Earlier this month, the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) at Ohio State University held its annual awards ceremony at the 4-H Center, honoring college staff, research, extension, teaching and advising.
The Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering (FABE) faculty and staff received two awards on the day, including the Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer Award and the Distinguished Multidisciplinary Team Extension Award.
Construction Systems Management lecturer Jeff Suchy received the Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer Award. Suchy earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1998 and spent the next 11 years working in commercial construction project management. In 2009, he returned to Ohio State, where he began his dream teaching career and completed his master’s degree.
Jeff teaches courses in both Agricultural Systems Management and Construction Systems Management. With his extensive industry experience, academic background, and passion for the construction and agriculture industries, he brings practical knowledge and expertise to the classroom, preparing students for successful careers in these fields. In addition to his teaching assignments, Jeff is the faculty advisor for the CSM Club, coaches student competition teams, serves as the internship coordinator for CSM and has been a STEP mentor. He is passionate about teaching and is energized by student success.
The Digital Agriculture eFields team, led in part by FABE faculty John Fulton and Elizabeth Hawkins, received the Distinguished Multidisciplinary Team Extension Award. The eFields team aims to enhance both the quantity and quality of farmer-participatory on-farm research in Ohio. The team brings together a diverse group of stakeholders and researchers with the mission to drive innovation and solve local production challenges. On average, the team engages 90 farms, 60 Ohio State contributors, and 50 industry partners annually.
Ohio State contributors have spanned the college, bringing together researchers from the Departments of Extension; Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering; Horticulture and Crop Science; School of Environment and Natural Resources; Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics; Plant Pathology; Animal Science; and Entomology. Since 2017, the eFields team has conducted 1,174 trials in 68 Ohio counties.
The work of the eFields team has changed the way Ohio farmers use data to drive decisions in their operations. Recent survey results indicated 47% of responding farmers have altered their production practices, and 27% have invested in new or improved technology due to the research insights gained from eFields.