Page 7 - Impact Winter 2023

A passion
for food security
By Grace Finnerty, freshman studying
plant science and
2022 Minnesota Youth Institute and Global Youth Institute participant
As soon as I saw the email about the Minnesota Youth Institute in my inbox, I knew I had to participate. Throughout high school, my only opportunities
to connect with plant science were outside the classroom. So I was excited to be a part of a conference centered on the topics I care about, where I could meet other people with similar concerns and interests.
I chose the issue of genetically modified bananas in Uganda for my paper. Researchers from Uganda had developed bananas resistant to banana wilt and others that were fortified with Vitamin A. These modifications were similar to genetic modifications I had seen in other crops, but something about this research was different: the bananas were developed by Ugandans and for Ugandans. I was consumed by my curiosity, and I enjoyed searching for information on a topic that had little commentary about it.
I was thrilled to be accepted as a Global Youth Institute delegate. I was moved by the attention paid to issues of food security, which, due to their long- lasting nature, are often overlooked in political debate. By focusing on COVID-19, conflict, and climate change, we were able to explore important interactions between agriculture and pressing global issues.
I am so glad that I had the opportunity to participate in the Minnesota Youth Institute and the Global Youth Institute. These programs give students a platform to explore a wide range of relevant food issues here at CFANS. My involvement in these programs connected me to others involved in food security issues and inspired me to think deeply about solutions to global challenges.
This piece has been abridged; find the full content at z.umn.edu/impactwinter2023.
SMART GIVING benefits students, donors
Ask Mary and Harold Tilstra why they support CFANS students and they’ll give you these three words: connections, opportunities, and possibilities.
The recently retired couple, both U of M graduates who met as freshmen, are passionate about helping students find unexpected ways to discover new ideas and meet people they might otherwise not have known as they pursue their college degrees and careers beyond. That’s why they started the Dr. Harold and Mary Tilstra Fund for Food and Animal Sciences in December 2021.
The Tilstras give to CFANS through an IRA-qualified charitable distribution, in which donors can give up to $100,000 directly from their IRA without paying federal income tax on the distribution. A key advantage is that distributions made
under this law can
be used to satisfy
the annual required
minimum distribution
(RMD). Instead of
taking a charitable
income tax deduction
for the gift, the
distribution may be
excluded from the
donor’s income. “This
is a smart, effective way to help accomplish our retirement investment goals while at the same time investing in the leaders of tomorrow,” said Mary.
The Tilstra’s CFANS fund is flexible, allowing the College to determine where the greatest needs are each year. “With Mary’s expertise in food science and my background in animal food and health, we wanted to focus our giving on where the connection happens,” said Harold, noting that it was important to the couple that the fund was not restricted.
“The start we got at the U of M played a huge part
in exposing us to the wider possibilities that we didn’t even know were out there,” said Harold. “Mary and I
have enjoyed many rewarding, and totally unexpected, experiences throughout our careers. We’re really grateful for that and want to help open up opportunities for others as well.”
MARY AND HAROLD TILSTRA