Celebrating Spring

By Dean Larry Gossen, PhD

Spring has sprung! It seems like everyone I talk to is so happy to see the warmer weather arrive and ready to say goodbye to the cold. Let's leave winter behind us. I must admit, I'm still looking for those "April showers" to bring the "May flowers."

It is hard to believe that we are a third of the way through April! There are only a few more weeks left of students on campus before the summer migration begins. As you read this, we have over a dozen students competing in contests in Modesto, California, at the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Judging Conference.

Once these teams return, we start gearing up for the fall semester with our first of three New Student Enrollment (NSE) days. We expect to have over 40 new students and their families on campus on Tuesday, April 18, to get signed up for classes, reserve their housing, and get their NU IDs. If you see any of these families in town, be sure to welcome them to Curtis, their new home for the next few years.

Before we know it, May will be here. With that, I want to invite you to our 2023 Commencement ceremony to be held on May 4. If the beautiful weather holds, the event will be on the football field in front of Ag Hall. Otherwise, we will move to the Community Center.

We are again privileged to have the University of Nebraska President Ted Carter as our commencement speaker. Our newly elected District 7 Regent, Kathy Wilmot, will bring greetings on behalf of the Board of Regents. I hope you will make plans to join us.

Looking down the road, just a few weeks later, we will welcome back our Aggie Alumni from NSA, UNSA, UNSTA, and NCTA. The Aggie Alumni Reunion will be held in "The Barn" on Saturday, June 17. All past Aggies are welcome to attend. Watch for more information, and check out the Aggie Alumni website for a link to RSVP.

Impactful Ranch Horse Event Held

The annual Punchy in Pink Spring Round Up hosted by the NCTA Ranch Horse Team at the Kiplinger Arena in McCook lived up to the goal of showcasing and developing excellent horsemanship and raising funds for those battling breast cancer in the ranching community.

NCTA Coach Joanna Hergenreder shared, "I have to say, this team rose to the occasion and highly exceeded all expectations! Cauy Bennett deserves special mention, as he stepped in as team president and led with amazing strength, composure, and quality!"

Over the course of four days, ending on Easter Sunday, the showcase of top-quality horses and highly skilled riders was described as "Thrilling!" by Jack Berggren of Pleasanton, NCTA Ranch Horse Team competitor and Equine Industry Management major graduating in May. Jack plans a career as a professional horse trainer.

Cauy Bennett of Elwood shared his gratitude, saying, "It was a lot of hard work and dedication, and I couldn't do it without all the team members. We all had a huge impact. Thank you to all the outside help, Steve, Kim, Kelly, and many more we could not do it without you. The show was a huge success. We all survived NCTA PUNCHY IN PINK!"

Cuay will graduate in May with a major in Livestock Industry Management. He has plans for a career as a Ranch Manager.

Events like Punchy In Pink allow students to network with industry and develop leadership and organizational skills. We appreciate the multi-generational attendance and support from area citizens and students' family members.

NCTA Events:

Apr. 11: Discovery Days Tour at NCTA

Apr. 12-14: NACTA Judging Conf. Modesto, CA

Apr. 16-20: Nat’l Ranch Horse, Amarillo, TX

Apr. 17: Recruit at South Dakota FFA

Apr. 18: New Student Enrollment

Apr. 20: Recruit at Wyoming FFA

Apr. 20: NCTA Alumni Entrepreneurship Fair

Apr. 20: Branding Meal Cafeteria

Apr. 21: Student Speech Night

May 3: Awards Night

May 4: Commencement

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology, and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates and the success of student teams in competitive activities, including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.

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