his week, Alpha Zeta, through fundraising and donations from farm bureaus across the state, brought agriculture awareness to campus.
Students, such as Mallory Kernick, a freshman in fashion and textile management, instantly enjoyed the event.
”I loved having the opportunity to be exposed to the department of agriculture,” Kernick said.
Heather Steelman, a senior in animal science and last year’s Agriculture Awareness Week director, said the main goal is to educate N.C. State and the surrounding community on agriculture, and what makes up agriculture as a whole.
“It is important people know the origins of the clothes they wear and the food they eat,” Steelman added.
The week-long event featured livestock and equipment displays in the Brickyard as well as a tent full of displays from all clubs under the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
“None of this could happen without support of the clubs,” Steelman said.
She explained each club had their own space to recruit members, answer questions and get the word out about the role they play in relation to agriculture.
“Not only was it interesting to learn about the various clubs, but I also enjoyed playing with the animals,” Kernick said.
The livestock, which came from education units associated with the school, was Steelman’s favorite part of the event.
”I love seeing the people’s faces and reactions to the animals, and I enjoy answering their questions,” she said.
According to Steelman, Hoover, the fistulated cow, was the most asked about.
”People were truly concerned about her [Hoover], when actually, she is probably one of the healthiest animals in the unit,” she said.
She also said the hole in Hoover’s side does not cause any pain and is used for research purposes. She also said bacteria harvested from the stomach, by means of the hole, assist in the healing process of sick livestock.
The livestock found in the Brickyard not only caused a stir on our campus, but it also had students at our rival school talking.
”After talking to some friends from N.C. State and seeing people updating their Facebook statuses to be about animals on campus, even I wanted to figure out what was going on,” Taylor Burton, a freshman in business at UNC-Chapel Hill, said.
Steelman said people need to realize the agriculture industry provides people with environmentally safe products in ethical ways.
“This is an awesome, hands-on way to connect students to agriculture. I wasn’t even there to see everything, and I got word of the event, so they definitely made an impact,” Burton added.
After being deemed a success by Burton, Steelman agreed it gets better and better every year.
“This was a great opportunity for N.C. State students to come together and celebrate an industry that affects each and everyone of us,” Kernick added.