Taylor Shearrer, class of 2017, is President of the department’s Agricultural and Systems Management Club. He shares the impact and goals of the club to positively impact students pursuing degrees within the department.
Tell us a little bit about AGSM’s background and purpose.
Taylor: The Agricultural and Systems Management Club is a student lead organization that is based out of the department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. It was first formed in 2002 to help students in Agricultural Systems Management get to know each other as well as the faculty, and to aid in making connections with people in the industry. This is accomplished through monthly meetings, socials, and industry tours.
Tell us about who this year’s officer team is.
Taylor:
President: Taylor Shearrer -17′
Vice President: Andrew Volleman -17’
Secretary: Peyton Schaefer -17’
Treasurer: Daniel McCurdy -18’
Historian: Allison Thomason -17’
How is AGSM different from the other student clubs within the department and why should people join?
Taylor: For the most part, we try to focus on a more relaxed atmosphere while creating a place where people can come together. We stress that in our club, we are building a family not just an organization. We want our members and every student in the major to feel welcome and know that they are important.
What activities and speakers have you had so far?
Taylor: We have had several successful events so far, including a 42 dominos tournament attended by Dr. Searcy and Dr. Kingman, playing kickball outside of the P&M building, and ending the fall semester with a Christmas social. In the fall semester, we invited Lauren Hazelrigs to speak at club meeting. She is a graduate out of the program from 2014 and is a program assistant for the Farm Services Agency at USDA. We also went on an industry tour where we were able to observe the production process of a very popular Texas beverage company.
What are your hopes for the spring semester?
Taylor: Our goal is to be able to schedule another industry tour in order to provide members with insights on possible industry paths in preparation for graduation. We also have plans to do a service project in the community and will be helping with the Agricultural Mechanics shows at both San Antonio Stock Show and the Houston Stock Show and Rodeo. We hope that through these efforts, we will help unify the group and welcome newcomers, while providing continued support as we seek our degrees.
Article by Whitney Steinmann
For details about this news story and others please contact Stormy Kretzschmar, stormyk@tamu.edu.