Competing, hosting, serving, cooking, cleaning, recruiting, photographing, and enjoying — students, faculty, and staff of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) were fully engaged at this year’s Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island. Nearly two dozen representatives attended, many for the first time, encouraged by Dr. Kelly Bruns in his new role as Interim Executive Director at NCTA.
Seven students and three faculty members joined Dr. Bruns in volunteering at the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Beef Pit, managed by NCTA alumni Dan and Clarissa Feldman. “Getting to know our NCTA students and new faculty better at the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Beef Pit was an excellent first-week activity,” shared Bruns. “I hope it instilled the importance of saying yes to volunteer opportunities that will help build industry networks for them.”
For first-year student Gage Sorensen of Garden City, Kansas, the experience was meaningful. “Be so focused on watering your own grass that you don’t have time to check if someone else’s is greener,” he reflected. “I feel like many people look at volunteering as a chore that takes time away from stuff they would rather be doing. But I think it helps people grow as a person. Don’t worry about what others are doing—just grow your grass!”
NCTA Recruiting Coordinator Andela Taylor kicked off the fall outreach season on FFA Day in the Raising Nebraska building. “Students taking in the Nebraska State Fair early in the school year were so lucky to be immersed in the world of agriculture in a fun way,” Taylor said. “As always, our Nebraska FFA members are serious about their future plans and engage easily in conversation with college and industry reps.”
Dan Stehlik, NCTA Ag Equipment faculty member and longtime member of the Nebraska Sheep and Goat Producers Association, also volunteered at the fair. He enjoyed networking while serving meat samples over the weekend.
The NCTA Stock Dog Team, led by Coach Leighlynn Towne, has a long tradition of supporting the competitive dog trial at the fair. This year, student handler Justin Ernest and his dog, Goose, also competed. “The State Fair trial is always a good and early one to go to, so I can see what he remembers,” Ernest said. “Now I know what I need to work on with Goose and fine-tune to get him back up to his top performance for future trials.”
NCTA alum and current UNL student Nathaly Dragoo, now serving as a media specialist, was on hand to capture photos of Aggies at work and at play. She reflected, “The fair is a great opportunity to show that not only do we help grow the agriculture industry leaders, but we also give back to the industry by getting involved.”
From FFA Day to Labor Day (thank you, Sue Nutt, NCTA food service manager, for your labor and dedication on Labor Day volunteering in the 4-H building!), NCTA Aggies proudly shared their skills, service, and passion for agriculture at the Nebraska State Fair.
