Newsletter
Urban Food Systems Initiative Summer 2025 Newsletter
Summertime Updates from K-State
It’s been a busy summer within the Urban Food Systems Initiative — keep reading to learn more about our summer graduates, upcoming events and continued expansion of our Growing Growers farm apprenticeship program.
Summer Graduates
We have had quite a busy summer with students wrapping up their thesis research and master's reports! Congratulations to our five summer 2025 graduates:
- Brooke Monson is graduating with a Professional Track M.S. degree.
- Comfort Kafui Kwamikorkor is graduating with a Thesis Track M.S. degree.
- Sagar Pokhrel is graduating with a Thesis Track M.S. degree.
- Puja Subedi is graduating with a Thesis Track M.S. degree.
- Charles Carpenter III is graduating with a Thesis Track M.S. degree.
Brooke Monson is graduating with a Professional Track degree and wrote her report about enhancements of ecosystem services through urban agriculture and greening initiatives. Brooke lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is an area educator with Lincoln University Extension. Congrats, Brooke!
Comfort Kafui Kwamikorkor is graduating with a Thesis Track degree and conducted research to evaluate the effect of electrostatic spraying to improve food contact surface disinfection and produce safety and quality. Kafui has accepted a Ph.D. position at the University of Arkansas in their Department of Food Science. Congrats, Kafui!
Sagar Pokhrel is graduating with a Thesis Track degree and his research looked at both the application of a UV tunnel for E. coli decontamination to improve fresh produce safety and visual educational outreach for non-English speaking growers related to food safety. Sagar has accepted a Ph.D. position at Auburn University in their Department of Horticulture. Congrats, Sagar!
Puja Subedi is graduating with a Thesis Track degree and her research looked into nutrient solution management and optimization for leafy greens production in recirculating controlled environment hydroponic systems. Puja has accepted a Ph.D. position at South Dakota State University in their Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science. Congrats, Puja!
Charles Carpenter III is graduating with a Thesis Track degree and his research was an evaluation of the perspectives of minority youth in conservation practices through experiential learning opportunities. Charles is based in Manhattan and will be continuing into the Leadership Communication Ph.D. at K-State. In addition, he will serve as the assistant director of the Veryl Switzer AG Youth Camp, which is part of the Kansas Black Farmers Association (KBFA). Congrats, Charles!
Conference Season
July was a busy month for staff, faculty and students in the Urban Food Systems program.
- Program Manager Semra Fetahovic attended the Kansas Local Food Summit in Salina, Kansas, with Ph.D. candidate Courtney Woodworth.
- In Courtney's words: "In times of deep uncertainty in our local food system (with budget and program cuts impacting many), an event like the Kansas Local Food Summit highlighted what will pull us through — community. Several of the speakers emphasized the importance of collaborating with others, a throughline present in the summit's activities as well. One such activity involved summit attendees placing their names on a map, then drawing a color-coded line to another attendee's name. There were several markers present, and each color signified something different, like current partnerships people had, new relationships formed at the conference and more. At the end of the conference, the map was filled with pockets of bubbles and colorful intersecting lines that visually represented the interconnectedness of the Kansas food system. Everyone came to the conference hoping to learn more or to share knowledge and I came away hopeful for a future with more lines on that map!"
- Faculty Tricia Jenkins, Post-Harvest Lab Manager Tori Kent and M.S. students Dustin Kohn, Kara Walker and Claire Barnhart attended the annual American Society for Horticultural Sciences Conference (ASHS) in New Orleans.
- In Kara Walker's words: "I recently attended the American Society for Horticultural Sciences conference in New Orleans. I gained valuable insights into a wide variety of ongoing and completed research about food production, including optimized growing conditions, innovative technologies and environmentally friendly practices, and heard in-depth talks about local food systems research. I also shared a poster about my own research and had the opportunity to speak with other researchers about my work so far. I found the conference to be an important experience to both develop a broader understanding of the field and cultivate personal connections within food systems research."
- In Kara Walker's words: "I recently attended the American Society for Horticultural Sciences conference in New Orleans. I gained valuable insights into a wide variety of ongoing and completed research about food production, including optimized growing conditions, innovative technologies and environmentally friendly practices, and heard in-depth talks about local food systems research. I also shared a poster about my own research and had the opportunity to speak with other researchers about my work so far. I found the conference to be an important experience to both develop a broader understanding of the field and cultivate personal connections within food systems research."
- Faculty Manreet Bhullar, Research Associate Katelynn Stull and students Millicent Tetteh, Vikas Galipothu, Sagar Pokhrel and Comfort Kafui Kwamikorkor attended the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Annual Meeting in Cleveland.
- In Kafui and Millicent's own words: "IAFP 2025 🎉🎉🎉. It was a blast. Yet, again it was another year for the International Association of Food Protection Annual Meeting which was held in Cleveland. This meeting creates the opportunity for faculty members, students , industry players and everyone with interest in food safety to interact and share ideas. K-State Olathe was represented by Dr. Manreet Bhullar, Katelynn Stull and four graduate students: Millicent Tetteh, Sagar Pokrel, Vikas Galipothu and Comfort Kafui Kwamikorkor. This years' meeting was packed with technical presentations (oral and poster), exhibitions and sessions to share the latest developments in the advancement of food safety. From the graduate students , who were also first time attendees, IAFP did not only provide an opportunity to learn and to show their work to others but also it was platform for great connections! They look forward to the next meeting in New Orleans."
- In Kafui and Millicent's own words: "IAFP 2025 🎉🎉🎉. It was a blast. Yet, again it was another year for the International Association of Food Protection Annual Meeting which was held in Cleveland. This meeting creates the opportunity for faculty members, students , industry players and everyone with interest in food safety to interact and share ideas. K-State Olathe was represented by Dr. Manreet Bhullar, Katelynn Stull and four graduate students: Millicent Tetteh, Sagar Pokrel, Vikas Galipothu and Comfort Kafui Kwamikorkor. This years' meeting was packed with technical presentations (oral and poster), exhibitions and sessions to share the latest developments in the advancement of food safety. From the graduate students , who were also first time attendees, IAFP did not only provide an opportunity to learn and to show their work to others but also it was platform for great connections! They look forward to the next meeting in New Orleans."
- We're also excited to share that Cary Rivard's paper "Sustaining Soil Health in High Tunnels: A Paradigm Shift toward Soil-centered Management" has been named the ASHS Outstanding Extension Publication Award winner for papers published in 2024. Congratulations to Cary!
Growing Growers Expansion
The Growing Growers Farm Apprenticeship program has had quite the season this year. We are beginning to wrap up the first year of our BFRDP (Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program) USDA grant. This grant has supported the program in expanding further into both Kansas and Missouri.
A few highlights from the 2025 season:
- We had 14 apprentices, six of which were in expansion regions at host farms new to the program! Half of the apprentices completed the full apprenticeship track, while the other half were explore farming apprentices.
- We hosted 4 core workshops at 4 different host farm sites with more than 70 attendees!
- We added 17 NEW host farms to our host farmer network — check out the full map of host farms at this link!
Food for Thought Event
Join us for an evening of prose, poetry and community conversation at Flagship Books in KCK.
The Food for Thought Summer Reading Event with Alej Martinez starts at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at 510 N 6th St., Kansas City, Kansas 66101. It is a lyrical exploration of food sovereignty and cultural reclamation, followed by a conversation about land, food, resilience and the role of integenerational justice in food systems. It also features poetry from Miguel M. Morales.
Study with Us
Curious about our graduate programs in Urban Food Systems? We accept students on a rolling admission basis. Dr. Eleni Pliakoni is seeking to hire a Graduate Research Assistant in the Post-Harvest Physiology lab — if you're interested, send a CV or resume to UFS@ksu.edu.
Join us at the Annual Veggie Field Day from 4-7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 25, at the Olathe Horticulture Research and Extension Center (OHREC). Every August OHREC hosts this event to highlight ongoing research at the farm as well as the success of our graduate students and Growing Growers apprentices. This event also serves as a celebration of this year's Growing Growers apprentice cohort and includes a cook-out dinner. We hope to see you there!
Free registration is available to Growing Growers host farmers and apprentices.
Save the Date
Midtown Hoedown
Join us from 5-9 p.m. on Sept. 13 at Longfellow Farm on 922 E. 30th St., Kansas City, Missouri, for the Midtown Hoedown. Learn more.
Urban Food Systems Symposium
The biennial Urban Food Systems Symposium, or UFSS, is coming back to Kansas City in from Sept. 14-17, 2026. Learn more.
