What does the College Student Think.Kennard.S

Virginia Tech's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences offers various degree options and has over 3,000 students. The college has its own farm with 3,000 acres of land used for research, teaching, and livestock. A student named Mary shared her experience studying dairy science and being involved with the College Farm. She emphasized the value of hands-on experience and encouraged students to appreciate the farm, regardless of their major. Virginia Tech provides unique opportunities for education and personal growth. Today, I will talk about the impact college education, specifically relating to agriculture, has on college students. For this episode, I will be talking about the effect colleges with their own farms have on students' experience while obtaining their respective degree. I hope a future Hokie can listen to this episode to get the inside scoop on the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. First, it is important to understand how students in 2023 are able to work so closely with agriculture at Virginia Tech. So how did Virginia Tech get to where it is today? Dating back to 1872, when Virginia Tech was known as the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, six of the graduating class received certificates with an associate's in agricultural while the others received one in agriculture and mechanics in 1875. The Morrill Act of 1892 made it possible for states to establish public colleges under the land-grant system. The land was taken from indigenous people and each state then created a land-grant college for the purpose of providing education focused on agricultural engineering and military training. Today, Virginia Tech recognizes that it is important to honor the native peoples and the enslaved black people who have made Virginia Tech who it is. Agriculture has been a dominant part of Virginia and remains just as strong today at Virginia Tech. Jumping back into 2023, you'll literally get up at your seat and jump with me. Three, two, one. The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech has over 70 program options to choose from. Those include an associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degree option. Over 3,000 students are currently pursuing degrees in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. You get first-hand experiences that you don't get anywhere else. Virginia Tech has what they call the College Farm. The mission of the College Farm operation is to support the research, teaching, and extension efforts of the departments in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. It is composed of six tracts of land, which is over 3,000 acres. About 400 of those acres is used for plant science research, livestock grazing, and forage research. And another 700 acres is used for wildlife, forestry, and conservation management. Virginia Tech also utilizes the College Farm to provide farm-grown feed for livestock that is used for teaching. The College Farm employs one facility member, 12 full-time salaried staff, and several part-time student employees periodically throughout the year. Today, I will be sharing knowledge from Mary, who has been a student at Virginia Tech these past four years while in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. I asked Mary to share her experience as a dairy science major. The first question I asked Mary was, what impact has being a Virginia Tech student studying agriculture had on your knowledge surrounding the topic? She said, it's been great. I grew up on a farm and have been around animals all my life. I knew that I wanted to further my education in something that I was passionate about. Living on a farm has allowed me to gain first-hand experience, but I wanted to further learn about the business management side to farm operations. Virginia Tech offered exactly what I wanted, and I will be graduating soon with a degree in dairy science with a specific focus area in dairy business management. Then I asked her, what are some ways you have been involved with the College Farm, and how did that play a role in your education? She responded with, my freshman year, I joined the Dairy Club, and I've been in it every year since. I get to meet with students of all majors and bring awareness of dairy through different activities and events around campus. I also had a job at the farm where I got to work closely with several animals there. One of my favorite parts of the job was working closely with cows. I got to learn how the milking system works and how we monitor the milk composition of each cow. This experience was great for my understanding of dairy science because I could relate to what I learned in my classes to the work I was doing on the farm. Then, lastly, I asked her, being a non-agricultural major, what's something you wish students knew about the College Farm and the impacts they may have? She responded with, I think one thing I wish students knew about the College Farm is that you can stop at any time and take in the fact that your college has its own farm. Even if you don't plan on majoring in anything related to agriculture, you can still admire and appreciate the animals, nature, and get an idea of what others enjoy doing and learning as there's always almost someone there willing to answer any questions you may have, or you just observe them working. Quick shout out to Mary for sharing her experiences with us. As you all heard from Mary, Virginia Tech has so many opportunities that not everyone can say they got in their education. For those looking for hands-on experience, a degree from Virginia Tech is a great place to do that. Your education is a special and valuable experience that one should truly enjoy. Just as Mary has had a great experience in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, so can you. Go Hokies, and thank you for listening.