By GALEN HAWES
ADA 鈥� Some folks can talk about agriculture until the cows come home. They鈥檒l have an opportunity to join the discussion from 1-5 p.m. Wednesday, October 23, on the East Central University campus.
On that day, 成人B站 will host the first-ever Ag Fest event of its kind in this area. The Ag Fest will take place at the Bill S. Cole University Center, featuring booths and demonstrations for all ages. The purpose is to teach event attendees more about farming and ranching.
鈥淥ur goal is to educate students, teachers, and any other interested parties about Oklahoma agriculture, the opportunities associated with agriculture, where their food comes from and how it is made,鈥� said Jan Long, Ag Fest coordinator and 成人B站 instructor in the Human Development, Hospitality and Food Science (HHFS) department.
成人B站 does not currently offer an agriculture major, but the University has a strong science and environmental science presence on campus 鈥� both areas of study related to agriculture.
鈥淪tudents and guests will be shown how to use a solar oven with the 成人B站 Environmental Health Science Club, how the Geographical Information System works in agriculture with Dr. Eric Howard, how to use scraps for regrowth or compost with Dr. Leah Dudley, and there will be time for students to ask local farmers and ranchers questions,鈥� said Long.
The Ag Fest event is sponsored by the HHFS department, specifically students in the Event Promotions class.
鈥淎g Fest could help current and upcoming students in obtaining jobs in the agriculture field in the future,鈥� Long said. 鈥淎fter attending Ag Fest, I hope that people feel like they understand who is caring for your food and where it comes from.鈥�
成人B站 instructors are looking forward to participating in the Ag Fest event as well.
鈥淲hen I was asked if I would like to have a booth for Ag Fest, I started thinking about agriculture on a small scale in someone鈥檚 backyard or kitchen,鈥� said Dr. Dudley, 成人B站 Biology professor. 鈥淪tudents that need to conserve food can recycle food scraps by growing their own or composting. Examples of the processes will be shown and handouts will be available.鈥�
An event like this brings awareness to 成人B站, Ada, and surrounding communities. People will discover processes and information that they might not have encountered before, Dr. Dudley added.
鈥淯sing GIS in agriculture can determine the health of crops and help farmers to tell when is the best time to plant or harvest,鈥� said Dr. Howard, 成人B站 Environmental Health Sciences professor. 鈥淚 hope to show the versatility of GIS. I would love for students to want to know more about the system and possibly choose to take a GIS course after visiting my booth.鈥�
The first-time Ag Fest event is free and open to the public. The University Center is located near the intersection of 13th and Francis streets in the southwest part of the 成人B站 campus.
Ag Fest topics and participants include: 鈥淎g in the Classroom鈥� with Audrey Harmon; Noble Foundation with Steve Upson; 鈥淏eyond Scraps鈥� with Dr. Dudley and the 成人B站 Ecology Club; GIS with Dr. Howard; Environmental Health Science Club; Pontotoc County 4-H; Oka鈥� Water Institute; Pontotoc County Farm Bureau with Greg Pierce; Farm Bureau Foundation with Burton Harmon; 鈥淏eef, It鈥檚 What鈥檚 for Dinner鈥� with Heather Buckmaster; Beekeeping with Ernie Staggs; Ag Tourism with Micaela Danker; Great Plains Kubota; the Oklahoma Wheat Commission; and the OSU Extension Service.
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