Agriculture and Veterinary Technology - Facilities

Student Laboratories

Classes and laboratories for students taking Agriculture or Veterinary Technology courses are held primarily in the Agriculture Science Building, College Farm, and Horticulture Center.  The Agriculture Science Building contains student laboratories specializing  in soils, botany, animal handling, animal anatomy and physiology, microbiology, plant physiology, and veterinary technology. The first floor of this building is home to a comfortable commuter student lounge and study area.   A 5,300-square-foot greenhouse produces hydroponic vegetables, edible flowers, and herbs.  The greenhouse also contains a tropical room, desert room, and plant propagation areas.  Greenhouse plants are used for instruction in the botany, IPM, soils, sustainable vegetable, forage, and nutrition courses.

Anderson Horticulture Center

Students in the Landscape program are involved in the maintenance of the gardens and grounds around the Horticulture Center. The horticulture center’s outdoor laboratories include herbaceous gardens, a five-acre arboretum/lawn area with over 1,200 ornamental trees and shrubs, patio construction/demonstration area, and a one-acre nursery.   Geenhouses, high tunnels, and outdoor gardens produce plants and vegetables for use on campus and in the Dining Halls.

College Farm

Our current college farm The College Farm is the home to 135 registered Holsteins. Sixty-five lactating cows have a BAA of 108.7 and a rolling herd average of over 28,000 pounds with over 1,100 pounds of fat . Students experience all aspects of herd management from calves to cows. They also have an opportunity to participate in cattle showing as well as have the opportunity to become a member of the ASC Dairy Judging Team that tours during the fall and spring semesters. The farm is also home to a small number of horses, both miniature and full size, alpacas, swine, and sheep that are used for instruction in animal care and management.  The farm sits on 800 acres of land which is put to use by soils, botany, nutrition, feeds, field, and forage classes. The farm is currently the site of composting projects, a wind turbine generating electricity, and a solar pump watering system in the pastures. These are all innovative ways of looking at alternative energy sources and conservation. Students also have the opportunity to work and live on the farm as interns.

There is a major rebuilding project at the farm which will be the site for the Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture.  The farm will house side-by-side conventional and organic dairy herds in the new dairy barns and milking parlors which will be constructed.  Intensive rotational grazing and organic and conventional row crop and vegetable production techniques will be available for student learning experiences. The "Pioneer Farm" is a third farm model that will demonstrate an integrated approach to multi-species plant and animal farming practices. Students have a high level of involvement in the day-to-day management of the farm.