Networking in the Heartland: The 2012 SASES Regional Meeting.

On March 23 and 24, 2012, the Iowa State University Agronomy  hosted the 40^th Annual, Regional SASES Meeting in Ames, Iowa. There were 19 universities and 250 students in attendance from universities in Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Indiana, Texas, Virginia, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. The groups arrived on Friday, March 23rd and were invited to go on early bird tours to Iowa State University’s various livestock farms.  Later that night, a dinner was held, along with a career mixer with 12 agricultural companies for students to speak with.  The next day, Iowa State University Agronomy Club sent its guests all across the state on their choice of 5 tours that showcased Iowa’s agriculture. Through the many activities our committees worked so hard to orchestrate, the students from all over the country were able to network and talk to each other about agronomic issues in their areas.   Planning for this event started months before in September of 2011 with the formation of committees and biweekly meetings to contact sponsors, tours, and locations for meetings, meals, and socials.