Since 2018, the U.S. Farm Report has taken their show on the road to land-grant universities to talk to their policy experts and tell stories showcasing the agricultural research happening at campuses across the nation. The program has grown from two stops, Mizzou and Purdue, in its first year to eight stops in 2023. Morgan is proud to showcase her alma mater in the Roadshow each year.
“Every year, Mizzou proves that this is where the bar is set for this program,” Morgan said. “The crowd participation, the student groups that come with signs, the commodity groups and industry partners that come are what College Roadshow should be.”
Every segment of this week’s episode of US Farm Report, which will air on Saturday, Sept. 9, was filmed at Mizzou. Morgan works to tell stories that translate university research into practical farm applications, now and in the future, including the $25 million grant for meat processing and the delivery of the first completely autonomous electric tractor.
“So much that happens here at Mizzou extends beyond the classroom and hits Missouri, and that’s really what we try to highlight with College Roadshow,” she said.
In addition to forward-thinking research, this episode will also celebrate the 75th anniversary of the discovery of aureomycin, a revolutionary antibiotic used in humans and livestock, in the soil at Sanborn Field
“Each year I learn things about Mizzou that I didn’t even know,” Morgan said. “So, when you look at the stories this week, they all toast to the past while uncovering potential futures, and we can’t look to the future without that nod to the past.”
College Roadshow also works to support student organizations at each of their stops on the tour. With the help of donations from Beck’s Hybrids and other industry and university donors, student organizations could win prize money for the best sign at the live taping, highest attendance, and most spirit. Before the taping, student groups also entered Beck’s “Pay It Forward” Challenge by posting a TikTok video or Instagram Reel showcasing how their organization helps others through random acts of kindness.
Mizzou’s quarter-scale tractor pulling team, Torq’N Tigers, won the video contest and will also be featured on the “Tractor Tales” segment of US Farm Report.
“We have a great group of members at Torq’N Tigers and winning the video competition is a great representation of how the club works together to accomplish the goal at hand,” said club president Jonathan Ebbesmeyer. “The award money will go towards our new tractor this year, which allows us to focus more on the design and not worry about our finances as much. Being featured on the US Farm Report means a lot to the club because many people are not aware of the Quarter-Scale Tractor Pulling Team at Mizzou.”
Sigma Alpha, professional sorority for women in agriculture, of which Morgan is also an alum, won prizes for both highest attendance and best sign.
“We think it’s important to not only represent our organization at this event but also celebrate what’s happening at our university and in our industry,” said Morgan Watkins, Sigma Alpha professional development chair. “Sigma Alpha is always working to develop the next generation of women in agriculture, so our winnings will go to events to help our sisters grow as leaders in the industry.”
During the live taping, student groups watched a panel discussion moderated by Morgan and featuring Scott Brown, associate extension professor of markets and policy and interim director of the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center, Pat Westhoff, director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, and Ben Brown, senior research associate in agricultural and applied economics.
“It’s a great opportunity to broadcast what we do to farmers across the nation,” Brown said. “But it also is a great opportunity to reflect on how we can take what we’re doing at Mizzou and repackage that in a way that’s useful to the US Farm Report viewers in addition to our CAFNR students.”
Other student organizations in attendance included Collegiate Farm Bureau, Agronomy Club, Alpha Gamma Rho, and Mizzou Women in Natural Resources. Industry partners, including the Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Farmers Care, Missouri Corn Growers Association, Missouri Pork Association and Missouri Beef Industry Council , set up booths to network with students and support the College Roadshow program.
“It is a proud moment as an alum every time I come back to see the support here,” Morgan said. “It’s what makes Missouri so great.”
Source :