Story by Craig Taylor, Contributing writer
The Drive to Feed truck sought to enhance student awareness of the agriculture industry.
The Hutson School of Agriculture started its first Agriculture Appreciation Week here at Murray State. This event took place from Monday to Wednesday and assisted in the advocation of agriculture.
Kaitlin Ziesmer, senior from Danville, Kentucky, played a key role in the development of this event by serving as the Agriculture Leadership Council’s president.
“This was the first year of the Agriculture Appreciation Week,” Ziesmer said. “There was about one to two months of planning to make this event a reality.”
She said that planning this event consisted of a four-person committee developed through the Agriculture Leadership Council. The committee contacted panel speakers, encouraged other agriculture organizations to participate and developed a marketing committee to help publicize the event.
Tony Brannon, dean of the Hutson School of Agriculture, serves as one of the faculty advisers for the Agriculture Leadership Council.
“The goals of Agriculture Appreciation Week are the same goals that we pursue with our signature event, Fall on the Farm, except on the collegiate level instead of the elementary level,” Brannon said.
He said that this event is planned to positively promote agriculture at the collegiate level and to bring awareness to the importance of modern day agriculture and its impact on our lives.
One of the events offered was the Drive to Feed Tour; this event consisted of going inside a truck and watching informational films about agriculture, ending with a free meal.
Ziesmer said she has had an interest in agriculture from a young age.
“My passion for agriculture started when I was younger. I grew up on a farm and was part of Future Farmers of America (FFA),” Ziesmer said. “Being able to have this Agriculture Appreciation Week has helped me spread the word about agriculture to the entire student body and allowed me to tell exactly what we do in the agriculture industry.”
Ziesmer said the most challenging part of the event was not taking weather into consideration, though the event pulled through with the help of the university.
“I think that Murray State realizes that the Hutson School of Agriculture is a huge portion here,” Ziesmer said.
The university works with the school and helps with events like Agriculture Appreciation Week.
Ziesmer said President Bob Davies especially does a great job promoting agriculture through Instagram and does everything possible to be involved.
“On a campus like Murray State, it is important that all students, and not just agriculture students, learn about agriculture and where the food comes from,” Brannon said. “America has the safest, most abundant and cheapest food supply in the world.”
He said that this event provided an avenue to begin to proactively promote the diverse industry of agriculture and our complex food production system.
Editor’s Note: The headline previously misspelled “Hutson.” The News regrets the error.