Justin Goodroad, Lindstrom, Minnesota, Recognized during Ag Arama at the University of Minnesota Crookston

2015 Feb 10

The 40th Annual Ag Arama royalty were named during this longstanding University of Minnesota Crookston campus tradition on Saturday, January 31, 2015. Justin Goodroad was recognized during Ag Arama 2015.

Crowned this year were King Justin Goodroad, a senior majoring in horticulture from Lindstrom, Minn.; Queen Emily Caldis, a junior majoring in animal science from St. Paul, Minn.; Princess Ashley Rohr, a junior majoring in animal science from Long Prairie, Minn.; and Prince Keith Yorek, a senior majoring in animal science from Little Falls, Minn. The royalty are selected through a rigorous application process involving the evaluation of student achievements and interviews by a panel of judges to help determine who best reflects the goals and spirit of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department. Student votes are also used to decide the winners.

The 2015 True Grit Award was given to Dylan Pratt, a senior majoring in animal science from Clarissa, Minn. The True Grit Award is the highest honor distributed to a student who best demonstrates the hardworking, persistent spirit of Todd Opsahl, a U of M Crookston student in 1973-1974, whose life was cut short by leukemia.

The theme for this year's event was "I Go Back." Ag Arama wass dedicated to all past royalty and included some 95 royalty alumni from the event. Each year, students and faculty in the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department dedicate Ag Arama to someone who has been influential in agriculture at the U of M Crookston.