Contact: Ron Del Vecchio, head, Agriculture Department, 218-281-8109 (delve004@umn.edu), Elizabeth Tollefson, assistant director of communications, 218-281-8432 (ltollefs@umn.edu)

Terrill Bradford Crookston, Minn. (June 30, 2008) – Terrill Bradford, instructor of animal science at the University of Minnesota, Crookston, received the Graduate Student Teacher Award at the annual conference of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) held at Utah State University in June 2008. The theme for the conference was “Retaining the Best.” The purpose of the annual conference is to provide for professional advancement of faculty engaged in classroom teaching. Participants have the opportunity to share teaching methods, philosophies and styles of instruction. Bradford was born in Rapid City, S.D., and raised on a commercial beef cattle ranch in northwestern Minnesota. She received a B.S. degree from the University of Minnesota, Crookston in technical studies and North Dakota State University in animal health technology. She completed her M.Ed. degree from the University of Minnesota in agricultural education while employed as a teaching specialist at the Crookston campus. She is currently teaching the following courses at the U of M, Crookston: Beef Production, Horse Production, Animal Health and Disease, Introduction to Animal Science, Beef/Dairy Production Techniques and Sheep/Swine Production Techniques. With her husband Tom and four children, they raise a small herd of commercial Angus cattle and breed performance Quarter Horses.  The North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) is a professional society that focuses on promoting, recognizing and rewarding excellence in teaching agriculture and related areas at the post secondary level in North America. Members of NACTA are from two-year and four-year colleges, public and private, and have a common bond of teaching agriculture and related subjects. Through the use of competitive awards, NACTA annually recognizes outstanding teaching and publication. For additional information or details contact NACTA Secretary/Treasurer Marilyn B Parker, NACTAsec@pmt.org or 208.436.0692 Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers more than 25 applied-science undergraduate degree programs and 50 concentrations, including several online degrees, in agriculture; arts, humanities and social sciences; business; math, science and technology; and natural resources. To learn more, visit www.UMCrookston.edu.