COLUMBUS — Grant M. DeBruin, of Good Hope, has been named a 2024 Distinguished Senior at Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

“The Distinguished Senior Award is the most prestigious undergraduate award in CFAES and honors top graduating seniors on the Ohio State Columbus campus,” said Ann Christy, CFAES professor and associate dean for academic programs. “The 23 award recipients exemplify the CFAES mission in areas such as academics and scholarship, research and innovation, service and involvement, and influence and leadership.”

DeBruin is a sustainable plant systems major in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science (HCS). He was nominated by college faculty and staff who felt that she personified the award’s attributes of academic, disciplinary, and professional excellence.

On the dean’s list each semester, he has excelled with a cumulative GPA of 4.0, according to a news release. DeBruin has been in the CFAES honors program all four years. His honors research focused on the effects of differential grazing practices on the species composition of mixed pastures, and how these effects have long-term impacts on the quality of forage consumed by grazing animals in these areas.

“This research is relevant to the significant number of dairy grazers in Ohio who are continuously seeking to maximize the productivity of their pastures without investing in expensive improvement programs,” said Wendy Klooster, HCS assistant professor and DeBruin’s principal nominator.

The Fayette County resident completed two internships at Twin Oak Dairy, in Miday, Ohio, and Mount Sterling Dairy, Mount Sterling, Ohio. At Twin Oak, he worked as a barn laborer, equipment operator, and repairman. He took on the role of assistant manager and herdsman at Mount Sterling.

“The internships improved my knowledge of dairy records, animal health, equipment maintenance, people management, and crop production,” he said.

DeBruin’s extracurricular activities included leadership positions in FarmHouse Fraternity and active membership in the Crops and Soils Club; Students of Agronomy, Soils, and Environmental Sciences Club; the OSU Dairy Judging Team; the OSU Dairy Challenge team; and Gamma Sigma Alpha honors society. He was also very active with the St. Thomas More Newman Center and was manager of the milking parlors at the Ohio State Fair and Ohio Spring Dairy Expo.

His greatest sense of accomplishment came when he competed at the World Dairy Exposition collegiate dairy judging competition in Madison, Wisconsin.

“It was my second-ever dairy judging contest, and I surpassed all expectations, especially my own. Our Ohio State team won an overall breed, placed third in another, and placed fourth overall in oral reasons (a new Ohio State record),” he said. “Individually, I placed third overall in one breed, second overall in another, and was an all-American dairy judge for the competition with an individual overall placing of 14th.”

After graduation, DeBruin plans to return home to the family dairy farm and take over its management.

“I may also pursue a secondary career in the agronomy or soil science industries,” he said.

A reception for the Distinguished Senior Award recipients and their families was held on Thursday, April 4, hosted by Ann Christy and Cathann A. Kress, Ohio State vice president for agricultural administration and CFAES dean. Meet the 23 outstanding students and learn more about each via a YouTube video release at go.osu.edu/CFAES2024DSA.

“Honoring the award recipients for their excellence will be a highlight for us this spring. These students have excelled and most certainly will continue to thrive in their future careers,” said Christy.

In autumn 2023, there were 2,224 undergraduate students in CFAES pursuing Bachelor of Science degrees in 21 majors. Learn more about CFAES academic programs at go.osu.edu/B4V2.