On Friday March 22^nd, 13 brothers went to the Country Day Montessori Preschool to give them a lesson about chickens and pigs. We brought four chicks and two pigs. The kids were thrilled to pet the animals and the brothers enjoyed spending time with the kids. It is a great opportunity to introduce kids to agriculture when some of them probably never touched a farm animal. We have developed a great partnership with the preschool and hope to go back for Earth Day to plant flowers.

At the member meeting on Tuesday, March 19th, the Florida Chapter engaged in some fun chapter bonding in preparation for Relay for Life. The chapter was divided into teams based on their shift for the event, and asked to complete six tasks. Some of the tasks included making up an Alpha Zeta Cheer, serenading a random stranger by singing "Happy Birthday", and  taking group photos at several University of Florida landmarks. The teams had a half an hour to complete the challenge and had tons of fun while getting to know each other. Some of the pledges participated as well and got to know the members. As the second year of the scavenger hunt, hopefully it will become an annual bonding tradition for the chapter!

The members of the Florida Chapter got together on Monday, March 11th for some great gelato and company at The Gelato Company in downtown Gainesville. In addition to making the best chicken salad in town, Gelato Company donated a portion of their profits from the night toward the UF Alpha Zeta Relay for Life team. Members brought friends and enjoyed dinner, gelato, and even crepes. Some alumni of the chapter even turned out for the event! It was a delicious way for the chapter to fund-raise for the Relay for Life team.

On the last day of Ag Awareness Week, March 21^st, we completed with the Kiss the Pig contest. All week we had mason jars out that had names of different campus celebrities on them. People put money in the jars to help their person to win and kiss the pig. The contestants included the new football coach, Dave Doeren, the new CALS Dean, Richard Linton, the student body president, Agri-Life Council president, and a rival Tarheel fan...

During Agriculture Awareness Week we hold a forum regarding the issues in agriculture to help educate the brotherhood, as well as the public.  We advertise this forum throughout the week through social media and word of mouth.  This year the forum was held on Wednesday at 5:30pm. The theme was Food Safety and Security.  The Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture, Joe Reardon, opened up the forum by giving his story of how he became involved in Agriculture and how he got to where he is today.  We then heard from other panelists, including a NCSU animal science professor, high school teacher, and a student...

http://www.wral.com/wral-tv/video/12242420/#/vid12242420 On Tuesday we had our annual milking contest. Three brothers went to the Dairy Educational Unit to wash the cows before the contest.  NC Commissioner of Agriculture, Steve Troxler was out of town this year but Assistant Commissioner Joe Reardon came to participate against Elizabeth Gardner, meteorologist for WRAL.  The contest area was lined with cones for the arrival of the cows and the contestants were given an opportunity to practice milking. Elizabeth Gardner was looking to defend her title since she ended Commissioner Troxler’s seven-year win streak...

At 6:00am on March 18^th, officers and brothers cooked pancakes, sausages and eggs for our annual alumni breakfast. Many faculty and staff are alumni of Alpha Zeta and were invited to the breakfast at 7:15am. Brothers socialized with a handful of alumni while starting off the day with a delicious meal.  After breakfast, brothers headed back to set up our booth and wait on the arrival of other clubs...

Every year, the brotherhood hosts Agriculture Awareness Week (AAW) to network with other clubs in the college and help a university with 30,000plus students learn more about agriculture.  Although the university was founded in agricultural and mechanical arts, most students are not from farming backgrounds. AAW is now considered a campus tradition and has been going on for over thirty years. Tommy Batts, chair of the AAW Committee began planning the event over six months ago. The committee worked to prepare for the arrival of animals, plants and equipment on campus...

On a brisk Saturday morning, a few members from the Cal-Epsilon chapter took the time to take a few steps for a good cause. 

With thousands of people suffering from disabilities, the United Cerebral Palsy foundation in the Central Valley organized a running event whose proceeds benefited the sick and disabled. Cal-Epsilon Chancellor, Monique Bienvenue and Censor, Jessica Fernainy actually ran the race while other officers cheered them on as well as the hundreds of other participants running...

On February 22-23, four Alpha Zeta members attended the 2013 Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Conference.  The main focus of the conference was to get young farmers and ranchers active in Farm Bureau.  Young farmers and ranchers do not necessarily need to hold a position to contribute to the organization but voicing an opinion about various agricultural issues is very helpful.  Farm Bureau wants young farmers to join and be active in the field of agriculture because it allows for the concerns and issues to be heard by local representatives who can then lobby for farmers in Albany...