Celebrating Commencement

This weekend, nearly 350 students graduated from the College of Agricultural Sciences, marking an exciting milestone for a new generation of leaders in agriculture. Among them, agricultural biology major Luke Holloway was featured as one of Colorado State University’s Outstanding grads.

We’re proud of each of our graduates and will miss their energy, curiosity, and leadership. Agriculture needs talent in all forms, and this class is ready to make an impact in Colorado and around the world.

Learn more about this year’s graduating class:

• Kambria Wilkin, Agricultural Education and Political Science
• Alex Krupicka, environmental horticulture
• Nizhoni Begay, agricultural education
• Jhoany Juarez, agricultural business
• Ivy Koppel-Egierd, soil and crop sciences
• Austen McCue, livestock business management

View photos from commencement and celebrate the Class of 2026.

First class of livestock business management students graduates from CSU

Eight students celebrated a major milestone during Spring Commencement as the first class of graduates from the livestock business management program. As they enter the workforce, these graduates bring a unique blend of hands-on experience, technical expertise, and industry insight.

“I’ve been impressed with the quality of students the program has attracted, their passion for the industry and their work ethic,” said Randy Blach, Animal Sciences alumnus and CEO of CattleFax.

“They get things done. When you have a combination of those things, you’ve got something special — something really positive that’s brewing that will benefit the industry for decades to come.” Read More

Annual CAS/AES Awards celebrate excellence

At this year’s annual CAS/AES Awards ceremony, we honored the faculty, staff, and students for their outstanding accomplishments over the past year. Congratulations to all of the award winners and a thank-you to all who attended – in-person and virtually! Read More

Bauerle, Lewis named 2026 Nutrien Scholars of Agricultural Sciences

Bill Bauerle, professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, and Lynne Lewis, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, were named 2026 Nutrien Scholars of Agricultural Sciences. As part of Nutrien’s investment in advancing the college’s strategic plan, the Nutrien Distinguished Scholar award recognizes faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching, research, and engagement, and who have had a significant impact on their field.

We’re proud to have you at our table, Bill and Lynne! Read More

Solar ranch in Tennessee aims to prove grazing cattle under the panels is a farmland win-win

Agrivoltaics, the growing practice of cultivating crops or grazing livestock beneath solar panels, offers opportunities to reduce emissions while keeping farmers’ land productive and generating additional income.

“Solar is one of the most powerful tools we have for cutting emissions and … is cost-competitive with fossil fuels…I think we’re starting to see enough research that, when you do it well, the land use can be more of an opportunity than a downside,” says Taylor Bacon, a soil and crop science Ph.D. candidate who has studied ecological outcomes at solar grazing sites.

Read More

This article was also featured in the LA Times. 

6 Common Landscaping Choices Gardeners Say Are Actually the Hardest to Maintain

A garden doesn’t need to be high-maintenance to be beautiful, with the right landscaping choices. For gardeners seeking a low-maintenance yard, it helps to embrace natural shapes and avoid features that require a lot of upkeep, like water elements, formal hedges, lawns, and in-ground veggie beds, according to Scott Curry, assistant professor in the landscape design and contracting program.

“If you have a very expensive, high-performance landscape, you also have a very fancy maintenance plan that’s going to be associated with it in order to keep it up,” he says. Read More

The Next 150: Roy Romer

In the latest episode of The Next 150 podcast, CSU President Amy Parsons sits down with Governor Roy Romer in his hometown of Holly, Colorado. Romer farmed during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression and went on to graduate from CSU in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics before serving in the U.S. Air Force and later becoming governor of Colorado.

Despite the current challenges agriculture in the state faces, at 97, he remains optimistic for the future. “In the long run, agriculture has a tremendous future because we’re going to be doing some much better things. We’ve got to find a way to use our water better,” he says. Read More

Colorful in a world of beige and blazers: How Tori Anderson Noell is redefining STEM at CSU

An art student turned genetics professor, Tori Anderson Noell, teaches genetics to 400+ students each semester as a soil and crop sciences instructor. Her non-linear path has perhaps helped shape her teaching philosophy of “holding space for the hard” for students.

“It cannot just be that we show up and deliver content and go home. We need to teach and support the whole human. It’s more difficult, but the work is worth it,” she says. Read More

Opinion: A peach crop or more data centers? I know which one I’ll choose.

With the Mountain West experiencing a very dry year, many farmers are looking for any way to survive while lawmakers consider tax cuts to bring water-intensive data centers to Colorado. One idea showing promise is agrivoltaics, which researchers at the Western Colorado Research Center at Orchard Mesa are exploring to protect crops from pests, keep the soil moist, and help control temperatures in both winter and summer.

“So, you not only harvest grapes, but you can harvest power. And on a farm, every little bit helps. In a year like this, it can save your a**,” says Neil Guard, who has run a small farm on the Colorado River with his wife, Diane Brown-Guard, for thirty years. Read More

An expert settles the debate: This is actually the best way to keep potatoes from sprouting

Have you ever reached into your pantry for potatoes, only to discover they’ve started sprouting? Sastry Jayanty, a postharvest physiologist with the CSU Potato Program, says potatoes will quickly sprout if they aren’t stored in a cool, dark, well-ventilated environment.

Videos circulating on social media suggest that storing potatoes alongside an apple might help reduce sprouting, since apples emit ethylene gas. In at least one lab study, ethylene has shown potential to slow sprouting. Jayanty notes that after the sprout-inhibiting chemical chlorpropham (CIPC) was banned in Europe in 2020, producers began exploring alternatives, including ethylene treatments, to maintain potato quality.

Still, it remains unclear how effective the apple method is for everyday use. Even well-resourced agricultural operations have struggled to develop reliable processes, so the benefit of storing apples with potatoes remains questionable. Read More

Solving Common Broodmare Problems

In an episode of the Stable Management Podcast, Carleigh Fedorka, assistant professor of equine reproductive physiology, discusses some of the most common broodmare issues that can affect pregnancy, including endometritis and placentitis. She outlines warning signs farm managers should watch for, how to properly prepare a mare for breeding, and ways breeders can strengthen their equine breeding programs.

“One of the most important things any breeder can do to get ahead of problems such as endometritis is to align themselves with a really good veterinarian,” she says. Read More

Top picks for annuals and perennials from the 2025 CSU Flower Trials

2025 Perennials | 2025 Annuals

Mother’s Day is the day every Colorado gardener also knows as the official kickoff to gardening season. The results from the 2025 CSU Flower Trials are in with some standout selections for annuals and perennials to try in your garden this summer. If you’re interested in learning more about how the plants were evaluated and all of the plants featured in the trials, visit the Flower Trials website and click on “Data/Reports.”

Applause, Upcoming Events, and Announcements

• Congratulations to CAS’s newly-elected CSU Faculty Council representatives – Matt Camper, Standing Committee on All-University Core Curriculum; Brad Goetz, University Curriculum Committee; Marco Costanigro, Faculty Council at-Large Representative; and Sastry Jayanty, Committee on Faculty Governance. A full list of college representatives can be found here.
• Todd Gaines, professor of agricultural biology, has been selected as a Global Teaching Scholar for Semester at Sea and will teach on board during the Fall 2026 voyage. Bon Voyage, Todd!
• Congratulations to Kianna Walz, equine science major, and Raiyaa Huntress, agricultural biology major, for their outstanding presentations at the 2026 CURC Showcase.
• Learfield College Rodeo and the PBR are debuting the Collegiate All-Star Rodeo during the PBR’s Bulls and Beats event set for July 10-12 at Canvas Stadium. Two teams, led by celebrity rodeo coaches, will compete in rodeo events like bareback riding and barrel racing. The CSU Rodeo Team will be on the south team, coached by Trevor Brazile and Dale Brisby. We can’t wait!
• Winners from last month’s FFA Career Development Events have been announced
• Congratulations to the winners and to all of the teams who made the trip to campus to compete!
• Four CSU students have earned a Heartland Emmy for their short documentary Pop Punk Grandma. The students (Grainne Dutter, Boyan Bashovski, Charly Frank, and Miles Eichenberger) were mentored by John Barnhardt, CAS artist-in-residence and director of Multimedia Production and Storytelling.