CAST knows that your faculty and graduate students are the key to the world’s food and fiber production in the years ahead. Future scientific discoveries and technologies will result from their work. It is important that they know about the events occurring daily that affect their research, their career, and the world. It is essential that they know where to gain access to credible, science-based information. CAST has a great offer to help achieve this goal.

Education Program Benefits

• Friday Notes, which is CAST’s signature electronic newsletter (published 48 times/year), may be distributed broadly within a university's agriculture division. Each of your faculty members, graduate students, and undergrads may receive Friday Notes.  Each issue features:
  • Lead articles on current topics being discussed in agriculture;
  • More than 60 current agricultural news items selected from over 100 sources, including live links to the original articles; with a new international section, these stories focus on key topics of the week;
  • Washington, D.C. congressional updates from Meyers and Associates;
  • Advance announcements of upcoming CAST publications and activities.
• Your college will also receive a “CAST Reference Collection.”
  • This includes over two dozen recent CAST publications relating to all fields of agriculture -- CAST Task Force Reports, Special Publications, and Issue Papers (a $300 value)
  • It can be used in your department library, Dean’s office, or any location that would benefit your faculty and students.
• CAST Commentaries and Issue Papers will be available for free downloading from the CAST website. These brief, highly focused documents provide timely information on “hot topics” in agriculture, in user-friendly language.
• Your college will be listed in the CAST Annual Report and website.

Education Program Contribution Requirements

• Friday Notes may be distributed broadly within a university's agriculture division.  This would include faculty and students within the Agriculture College, Veterinary College, Extension Services, and Experiment Stations.  The program fee may be split among these different entities as the administration sees fit.
• Your college would designate an administrator to receive CAST Friday Notes each Friday. The designee would simply forward Friday Notes to distribute to your faculty/graduate student listserv.
• This service is offered at only $5,000/year (just over $100/week).

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View Education Program Application

For more information regarding membership, please contact our membership department at 515-292-2125 ext 224.