Doug Giles wins the 2012 Annual Collegiate Discussion Meet
If you have ever wondered about what role farmers and agriculturalists could play in fighting obesity in America, you should have attended the Discussion Meet yesterday. Several of our very own CASNR students discussed the complexity of the problem, as well as a variety of solutions.
The 2012 Annual Collegiate Discussion Meet, held on Wednesday, February 1st in Room 301 Morgan Hall here at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was an exciting day for four deserving students.
The Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics and Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation are proud to congratulate Doug Giles (first place winner), Jamie Morgan (second place winner), Kyle Hensley (third place), and Jonathan Harrison (fourth place) for their efforts in Discussion Meet. Doug is a senior in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications. Jamie, Kyle and Jonathan are undergraduates of Agricultural & Resource Economics.
The Discussion Meet is sponsored by the Tennessee Farm Bureau. Cash awards are given to winning participants with $800 for first place, $500 for second place, $350 for third place and $250 for fourth place. Doug will compete in the State Final, Saturday, July 21st, 2012 at the Young Farmers & Ranchers Annual Conference in Columbia, Tennessee with winners from Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University and University of Tennessee, Martin. The winner of the State Discussion Meet will go on to attend a national conference later in the year.
Jim Bell, a Regional Field Service Director with the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, moderated the discussion. The judges were Dr. Daniel de la Torre Ugarte, Professor in Agricultural & Policy Analysis Center, David Bilderback, Extension Area Specialist II in Greene County, and Jerry Barr, a Monroe County farmer of Barr Vue Farms. The timekeeper was Ryan King, a Regional Field Service Director of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation. Michele Wilson, computer information specialist with Agricultural & Resource Economics, took photos and video of the event (which will be available on our website and social media dashboard).
The Discussion Meet participants’ responsibility is to exchange ideas and information in an effort to solve a problem. Topics on farmers’ utilization of social media and strategies to help curb obesity are current issues that students of agriculture and resources should be thinking about, and all of the participants demonstrated excellent communicative and critical thinking skills. The final round was very well attended, and one audience member commented that this [year’s] group was the strongest they’d seen in years.
Dr. Jim Larson, coordinator of the annual event, would like to thank everyone for their participation and attendance. The Discussion Meet is held every year during the Spring Semester.
Pictured above, left to right: Jim Bell, Jonathan Harrison, Jamie Morgan, Doug Giles, Kyle Hensley and Charles Curtis