NC State celebrated Agricultural Awareness Week with cows, goats and sheep in the Brickyard. Students and members of the Alpha Zeta Agricultural Honors Fraternity discuss the importance of agriculture and its place at the University.
Jacob Hinson, a fourth-year studying animal and poultry science and Alpha Zeta’s Agricultural Awareness Week co-chair, said Agricultural Awareness Week is important to showcase the work going on within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
“It’s just a way to bridge that gap and create transparency between what we consider the agricultural community, specifically the students studying Agricultural and Life Sciences,” Hinson said. “It’s also a way to promote sectors of agriculture that others might not know a whole lot about, so freshmen who are not familiar with our agricultural unit can be introduced.”
Hinson said Agricultural Awareness Week brings entertainment by bringing animals to the Brickyard. He said getting them there was a collaboration between different educational units.
“We tried to work with the educational units, like the beef education unit, poultry unit, etc.,” Hinson said. “We then reserved two animals from each unit and transported them here. The animals here are very friendly and have been around people. We also make sure they have secure bedding and plenty of food and water.”
Hinson said making sure the animals are comfortable while in the Brickyard is a big priority during Agriculture Awareness Week.
“Bringing these animals to the Brickyard is like a cultural shock for them, so mimicking the environment of where the animals came from provides comfort,” Hinson said.
Taylor Loy, a fourth-year studying agricultural business management and a part of the Agribusiness Club, said Agriculture Awareness Week highlights the work NC State is doing within the agriculture industry.
“Ag Awareness Week is what the Agricultural department put together and is led by Alpha Zeta, the agricultural fraternity,” Loy said. “It’s just a way to let us and others in the community know what it is to be a part of the agricultural community. It shows how much NC State puts towards growing and contributing to the future of agriculture.”
Loy said Agriculture Awareness Week is an interesting way for students to see the effort that goes into producing food.
“This is some of the best years of agricultural production, and we are here to contribute to the future of it,” Loy said.
Regan Mitchem, a fourth-year studying animal science and Alpha Zeta’s Chancellor, said the event aims to include the rest of the NC State community in the work done by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
“[Alpha Zeta’s] pillars are scholarship, leadership, fellowship and character, and we perform a lot of farm and service tours for our community,” Mitchem said. “We do this so everyone involved can learn about agriculture and promote it as well.”
For more information about Agriculture Awareness Week and Alpha Zeta, visit the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences website or Alpha Zeta’s Get Involved page.
