FFA state vice president. He also
interned for Missouri Farmers
Care political action committee
during the “Right to Farm-
Amendment 1” campaign.
Currently, Dan raises corn,
soybeans, forage crops and cattle
in central Illinois. He serves on his
county’s Farm Bureau board and
is chairman of his Farm Bureau
young leaders committee.
Dan and his wife, Betty, are
also involved with ministries in the
Dominican Republic.
sam mcdonald — silex
Sam graduated in 2017 from MU
with a bachelor’s degree in plant
science, emphasis in breeding,
biology and biotechnology. He also
achieved a minor in agriculture
economics.
Sam was actively involved
in four primary organizations
during his undergrad studies at
MU. As a four-year member of the
MU Agronomy Club, he served
as treasurer and president for the
group.
“A big role that the agronomy
club has for its members is
facilitating opportunities for
networking with professionals and
students at other universities,” Sam
explains. “We attended the annual
Students of Agronomy, Soils and
Environmental Sciences meeting
every spring, which was hosted by
a different university each year.”
In 2016, Sam was selected
as a Golden Opportunity
Scholar through which he was
paired with a mentor and given
the opportunity to attend the
American Society of Agronomy
annual meeting.
“I still talk with my mentor
often, and we see each other
occasionally at meetings and
conferences,” he says.
Through MU’s Collegiate
Farm Bureau organization, Sam
held offices as treasurer and vice
president. In conjunction with his
service as vice president, Sam co-
hosted the annual Farm Forum.
“This was one of the
highlights for me in Collegiate
Farm Bureau,” Sam says. “I really
enjoyed working with my co-host
to come up with a topic, organize
a panel of speakers and drawing in
a crowd for the event.”
Additionally, being in
Collegiate Farm Bureau enabled
Sam to travel with Missouri
Farm Bureau staff and members
to Washington, D.C., during
National Agriculture Week. While
there, the group toured and met
with lawmakers, American Farm
Bureau staff and representatives
from the French Embassy.
Volunteering for two years
with the pick-up team for MU’s
food pantry called Tiger Pantry
brought Sam the opportunity
to interact with community
members. “When organizations
on campus or in the community
held food drives, our team
was responsible for providing
receptacles before the food drive
started and picking up the donated
items and delivering the items to
the food pantry once the drive was
complete,” he explains.
Sam found himself taking part
in three service trips with Mizzou
Alternative Breaks, which he calls
his favorite organization. During
a weekend outing to Schuyler
County, Missouri, Sam helped
with a haunted house to benefit a
local food bank. The group also
helped clean out a community
garden so it could be prepared for
the next season.
Another trip with Alternative
Breaks sent Sam to Starkville,
Mississippi, during spring break.
There, his group worked with
Habitat for Humanity.
“We spent our week roofing,
putting up siding and painting,”
he says. “The local churches
sponsored each of our meals, and I
ate some of the best food of my life
that week, finally understanding
southern hospitality.”
A third excursion with
Alternative Breaks took Sam to
the Dominican Republic. The
winter break journey during his
senior year of college placed him
HEARTBEAT | WINTER 2018 17