NACTA Newsletter - February 2024

February 2024

• NACTA President Nick Fuhrman's Message
• Featured Member, Dr. J. Marcos Fernandez
• Register for the NACTA 2024 Judging Conference
• Register for the NACTA 2024 Conference
• New NACTA Members
• How to Renew Your NACTA Membership

NACTA President Nick Fuhrman's Message

NACTA President Nick Fuhrman is looking forward to the Annual NACTA Conference in June, and reminds everyone to get registered!

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Featured NACTA Member - Dr. J. Marcos Fernandez

J. Marcos Fernandez, Ph.D., Professor of Animal Sciences
Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN USA

1. How long have you been a member of NACTA?
I have been a NACTA Member since 1996, nearly 30 years. Over the years, I have served the organization in various capacities, including as NACTA President from 2020-2021, and Annual Conference co-host during the summers of 2010 (Penn State) and 2017 (Purdue).

2. Looking at your time with the Association, what have you most enjoyed doing?
Meeting, interacting, sharing with and learning from colleagues with a similar passion for teaching, advising, and developing the next generation of agricultural students and leaders. What a privilege it has been to have these colleagues regularly at my side during my professional journey! It should come as no surprise that I relished and enjoyed introducing others to NACTA.

3. What are you looking forward to with next year’s conference?
I believe the upcoming 2024 Annual NACTA Conference will be my 14th conference as a participant. My first NACTA Conference was during the summer of 2001, hosted by the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada. I look forward to reuniting with good FRIENDS, meet and learn from new COLLEAGUES, and hopefully help and support others along their professional journey.

4. What interesting things are you working on outside the Association right now?
In February of 2020, I stepped down from my leadership role with Purdue’s College of Agriculture and returned to the Animal Sciences faculty as a full-time teaching (and student outreach) faculty. After 19 years in administration across three major agricultural colleges at Purdue, Penn State, and Louisiana State Universities, it was time for someone else to take the helm and move the academic programs to newer and richer heights. Hence, I spent time developing new undergraduate courses and retooling some existing courses. This past Fall (2023) I taught and co-taught five courses, including two large-enrollment courses (“Ethics of Animal Use” and “Principles of Animal Production”) and a smaller three-course sequence with our “Pets & Society Learning Community.” This coming Fall semester I am hoping to be able to offer the “Leadership for a Diverse Workplace” class to upperclassmen, my third time teaching it, and originally developed by fellow NACTA and Purdue Animal Sciences colleague, Dr. Mark Russel.

5. Talk a little about how your program is involved in international activities.
Over the years I have developed and co-led Study Abroad classes to Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Ireland, New Zealand, and Spain. This past year I was part of a team that developed and led the first ever “Natural Resources and Agriculture in Costa Rica” for our Purdue Ag Alumni Society. During my earlier years, I was involved in international research and teaching efforts (mainly in Mexico) with a focus on small ruminants (goats and sheep). Moreover, I was involved with GCHERA (Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agricultural and Life Sciences).

6. Can you provide some insight/information on your Blue Ribbon presentation at this year's conference?
My Blue Ribbon presentation will focus on my personal and professional reflections of being a 1st Generation student and university professional, with an emphasis on the importance of mentorship. I have been fortunate (indeed, blessed!) over the years to experience a degree of professional successes and achievements, and frankly, I owe much of that to being surrounded by caring and impactful colleagues and mentors. Without their selfless effective efforts, insights and consistent support, I would not be the person I am today; I am forever grateful to each one of them. I believe my calling now is to inspire, assist and support others become the kind of mentors that will impact others.
 
7. What is your most memorable teaching moment?
Frankly, that I still thoroughly enjoy my teaching experiences and students, even after these many years! I know I will miss it when I retire….

8. Anything else that you would like to add?
At present I am undergoing a phased retirement from Purdue University, culminating in my full retirement at the end of Spring 2025 semester. My wife Sheila and I spend time visiting our children and grandchildren, and whenever possible traveling for enjoyment and adventure. My hope and desire will be to stay connected to NACTA over the coming years, and I look forward to reconnecting with my friends and esteemed colleagues by attending the conferences.

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Register for the NACTA 2024 Judging Conference!

Registration for the NACTA 2024 Judging Conference is currently open! This year's Judging Contest will take place at the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) in Twin Falls, Idaho. Every year, the NACTA Judging Conference hosts a range of agricultural contests for 2-year and 4-year institutions that are members of NACTA.

Click here for the NACTA 2024 Judging Contest Website

Each contest will have prizes for both individuals and teams. Teams sizes vary from contest to contest, but are typically 4 or 5. Each contest has a specific set of rules, which can be found below. 

The list of contests includes:

• Agricultural Business Contest
• Agriculture Education Contest
• Agriculture Mechanics Contest
• Crops Contest
• Dairy Cattle Judging Contest
• Equine Management Contest
• Knowledge Bowl - Preliminary and Finals Rounds
• Livestock Judging Contest
• Livestock Management Contest
• Natural Resources Management Contest (rules not yet finalized)
• Parliamentary Procedure Contest
• Precision Agriculture Contest
• Soils Contest (2-Year)
• Soils Contest (4-Year)

For more information on the 2024 Judging Conference, including a full schedule of events, contest director information, tour options, hotel reservation instructions, and registration, please click here. 

This year, CSI has planned a Career Fair in conjunction with the Opening BBQ on Wednesday night! Your students will have the opportunity to connect with industry professionals and learn about job opportunities. This year’s Judging Conference will be one you won’t want to miss! 

We'll see you in April!

Click here to register!

Register for the NACTA 2024 Conference!

New NACTA Members

Renew Your NACTA Membership

NACTA is the largest professional development organization that focuses specifically on the scholarship of teaching and learning in agriculture, food and natural resources. Need to renew your membership? Want to invite a colleague to join? Want to change your membership status? Visit the membership page here. We appreciate your NACTA membership!

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