Agriculture has a significant presence on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, but those planning next week’s Purdue Ag Week events intend to reach out to students of every major and show them just how important ag is to the world.
Abby Maurer is a member of the task force organizing the activities along with ag students and clubs.
“The goal of our week is really just to start a conversation with the Purdue campus about agricultural issues,” she told HAT. “Obviously our target is not agricultural audiences, so people who didn’t come from rural communities or grow up on farms. Because of that we focus a lot of our attention on having our events on the side of campus where there is engineering, liberal arts, education, etc. so it’s a weeklong celebration to show others what ag is. Our motto is S.W.A.G., see what ag gives.
The highlight of the week is “Hunger Knows No Bounds” on Monday April 8th at 5:30 in Mackey Arena with guest speaker Jeff Simmons, president of Elanco Animal Health.
“He will be discussing sustainable solutions for agriculture that will address the hunger crisis that we see of the 21st century,” she said. “We really want to show Purdue’s campus and others that agriculture is really concerned with meeting the needs of our world and feeding this growing population and addressing hunger.”
Teams from the various Purdue colleges will be given $100 to spend at Wal-Mart on a week’s worth of meals for a family of four.
“So we’ll come back to Mackey, we’ll start our event at 5:30 which the public is welcome to attend, and then at the end of that event the winners from our hunger competition will be announced. We’ll see their meal plans and just show how agriculture is striving to provide people with affordable food to meet their needs.”
Also scheduled to speak are Cheryl Precious from Food Finders Food Bank and Jay Akridge, Glenn W. Sample Dean of Purdue College of Agriculture.
Purdue Ag Week is April 7 through 12 and other events include a breakfast April 9th at 8 AM hosted by Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow on campus outside the Class of 1950 building to educate consumers about agricultural economics. Collegiate Farm Bureau will hand out ice cream and discuss information about animal agriculture from noon until 3 p.m. on April 11 outside the Class of 1950. The Purdue Bell Tower will display a green light during Ag Week to pay tribute to the significant role agriculture has on Purdue’s campus and throughout the world.
(Pictured, Purdue Ag Task Force, back row left to right: Jackson Troxel, Travis Martin, Michael Baird, Kyle Malcolm, Justin Schroeder, Luke Liechty, Micah Matlock—front left to right: Amanda Gee, Brittany Haltom, Abby Maurer, Emmy Kratz)