(Prairie View)—More than 600 participants attended the Prairie View A&M University Agricultural Field Day held May 20 for agricultural producers and high school students interested in the agricultural and human sciences. The event also provided an opportunity for those in the community with an interest in the latest agricultural research and farm demonstration techniques. The College of Agriculture and Human Sciences (CAHS) hosted the event.
“This field day was significant because it not only combined our previously stand-alone Goat Field Day and Small Farm and Ranch Workshops, but added another element, a Career Day to inform high school students about the vast majority of opportunities available to them when pursuing a degree in any of the agricultural and human sciences,” said Linda Williams-Willis, dean of the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences and administrator of the university’s Cooperative Extension Program. “Our theme for the Field Day, Sustaining the Future of Agriculture, is one that we wanted to emphasize because of its importance to society.”
State Rep. Glenn Hegar, District 28, who gave the keynote address, told participants that agriculture is found in every aspect of life and is one of the most important industries in the country. Hegar, a sixth-generation Texan, earns a living growing rice and corn on land in Waller County that has been in his family since the mid-1800s.
“It’s important to understand the three tiers of agriculture that you have here at Prairie View A&M, those being academics where students are learning about all facets of agriculture; research, where cutting-edge technology is taking place in the agriculture and human sciences; and extension, which is the outreach component to help farm producers, families, youth and communities improve their standards of living,” Hegar said.
Elsa Murano, vice chancellor for Agriculture and Life Sciences and director, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, and Ida Clement Steen, member of the A&M System Board of Regents, also shared their views on agriculture.
Murano and Steen encouraged the students to set goals, study and continue their education. George C. Wright, president of Prairie View A&M and Thelma Floyd, director of USDA/1890 Programs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in Washington, D.C., also spoke.
“Study hard, and read, read, read to reach your goals in life,” Wright said. “It’s important that whatever field you choose to study that you put forth your best.” Floyd encouraged the young people to stay the course and to excel academically.
During the Career Day, Prairie View A&M faculty and staff from the admissions, financial aid, campus and student life and University College talked to the students about the steps it takes to enroll in college and succeed there. Participants also toured the university campus and the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences’ demonstration farm.
Agriculture Field Day participants attended workshops pertaining to the Goat Field Day and Small Farm and Ranch Workshop. Sessions included agriculture and natural emergencies, goat parasites control, sustainable agriculture funding and USDA Programs, reproduction management in goats and beef cattle selection and management.
Field Day and Career Day attendees toured the university’s Demonstration Farm and had the opportunity to visit the Swine Facility, where they learned about research on the relationship between genetics and obesity; the Poultry Center, where Prairie View A&M agriculture students conduct research on food safety and poultry health; and the International Goat Research Center, which is world-renowned for its studies on goat management, reproduction and health.
Tour stops also included the feed mill where feed is ground and mixed for non-ruminant animals, poultry, swine, goats and cattle, and the vegetable and grain plots.
“The work that is done at our Demonstration Farm definitely integrates our three facets of agriculture and human sciences at the university,” Willis said. “In addition to what they learn in the classroom, our students get hands-on experience working with the goats, swine, poultry and cattle and studying various crop varieties in the research and demonstration plots.
“The research faculty members conduct basic research to evaluate reproductive
and growth patterns of the animals and also evaluate the crops to determine
their growth and suitability. Our extension staff takes the research-based
information and disseminates it to our farm producers across the state to help
them improve their operations and become more profitable,” Willis said. 