Advancing Agriculture

Transcript

Okay, to wrap things up, we’re gonna take a short trip off campus, and meet up with Hayden. He’s a senior majoring in animal dairy and veterinary sciences, so we’re gonna meet him at Utah State’s Animal Science Farm to learn about some of the state-of-the-art technology and real-world research happening right here. Hayden, you’re on!

– Hey guys, I’m Hayden. When I was a senior in high school, picking a college seemed like a really daunting task. I was torn between several different schools, but after touring Utah State and seeing all they had to offer, the choice became pretty clear. USU is tucked away in Northern Utah’s beautiful Cache Valley and offers a first class education in a small, tight-knit community. What really drew me to USU though, was the school farms. As a student in the College of Agriculture and Applied Science, I spent a lot of time here. Located just 15 minutes south of campus, is the USU South Farm Equine Center and Caine Dairy. The South Farm is made up of the Sam Skaggs Equine Facility, and the Hillyard building, where some of the vet classes are located. It’s also home to the university’s cattle, sheep, goats, and swine. USU began as Utah State Agricultural College, and our programs are still on the leading edge of agricultural technology. For example, we’re one of the only universities that have a completely robotic dairy. At the same time, students here get really hands-on, or as we like to say, hands-in approach to learning. Whether that’d be from labs and classes taught out here on the farm, or by participating in groundbreaking research. Some of my most memorable experiences came from a class I was hesitant to take. I’d never really been interested in the swine industry, but after building a relationship with my professor in class, he recommended I take a swine production course. In that course, I was able to process food for piglets, learn about the industry, and artificially inseminate and farrow out of south. That’s what it’s called when pigs have their litter. This class showed me the importance of branching out of my comfort zone, and really piqued my interest in the industry. As a land grant university for the state, USU has tons of opportunities for undergraduates to get involved in research that makes a real impact. Some current student research projects include searching for microbes that will help crops tolerate a higher soil salinity, or improving animal nutrition to help livestock producers save money and protect the environment. Even if you’re not agricultural or animal-focused like I am, there are so many topics that can be studied within the college’s broad range of emphasis. It is the College of Ag and Applied Sciences. From aviation to landscape architecture, environmental planning to outdoor product design, or applied economics to plant science, it’s easy to explore your personal passion. Thanks for letting me share just a little bit about Utah State and my experiences here. Now back to you, Alex.

– Hayden, you’ve opened our eyes to what high-tech farming in agriculture have become. And what of the amazing variety of programs available at Utah State, it’s absolutely incredible. Thanks for showing us something out of the ordinary. Take care!