the U.S., but also globally.
Rebecca Tokach Student Paper
2010 Dan Kissler Fellowship
Recipients
Kimberly Rossi
Kimberly Rossi is from Northwestern Colorado, where her family owns and operates R&R Land and Livestock, a commercial Hereford/Angus cattle ranch. She is attending Colorado State University and is pursuing a dual major in Animal Science and Agricultural Business. The FFA and 4-H programs have been an important part of Rossi's life. She is also involved in the Collegiate Cattlewomen's Association and the Block and Bridle program at Colorado State University. Rossi plans to return to the family ranch to continue developing the family business. "I have learned to be appreciative of the morals and passions for agriculture that have become a prt of my daily life."