Agriculture Awareness Week returned to NC State Monday, with a few new members joining this year’s roster of farm animals.
Alpacas have joined the Ag Week display for the first time since its inception, thanks to an Alpha Zeta alumnus who temporarily loaned the fraternity the animals specifically for the annual event.
The Agricultural Honors Fraternity Alpha Zeta will be on the Brickyard until Thursday to raise awareness of the agricultural industry as well as the often unseen hard work that goes into running a farm.
Sarah Montoya, one of the fraternity’s event coordinators and a senior studying animal science, said the event is held to garner interest in the field of agriculture and attract prospective members to Alpha Zeta.
“We want to raise more awareness for the work that people in agriculture put in,” Montoya said.
Members of Alpha Zeta will be on the Brickyard day and night to ensure sure the animals are not being mistreated until Thursday when the display will be taken down and the animals returned to their permanent homes.
On Monday, students crowded in front of the tents to watch the animals go about their daily lives in their temporary shelter.
The list of farmland critters include sheep, pigs and both beef and dairy cows, though the most popular attraction Monday were the newest additions to Ag Week, the alpacas.
When students approached the display, Alpha Zeta members excitedly listed off facts about the utility about the South American camelids, which look similar to llamas but are much smaller.
Aside from the alpacas, most of the animals were donated by NC State’s agriculture department.
James Rice, another coordinator from Alpha Zeta and a senior studying plant and soil sciences, said this year had one of the highest amounts of student foot traffic since he became involved with the program. He contributed some of the success to the streak of nice weather Raleigh has experienced in the last few days.
“Usually it’s cold and raining when we do this,” Rice said. “This is the nicest week we’ve had since I started doing this.”
Agriculture Awareness Week also features a tent where students can get more information about Alpha Zeta and other agriculturally affiliated groups on campus. Inside, students can purchase tickets to enter a “Kiss the Pig” contest where the grand prize is the chance to lay a wet one on one of Alpha Zeta’s pigs.
Also inside the tent is a silent auction, where spectators can bid to try and win prizes donated by sponsors of the event. All proceeds from Ag Week go to the Corral Riding Academy, an association that offers emotional support for young women through the joys of horseback riding.
