At A Glance

Fall Gather Recap

Homecoming Order of Events

2023-2024 CoANS Football Athletes

2023-2024 Spirit Squad

2023-2024 Herdsmen

Panhandle Partners

Eastern National Meat Judging Contest

Dates To Remember

October 13: Midterms

Inaugural Fall Gather Honoring Mr. Paul Engler

On September 30, 2023 over 650 people gathered to celebrate agriculture and WTAMU at Fall Gather.

The inaugural event boasted fellowship, great football and awesome food!

"Thank you to the 100+ individuals who helped us pull off such a fun event.

From the student organizations to the allied industry professionals,

we could not have done it without you!

We can’t wait to do it again next year!"

-Kyli Kraft, Jr. Agribusiness

View More Here

2023-2024 CoANS Football Student Athletes

The Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences is a proud supporter

of student athletes and would like to invite you to watch the next football game.

The game is Saturday, October 14th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium,

in Canyon, TX. The Buffaloes will play Western New Mexico for this year's homecoming game.

WTAMU Football

2023-2024 Spirit Squad

University Spirit was formed in 2020 in the Office of Student Engagement

and Leadership to encompass an array of organizations and initiatives,

including the Spirit Squad, Maroon Platoon, Bucky the Mascot and more.

Currently, three students from our College serve on the Spirit Squad. Go Buffs!

Tyler Chase

Fr. Animal Science

K'Dee Dowdy

Fr. Animal Science

Karyme Martinez

Fr. Biology

WTAMU University Spirit

2023-2024 Herdsmen

West Texas A&M University’s live mascot Thunder XIV,

is officially sponsored by Texas Farm Bureau.

Thunder XIV will run onto the gridiron accompanied by his handlers, the Herdsmen!

Dating back to 1977, The Herdsmen are tasked with the safety,

care and management of Thunder XIV,

as well as his pen, dubbed the “Thunder Lodge.”

The Herdsmen serve as ambassadors to broadly share the values

and heritage Thunder brings to the WTAMU community.

WT’s first live mascots were purchased in 1922 from Col. Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight; the buffalo “Charlie” was mounted for posterity and donated

to Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. The live mascot program was revived in the 1970s.

WT is believed to be one of only two universities in the country with a live buffalo mascot.

Pictured from left to right: Dr. Kelly Jones, Makenzie Norden, Rebecca Tracy, Jaden Vititow, George Graybill, Hayden Holwick, Jett Mizer, Mia Encinias, Kaden Husband, Dalton Keener.

Returning members:

Makenzie Norden, Sr. Animal Science, Pre-Veterinary Medicine Specialization

Mia Encinias, Sr. Animal Science

Hayden Howick, So. Animal Science, Pre-Veterinary Medicine Specialization

New Members:

George Graybill, Sr. Animal Science

Kaden Husband, Jr. Animal Science, Pre-Veterinary Medicine Specialization

Jett Mizer, Jr. Agribusiness

Rebecca Tracy, Sr. Animal Science, Pre-Veterinary Medicine Specialization

Jaden Vititow, So. Animal Science

They are led by Dr. Kelly Jones, Clinical Assistant Professor of Agriculture and Herdsmen Adviser, as well as Dalton Keener, M.S. Animal Science and Herdsmen graduate assistant.

“Thunder was raised as a bottle baby, so he’s very gentle, very smart

and knows when he’s fixing to go to work. The Herdsmen are doing a great job with him.

I’m very impressed with how they work as a team.”

-Dr. Kelly Jones

Panhandle Partners

Recently, faculty and students from the

Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences

were invited to participate on panels for the Office of Career and Professional Development.

Panhandle Partners is a program designed for Panhandle employers

who provide bachelor, or higher, level job opportunities and are interested in developing

the workforce in the top 26 counties of the Panhandle.

Dr. Mallory Vestal, Plug Piehl Professor of Agriculture and

Associate Professor of Agricultural Business and Economics and

Dr. Tanner Robertson, Associate Professor of Agricultural Media and Communication,

participated on the faculty panel.

Grady McAlister, Jr. Plant, Soil and Environmental Science,

participated on the student panel.

Faculty Panel

Student Panel

Reserve Champion Team at the Eastern National

Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest

The Meat Judging team traveled to Wyalusing, PA to compete in the

2023 Eastern National Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest, hosted by Cargill.

The team was named the Reserve Champion Team of the contest!

Overall Team Results:

1st Beef Grading

2nd Pork Judging

3rd Beef Judging & Reasons

4th Specs

5th Placings

Overall individual Results:

6th high individual: Ryan Heitschmidt

7th high individual: Madison Colvin

9th high Individual: Eli Mathis

2nd high alternate: Mikayla Hudnall

3rd high alternate: Noah Harrell

4th high alternate: Megan Miller

2023 Meat Judging Team

Juan-Carlos Buentello, Sr. Animal Science

Madison Colvin, Jr. Agriculture

Colt Edrington, Jr. Agricultural Business

and Economics

Parker Franz, Jr. Animal Science

Noah Harrell, Sr. Agriculture Education

Ryan Heitschmidt, Jr. Animal Science

Mikayla Hudnall, Jr. Animal Science

Bryce Hutson, Jr. Agricultural Media and Communication

Elijah Mathis, So. Agribusiness

Megan Miller, Sr. Agribusiness

Caleb Olfers, Jr. Animal Science

Payton Ownbey, Jr. Animal Science

Coached by Dr. Loni Lucherk, Dr. Gordon W. Davis Chair in Meat Judging

and Assistant Professor of Animal Science, and Megan Eckhardt, Ph.D. Agriculture.

The team got to tour Tyson Foods, Clemens Food Group, Marcho Farms,

Smuckers Meats, Philadelphia, Hershey and New York City!

A Moment with Mrs. Bachman

Dr. Pond's Ponder

Learning outside the classroom

At a university, you expect that most learning occurs in the classroom.

However, this is not always correct.

Students who engage in extracurricular activities, such as judging and competitive teams or are active in clubs, or create something new like the Fall Gather,

will learn valuable life skills outside of the classroom.

That is also why internships are required activities in many of our majors.

Many students take multiple internships.

All of these learning activities create excellent graduates

and prepares graduates ready for the workplace.

As you plan your time at West Texas A&M University,

please keep these activities in mind as an important part of your lifelong education.

Socialize With Us!

To Contact:

806-651-2585

buffbrief@wtamu.edu