Ag team takes Collegiate Discussion Meet state title

Agriculture students on California State University, Fresno’s Discussion Meet team won the state championship – its second team title in three years – and student Jackie Mundt won first place at a statewide speaking competition sponsored recently by the California Farm Bureau Federation.

They took top honors in the Collegiate Discussion Meet at the state Farm Bureau’s 90th Annual Meeting in Burlingame Dec. 7.

Mundt, an agriculture communications student at Fresno State, won the individual title after discussing how the nation’s aging infrastructure should be improved to accommodate transportation of farm goods. The Fresno State junior from Pittsville, Wisc., won a $500 prize.

Joel Saldana, Jr., a senior agriculture education major at Fresno State from Firebaugh, was the first runner up. Second and third runners up were from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Fresno State’s Discussion Meet team consists of seven students from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. In addition to Mundt and Saldana, members of the championship team are Mike Croxen of Madera, Joseph Joralemon of Pismo Beach, Nancy Novak of San Diego, Amanda Pombo of Tracy and Lazaro Sandoval of Santa Cruz.

Dr. Steven Rocca, adviser for Fresno State’s Collegiate Discussion Meet team, and professor in the Animal Sciences and Agricultural Education Department, said this is a tremendous accomplishment for both students as well as the team champions.

“They have worked very hard both individually and as the leaders of our team,” Rocca said. “Their success and our team championship is a testament to the dedication they have shown in preparing themselves for the Discussion Meet contest and in helping their team members prepare to compete.”

Mundt said the discussion meet encourages young agriculturalists to engage in dialogue about issues facing the industry.

“These conversations help us to find solutions for problems that will be our responsibility as future leaders of the organization,” Mundt said.

The team begins preparing for the Discussion Meet in September and invited guest speakers to its meetings to share information about the topics covered in the upcoming competition.

The California Farm Bureau Federation, the state’s largest farm organization, works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of 91,000 members. The collegiate category is part of the federation’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Discussion Meet.

For more information contact Rocca at 559.278.5088.