News Release
October 15, 2007

UW Ag Day Barbecue generates $7,000 for ag student groups

More than $7,800 was raised during the Ag Day Barbecue Oct. 6 for College of Agriculture student organizations, and $1 from every ticket goes toward a scholarship presented next fall.

More than 810 people attended the annual event, part of Ag Appreciation Weekend at the College of Agriculture. “This is the primary fund-raiser for many of our clubs and organizations,” said Laurie Bonini in the office of Academic and Student Programs.

Money left after contributions to the scholarship is divided among student organizations based on the number of volunteer hours their members put into the event. Bonini said she anticipates about $7,000 being distributed to clubs and organizations this year.

 “The money they earn is used in a variety of ways – to help offset travel expenses for regional/national meetings, for community projects and to host professional speakers,” she noted.

Businesses, organizations and individuals from across the state donated more than $6,500 to offset the cost of the barbecue, including the meat, she says. Others donated beans, buns, salads, desserts and coffee.

“This event absolutely would not happen without the wonderful volunteers,” Bonini said. “In addition to working the day of the event and preparing all the food, students handle most of the pre-event promotion.”

Nearly 50 students helped throughout the day in three different areas: setup, serving and cleanup, said Shane Thompson, Meat Lab manager in the Department of Animal Science. The event gives students firsthand experience in the preparation, serving and storage of food with emphasis on food safety, noted Thompson.

The Food Science Club is the workhorse of the event. “Students are responsible for overseeing food safety during the event as well as nearly all of the food preparation, which begins far earlier than the morning of the event,” he said.

Students are involved in seasoning and cooking all of the 800 pounds of meat days in advance, and the meat is cooked overnight in a smokehouse in the Meat Lab within the Animal Science/Molecular Biology building. Club members also prepared and cooked nearly 175 pounds of beans.

Contact: Steven L. Miller, Senior Editor
Phone: (307) 766-6342
E-mail: slmiller@uwyo.edu
Archived News Site http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/UWAG/news.asp

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