Agriculture and Veterinary Technology - Facilities

Student Laboratories

Classes and laboratories for students taking agriculture and veterinary technology courses are held primarily in the Agriculture Science Building and at the college farm. The Agriculture Science Building contains laboratories specializing in soils, botany, animal handl ing, animal anatomy and physiology, microbiology, surgery and radiology. The building also features vivariums for lab animals and exotics, and kennel areas. 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 and forage courses.

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. All students experience all aspects of herd management. They also have an opportunity to participate in cattle showing as well as the opportunity to become a member of the Alfred State 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, poultry, and sheep that are used for instruction in animal care and management. The 800-acre farm is also used by soils, botany, feeds and nutrition, and field, and forage crops classes. Students have the opportunity to work on the farm as interns.

The college farm is also home to Alfred State's Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture (COSA). COSA features an organic dairy herd housed in a free stall barn completed in 2012. Management intensive grazing and a robotic milking system are key aspects of the organic dairy. Students will learn dairy herd management and animal health care protocols on both the conventional and organic pasture - based herds. In addition, field trips to very large dairy farms in Western and Central New York give students exposure to yet another category of operation. Our goal is to help students become creative problems solvers and decision makers in an industry characterized by rapid changes and continuous innovation.

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 systems which will be constructed. Intensive rotational grazing and organic and conventional row crop and vegetable production techniques will be available for student learning experiences.