Last Field Trip Makes a Perfect Ending of Agricultural Communication Class!

Today is Wednesday, June 27, 2012. We went to Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, which located in Tyronza, Arkansas. Dr. Fears are authorized to give us a ride to the museum.
The southern Tenant Farmers Museum is located in the restored historic Mitchell-East building and the former Bank of Tyronza. H. L. Mitchell's dry cleaning business and Clay East's Service Station served as headquarters for the Southern Tenant Farmers Union until it moved to Memphis.

When I went into the museum, I was impressed by the display. I love its design.

The guest speaker told us many knowledge about cotton production. One 500 pound bale of cotton produces 215 pairs of jeans, 1,217 T-shirts,3,085 diapers, 4,321 mid-calf socks.

The guest speaker told us that the Great Depression, drought,and nickel cotton ravaged Delta agriculture in the early 1930s.Federal officials considered radical intervention necessary.
The Agriculture Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1933 was passed to help surpport cotton prices by reducing cotton production.Local arbitration of AAA payment dispute was left to county committees, usually controlled by planters. Thus, tenants could not get help from the committees.

This is the last field trip we had this semester for the Journalism Seminar class. It is an amazing class for everyone, it breaks the boring pattern of listening to professors in class, we have a lot of fun during different kinds of activities outdoor, and we experienced the life of farmers, and learn the knowledge of farming,and the history of agriculture in Arkansas.
I will miss this class! For sure!
Have a good summer everyone!

Learn some facts from USDA website!

USDA provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management. Its vision is to be recognized as a dynamic organization that is able to efficiently provide the integrated program delivery needed to lead a rapidly evolving food and agriculture system.

 

USDA has created a strategic plan to implement its vision. The framework of this plan depends on these key activities: expanding markets for agricultural products and support international economic development, further developing alternative markets for agricultural products and activities, providing financing needed to help expand job opportunities and improve housing, utilities and infrastructure in rural America, enhancing food safety by taking steps to reduce the prevalence of foodborne hazards from farm to table, improving nutrition and health by providing food assistance and nutrition education and promotion, and managing and protecting America's public and private lands working cooperatively with other levels of government and the private sector.
 
After I Browsed the USDA website, I found its core values to be successful.USDA's success depends on:
• Transparency — Making the Department’s management processes more open so that the public can learn how USDA supports Americans every day in every way.
• Participation — Providing opportunities for USDA constituents to shape and improve services provided by the Department.
• Collaboration — Working cooperatively at all governmental levels domestically and internationally on policy matters affecting a broad audience.
• Accountability — Ensuring that the performance of all employees is measured against the achievement of the Department’s strategic goals.
• Customer Focus — Serving USDA’s constituents by delivering programs that address their diverse needs.
• Professionalism — Building and maintaining a highly skilled, diverse, and compassionate workforce.
• Results Orientation — Measuring performance and making management decisions to direct resources to where they are used most effectively.

Hayride around ASU Farm can be a wonderful experience!

On June 21, 2012, our whole class of Agriculture Journalism went to ASU farm again for a hayride around the farm. It’s so exciting for me because this is my first time to do a hayride.Last week we came here to meet Dr. Humphrey and his bio-energy lab. This time we come for the animals and hayride.

 

 

The sun was strong, all of us took our sunglasses. The hayride kept shaking all the time, but it was fun. I hate to say that the pig house is stinky, I cannot breathe when I was in.

By the way, I really love this cute animal!!!I hope I can have a pet like that!!!

And there is a lovely garden. When I saw the garden, I felt so good, the fresh air can give people a warm feeling.

This is my favorite day during this summer section! I love the trip, the animals and hayride. And We are going to have a last field trip next week. I can't wait to see it !!!

Eat Fresh in Farmers' Market!

Agricultural Communication class went to the farmers' market on Tuesday, June 19.This is my first time to the farmers' market in Jonesboro. I have been to the farmers' market in Minnesota in 2008, which gave me a deep impression.

Farmers' market sells a lot of good natural stuff such as fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and fresh flowers. Everything is fresh. People there are friendly and answered a lot of my questions about different kinds of stuff they sold because I didn't know some of them.

Dr. Fears bought some okra .She said she loved them. I never see it in China. Dr. Fears told us that the okra can be used for food.

It was an interesting trip! I love fresh things!
The ASU regional farmers' market opens on Saturday from 7 am to 1 pm and Tuesday and Thursday from 2pm to 6pm. I decide to go and buy some fresh vegetables next time instead of going to Walmart!

bio-energy lab to experience the magic of agriculture!

Dr. Fears' class visited Dr. Kevin Humphries's bio-diesel lab Tuesday morning. Dr. Humphries is an assistant professor of Agricultural Education and Director of the Agricultural Education Program.

 

I have never been to ASU farm before.It is beautiful.He showed us the field in ASU farm, and told us stories about different kingds of plants such as corn and soybean. After the field walking tour, Dr. Humphries took us go inside of his lab to have a look at what they did with the plants they planted.

Dr. Humphrey owns a lab which there are engines testing lab and bio-diesel extraction. He showed us many kinds of plants such as soybean, camelina, and so on.

 The lab is interesting. We learned a lot of knowledge about biodiesel production. I learned the four phase of biodiesel production, engine testing, and bio-based products.

Debbie DeRossitte's lecture about meat safety benefits students in Agriculture Communication class!

Debbie DeRossitte, Craighead County extension agent of family and consumer sciences, made a speech to us about meat safety issue when people hang out for a barbeque and how to prevent the illness caused by the meat Monday morning,June 11.

 Proper handwashing was an important step to prevent foodborne illness. DeRossitte taught the class the right way to wash their hands.Wet your hands with warm or cold running water and apply soap. Then rub your hands together to make a lather ans scrub them well. Be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails. Then continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Rinse your hands using a disposable towel.

Beside proper handwashing to decrease foodborne illness, DeRossitte said that people should use a food thermometer to check the temperature of food. Insert tip of stem into thickest part of the food. Hold for at least 15 seconds to read accurate temperature. Keep the stem from touching the sides or bottom of the pan.

 A thermometer is given to everyone as a gift at the end of her lecture and DeRossitte hope that students can learn something of meat safety, protect themselves and have fun when they are out with families and friends.

“I always choose well done food in restaurant,” DeRossitte said to answer one student’s question. She suggests everyone has a good knowledge of meat safety and lives a healthy life.

Grow up in a farming family makes Dr. Lillie Fears understand more about agriculture

Lillie Fears, professor in Journalism department in Arkansas State University, has been working for ASU for 21 and half a years, grew up in a farming family, where there are cotton, soy bean and wheat. Lillie once published one article about science JournalismWhen she was young, she used to pick cotton by hand. Later on, her father stopped producing cotton and started producing soy bean because soy bean is more profitable and more in demand.
The most difficult thing Lillie and her family has ever met is the weather. Sometimes everything is ready such as the seeds and equipment, but there is no rain. "Weather concerns farming," Lillie said.

Arkansas State University Museum gave us a unique tour to learn history of Arkansas Agriculture

On Thursday, June 7, we visited the Arkansas State University Museum with our Journalism Seminar class.

Since 1936, the ASU Museum has been offering exhibits that entertain and inform, giving visitors and residents alike a taste of the rich cultural and natural history of Crowley Ridge and the Mississippi Delta.
Valerie Ponder, the tour guide in ASU Museum, made some explanation about the museum for us and told us some history of Arkansas Agriculture.

Exhibitions at the Arkansas State University Museum tell the story of prehistoric Arkansas from ancient fossils of tree-sized ferns, to seashells from the shallow ocean that covered the mid-West during the age of the dinosaurs, to the remains of Mammoths, Mastodons, and other extinct giants that once made the lowlands and forests of Arkansas their home.
For most of us, this is our first time to know the museum so clearly.It was a wonderful time for us, and we learned something from the tour. Dr. Fears said that if we are interested in the museum, we can come at any time.

First Trip to Crowley's Ridge Nature Center was successful!

     On Wednesday morning, we went to the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center with Dr. Fears and our Journalism Seminar class went to get to know more information about agriculture in Arkansas.

     This is our first field trip this summer.The weather is great and the air is fresh on such a beautiful summer morning. After we got there, we watched a short movie lasts about 16 minutes to know the history of natural State of Arkansas. We gained some knowledge through it and the effect of the movie made us exciting such as the rain and storm, we can feel it during watching the movie.
     After watching the movie, Dr. Fears asked us to take a visit to the museum.There are bear sample, wolf sample and snake sample and different instructions about the crowley's ridge. The wolf is so cute! I hope I can have one, I know that is crazy.

     There is also some fishing information because the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center is the fish commission. I loving fishing with my friends,but we are not good at fishing, so I took two books from there, hope that I can learn some fishing knowledge from it.

     Jonesboro and the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center is an unique place on the ridge. During the civil war,Crowley's Ridge was the only practical route through the region for soldiers.
     The Nature Center opens everyday except on Mondays. People who are interested in the nature can choose to go there and have fun.
     The first trip was successful. I cannot wait to go to the second one together with my classmates and professor!

Rice in Arkansas

After reading about agriculture in Arkansas and the seven states bordering Arkansas, I got to know that Arkansas is the largest producer of rice in the U.S.48 percent of the U.S. rice production comes from Arkansas. Rice is the states' second highest value commodity and the top agricultural export.I was shocked by this information. I want to know more information about how people in Arkansas manage the rice field. In China,rice is one of the most important food. We eat rice every day, so I am interested in the rice production in Arkansas. I will try to get more detailed information about the differences in rice production between the United States and China through this Journalism Seminar class.