UCM Student Earns National FFA Accolades for Agriscience Research Project Involving Beef Steak

Spencer Vossler, front right, a freshman agriculture major at the University of Central Missouri and a spring 2022 graduate of Crest Ridge High School, is congratulated by Oregon native Josiah Cruickshank, National FFA vice president for the western region. He was recognized for his placement in the top 10 for his research project entered in the Agriscience Fair, which took place during the 95th National FFA Convention in fall 2022. (National FFA Photo)

WARRENSBURG, MO – While the University of Central Missouri encourages undergraduate research and collaboration with faculty members, one UCM student has already gained national recognition for a project that he began months before becoming a university freshman. Spencer Vossler, who is one of three generations family members to attend the university, this fall finished in the top 10 for his entry in the Agriscience Fair that took place during the 95th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Vossler’s research placed ninth overall in the Food Products and Processing Systems category, Division Five. It was one of a number of different competitive areas in the fair which gave students an opportunity to test their knowledge and proficiency. Other Agriscience entries were related to Animal Systems; Environmental Services and Natural Resources; Plant Systems; Power, Structural and Technical Systems; and Social Science. 

Vossler’s entry was based on a bacterial growth study that he conducted as a student at Crest Ridge High School, where he graduated in spring 2022. Asked about the purpose of the project, he said he wanted to determine where bacteria grew best on beef steak, while also learning more about how to collect data and draw a conclusion. His work was documented in a research paper submitted to the FFA titled “Bacterial Growth Study on T-bone Steak from Angus Cross Cattle.”

“I had an agriculture advisor (Avery Deevers) at my high school help me conduct the project,” he said. He added that his research began during his junior year at Crest Ridge and continued as a senior. His project was honored in the national competition while he was attending UCM, the same institution where his father, Jeff Vossler, earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education, and his grandfather, Paul Vossler, also graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education.

In his study, Vossler notes that contamination is a significant issue that individuals engaged in food preparation may face. Bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes can cause infections that lead to serious illness, if consumed. 

“When preparing a food source, it is everyone’s duty to deliver a safe product,” he wrote in his study. 

Vossler stated that temperature variations are among major variables that can affect bacteria growth. Through his research, he sought to determine what environment actively supports this growth through experiments that he conducted in his high school’s agriculture mechanics shop and in an agricultural education classroom. Meat samples were first studied over a 24-hour period. This was followed by three days of monitoring bacteria on those meat samples that was transferred to a petri dish. 

“The results of this experiment demonstrated bacteria growth occurred best in the agriculture education classroom,” he said. 

The young researcher concluded that there were 80 percent more bacteria in the agriculture education classroom. This upheld his hypothesis that this room would yield more bacterial growth than the agricultural education shop because of variable temperatures.

“Moving forward, additional studies are recommended to determine bacterial growth not only on unground meat but on ground meat and other species of meat to determine the amount of growth,” Vossler noted in his research paper abstract.

Considering the resources that are now available through Vossler's agriculture program at UCM, his early success in research will no doubt pave the way for future opportunities for collaboration with faculty members and other experiences that will help prepare him for his chosen career.