Welcome to the first issue of Ag Illustrated.
        The dream for this new publication is to tell our story. I highlight “our” because this publication is about all of us who love our College of Agriculture, who love Auburn University, who want to stay connected through our Ag Alumni Association and who want to know how they can help fulfill our College’s mission.
        I am continually impressed by the amount and quality of the work conducted by the faculty, staff and students in our College. However, in my conversations with people close to Auburn, I often find that they don’t know all they should about the great achievements of our College. That’s precisely why we have decided to publish Ag Illustrated.
        Ag Illustrated will put you in touch — with us, our students and faculty and with other alumni and friends. Ag Illustrated is chock-full of information about our accomplishments. Each issue features students and faculty members who are making special contributions to the College. There are features associated with the “gee whiz” research that is putting Auburn on the map — research that is helping our state’s agricultural sector be as profitable and relevant as possible so ultimately everyone — from farmers to consumers — benefits.
        In recent years, the College has benefited greatly from the gifts of many donors. We will be reporting to you how gifts to our College make a difference and show you how you can make a difference with your donation.
        Every issue, too, will bring you the latest on Ag Heritage Park — a park honoring all our agricultural alumni — as well as other news from our Agricultural Alumni Association and features on our outstanding alumni.
        One of the biggest challenges in putting this first issue of Ag Illustrated together was figuring out how to pack so much valuable information into a mere 16 pages. We have already, in fact, plenty of material for our next edition (coming out in six months). That tells me that by publishing Ag Illustrated, we will be doing a better job of communicating with people who care.
        Read Ag Illustrated and give us your honest opinion. Do you want more material or different features? Do you have suggestions for future issues? We anticipate your response and look forward to hearing from you. WAR EAGLE!

John Jensen
Interim Dean