Ask anyone in North Carolina A&T’s School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, and they will be sure to tell you that an Aggie is not the beloved yellow bulldog, that is the official mascot for N. C. A&T. An Aggie is actually a student of the agriculture school.

“We put the A in A&T,” said D’yana Mack, sophomore laboratory animal science major.

Although N. C.  A&T was founded as a land grant institution that specialized in agricultural studies, the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences currently serves as the sixth largest school on campus with 767 of the campus’ 10,388 students enrolled according to 2008 enrollment figures.

To an uneducated eye, these numbers may not reflect a positive light on SAES, however to the educated; they represent a program that is moving on a fast track. Still, it is the largest agricultural school at a Historically Black College or University in the nation.

SAES has the only department of animal science at an 1890’s land grant school, and it is one of the top five schools in the nation when it comes to producing blacks with Baccalaureate Degrees in Agriculture, Agricultural Operations, and related sciences,” Issues in Higher Education magazine reported recently.

“It’s not quantity, but quality,” said Donald McDowell, the school’s Interim Dean of SAES.

“All 13 of our program areas are nationally accredited except for four, which has no one to accredit them.”

McDowell said while he was happy with the amount of students currently enrolled, strong methods of recruitment have been put in place.  Each department within the Ag school is responsible for creating recruitment strategies such as sending representatives to high schools, or having programs that spotlight the benefits of earning an agricultural degree.

The school’s Discover Agriculture program allows children to come to the farm and learn about different careers within the department. It also helps bring in a new generation of students to agriculture education.

Last year, one of the Ag School’s researchers was featured on CBS for his work on finding a solution to get allergens out of peanuts. This brought national attention to the school and the university’s farm.

“It is the most important [the farm],” said Willie Willis, Poultry Unit Coordinator.  “If you look at 1890 land grant status, it’s important to have people of color involved in the process.

You can’t learn the compliments of food production or protection in the classroom, you have to get out here and see it.”

The university’s farm has been around almost as long as the school. It serves as the largest classroom on campus, and is the place where students can go to get hands on experience in their fields.

“Hands on experience is our strength,” said Department of Animal Science Chair Ralph C. Noble

Currently, the farm houses seven different types of animals. Each animal has its own unit where specialists take care of them, and research them as well. In addition to the animals, there are numerous amounts of different plants as well as food crops.

“My first hands-on experience on the farm was castrating pigs. Everyone else’s pigs were squirming, and mine just sat still,” Mack said. Pigs are castrated in order to make the meat less tough.

The animal units serve as a teaching experience, as well as a research facility for the students. Students have opportunities to learn how to manage animals, and make them safe for consumption. The experiences they have on the farm increase their chances of gaining internships as well as jobs after graduation.

“A lot of the time projects that go on with the animals have students involved,” said Noble.

“They get a chance to travel to meetings. Some have been in Canada, Texas, and Georgia, and our students get the jobs with some of the biggest industries such as Tyson or Butterball.

The farm also serves as a place for research labs.

All seven of the animal units have researchers dedicated to better the consumption of their animal as well as better the livelihood and effectiveness of their animal.

The poultry unit has been utilizing its manpower and resources by trying to find ways to better chickens for consumption.

“We educate our students about the poultry industry, we train the students who are going to make up the work force of the industry, and we do research that answers question and problems in the industry,” said Noble.   

Some of the trials researchers and students have been conducting include ways to cut down antibiotic use with chickens. “Some consumers feel more confident eating chicken that has little to no antibiotic use,” said Willis.

By having access to the farm an the animals, students wanting to be small farmers have an advantage even in a time when the small farmer is almost unheard of. A&T’s farm is used to help that farmer in whatever capacity needed.

By collaborating with North Carolina State University, which is also a land grant institution, A&T students have opportunities to learn in a variety of different ways in some aspects with projects and land capabilities.

Bigger programs like N.C. State have access to bigger labs, when A&T may have smaller labs. Although the labs may be smaller, A&T can perfect them and make them a specialty of the university.

“We pick out labs that are most important to small farmers, minority farmers, and black farmers.

“We ask what are their biggest problems, and what will make their life change the fastest.

This is not for the university, but for the people of North Carolina,” said Noble.Since A&T is a land grant university, it has to uphold the three responsibilities implemented to such a university.

They must educate the population with a focus on agriculture, study new answers and resolve problems when it comes to agriculture and extension, according to Noble.

The farm works with farmers in N.C. as well as neighboring states by holding workshops tohelp educate those farmers in whatever is needed. They partner with them to do research as well as studies.

SAES is currently working on numerous amounts of research and productivity on its farm, as well as the other program areas. In efforts to do so, it relies heavily on its educational mission.

According to McDowell it is to provide students with understanding and skills to address problems of the agricultural economy and help those involved in it to lead more productive and satisfying lives.  

• Kelcie McCrae