Agriculture at FHSU: Real World Agriculture Experience
The Agriculture program offers students a unique curriculum that is hard to find anywhere else:
- Classroom learning combined with real-world experiences
- Small classroom sizes where students get personal mentoring
- Access to outstanding agriculture facilities
- Service-learning courses and significant internship opportunities
These experiences not only give you an in-depth Agriculture education, but they also beef up your resume and prepare you for an exciting career in agriculture. Here's an overview of some of the hands-on experiences you'll get to enjoy as agriculture major:
University Farm
The University Farm operates primarily as a commercial farm, providing a realistic laboratory where you will observe actual agricultural production practices. Practical experience in production agriculture helps you to develop management skills as a student, and potentially as a part-time employee at one of the Farm's livestock or crop divisions. Students also use the University Farm to study applications of precision agriculture technologies (an advanced agricultural management system that uses specialized electronic equipment-yield monitors, variable rate applicators, and unmanned aerial vehicles-to manage production operations). Learn more about the University Farm and Precision Agriculture.
Indoor and Outdoor Livestock Arenas
The livestock arenas put the use of actual FHSU facilities at your fingertips. With both indoor and outdoor arena facilities, you have access to facilities that allow you to work with animals in class, or as a member of the nationally recognized FHSU Rodeo Team. The easy access, to top-notch facilities is unique to FHSU's Department of Agriculture and helps bring your degree program to life.
Internships
With a solid summer internship, you can develop real world experience and make valuable contacts needed after graduation and gain a better understanding of a specific career field. View internships completed by students in the Agriculture Department newsletters.
Service Learning
Through the years, students taking agriculture courses have been involved in service learning projects. These projects further help students apply classroom learning to real world situations. Students prepare displays, distribute literature, and prepare interactive activities to demonstrate water and soil conservation techniques. Some of the projects include making and distributing rain barrels, planning and planting flowers in the containers on Main Street in Hays, and participating in the annual Home and Garden Show at the Hays Mall. Classes that have participated in service learning projects are: Soils, Soil and Water Management, Soil Fertility & Fertilizers, Home Horticulture, Cereal, Fiber & Oil Crops, Agronomic Crop Insects, and Agronomic Crop Production.