Latest News and Events
Congratulations to the newly elected AGR Executive Team for 2026!
Congratulations to our newly elected officer team for the upcoming year!
VNR Recruitment- Kurt Zimmerman
VNR Membership Development- Sam Martin
VNR Alumni Relations- Tyce Bettenhausen
VNR Finance- Payton Bunger
VNR Planning- Derek Schwartzlow
VNR Operations- Jonas Jandrin
VNR Scholarship- Braden Rogers
VNR Activities- Owen Trone
Public Relations- Jack Tarnutzer
Provisions- Sam Wolf and Tony Miller
Congratulations Crops Team!
The UW-Platteville Collegiate Crops team achieved an impressive finish in Chicago, securing second place overall, as well as second place in Plant & Seed Identification and Seed Analysis, and third place in Grain Grading.
Congratulations Soils Team!
The 68th Annual Region III Collegiate Soils Contest was held October 20–23, 2025, in Bad Axe, Michigan, hosted by Michigan State University. Sixty-two students from nine universities in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio participated. The event involves intensive field study of soils and landscapes and includes both individual and group competitions, which test the contestant’s abilities to accurately describe and scientifically classify soil and landscape features. The contestants also determine limitations of the soil for specific land uses, such as building sites, roads, and septic systems based on specific soil properties, and indicate if the soil meets criteria of hydric soils for wetland determinations. Scoring is based on the agreement between the contestant’s descriptions and those of a professional soil scientist serving as the contest official. Dr. Barret Wessel from Michigan State University served as the contest superintendent and official judge.
The UW–Platteville team delivered an outstanding performance, securing second place overall with a team score of 3203, just behind Purdue University (3343) and ahead of Michigan State University (3106). This strong showing qualifies UW–Platteville for the National Soils Contest in Spring 2026, to be hosted by North Carolina State University.
Individually, UW–Platteville students stood out among the 62 competitors. Sophomore Soil and Crop Science major Jake Schekel (2nd) and senior Environmental Engineering major Andrea Noll (6th) placed among the top ten individuals. Other UW-Platteville students participating in the event included senior Ecological Restoration/Soil and Crop Science major Luke Van Donsel, junior Soil and Crop Science majors Aubrey Jothen and Brock Stringfield, senior Ecological Restoration/Environmental Horticulture major Cora Brooks and senior Soil and Crop Science major Alia Meiners.
UW–Platteville excelled in the group judging portion of the contest, earning the highest score of 514 across two sites, surpassing Michigan State and Purdue. This result highlights the team’s collaborative strength and consistency in field evaluations.
The team would like to acknowledge support for travel provided by the Segregated University Fees Allocation Commission, the Doug and Jean Buhler Undergraduate Travel Impact Grant, and the UW-Platteville Foundation – Soils and Crops Team Endowment Fund. The team is coached by Dr. Chris Baxter, professor of Ecological Restoration and Resource Management/Soil and Crop Science in the School of Agriculture.
Fall 2025 Recruitment Events
Our fall 2025 recruitment events included basketball, a cookout at the house, card night, volleyball with Sigma Alpha, dodgeball, and an invite only bags tournament.
Ag-Fest – September 12th, 2025
Our 2025 Ag-Fest event included a guest speaker, live band, mechanical bull, on-campus organizations, and industry representatives. It was a great opportunity for attendees to build relationships and connections within the Ag-industry and support the school of agriculture. All of the donations from our sponsors will be donated back to the school of agriculture at UW-Platteville.
UW-Platteville Homecoming – September 28th – October 4th, 2025
UW-Platteville’s 2025 homecoming event featured the theme “Dust Off Your Boots” and was the 101st anniversary of the university event. The brothers of Alpha Gamma Rho partnered with Sigma Alpha and participated in volleyball, trivia, bingo, tug-of-war, yell night at the volleyball game, and the homecoming parade. It was a great opportunity to compete in some fun events while building our relationships on campus.