By Montana McCullough
Staff Reporter
Standing out in a field, there is peace and serenity. The only noises that are heard are the cattle rustling in the field.
This is the feeling a person gets when they go out to the Northwestern agriculture farm.
The university purchased the quarter section of land that the farm resides on in 1984. Since its purchase, the farm has had the education building, greenhouse and shop built on the grounds.
With all of these buildings, several classes are taught at the farm throughout the fall semester. One of those classes is welding taught by Dr. Mindi Clark.
Dr. Mindi Clark, assistant professor of agriculture, teaches several classes out at the farm throughout the school year. She is teaching her welding class at the farm this semester. During her welding class, Clark has her students build different projects with the MIG welder, TIG welder and the plasma cutter. Each of these welding machines allows the students to build a project to the specific requirements.
In addition, all of the Ranger emblems around the school that are metal came from the university farm. The farm uses the plasma cutter to cut the different sized and shaped emblems.
Another class that is taught at the farm is the Intro to Animal Science lab. The lab students learn about the basics of the animal anatomy while looking at the animals in person.
Dr. Dean Scarbrough, chair of the agriculture department, said, “The farm is for experiential learning opportunities.” This means that students can work with equipment that they will use after they graduate.
“One of the greatest things about the university farm is faculty are able to provide students hands-on opportunities to learn about agriculture in a real setting,” Clark said.
Talking about projects going on this semester, Scarbrough said that Dr. Tracy Beedy’s Intro to Plant Science class will be planting some wheat variety demonstration plots at the farm this fall.
Throughout the years, the plant science class has been planting wheat varieties at the farm. Beedy is continuing that tradition with raising wheat.
Another project the agriculture students help with is raising livestock that they sell to local FFA and 4-H members to show.
This also gives Northwestern free advertisement because their name is on the registration papers. The farm also raises all of the flowers that are put around the campus during the spring. Clark’s horticulture class grows those flowers in the greenhouse.
Northwestern’s farm has also been used by Alva High School FFA members when they plant flowers in the spring as well.
Dakota Nusser, a senior at Northwestern, has taken classes at the farm. “I like going to out to the farm,” Nusser said. “It gives me a place to work on my skills.”
The university farm has been used to help students gain valuable skills and provide services for the community.