QANR hosts first Cowboy Night
Utah State University students compared cow pies on the bottoms of their boots and raced to milk cows at the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Agriculture & Natural Resources’ first-ever Cowboy Night. QANR Student Council members scooped Aggie Ice Cream and shared milking techniques while students tried their hand at roping and played yard games at The Caine Dairy.
Council member Gavin Turner drove a remote-controlled steer students chased after and roped on a motor-pony.
“The ponies have a gas pedal, and you steer them like a horse with reins. It’s just a fun way to help people learn how to rope and have some fun,” he said.
Turner believes the event was a great way to expose students to agriculture.
“We have fun activities for everybody, especially for the people that don’t always have this kind of stuff at home,” Turner said.
He emphasized QANR Week was not just for students of agriculture.
“Ag is the community. If you come out, everyone is going to be welcoming and have a good time together and make you feel included,” he said.
The QANR college is growing. This is the first year “Ag Week” is QANR Week instead, marking another milestone in the merger of the natural resources and agricultural colleges. The transition means new traditions, new leaders and new committees.
Lanson Allred and Athena Balderas are part of the QANR’s new club representative committee.
“I’m not representing the club itself. I’m like a liaison between the clubs and the college to make sure that they have a voice with our senate,” Allred said.
Allred represents organizations like the USU Collegiate Young Farmers and Ranchers and the Agribusiness Club while Balderas works with the AGNR Biotechnology Club and Nutrition Science Clubs.
Allred explained though QANR represents both natural resources and agriculture majors, most of the current traditions, like Cowboy Night, revolve around agriculture. Natural resources students had the opportunity to advertise their programs at QANR Department Night, but in the future, Allred is excited to see new traditions focusing on the natural resources majors.
“There’s something to be said about learning to work with your hands,” Allred said. “A lot of our majors are outdoors — they’re hard work. It’s nice to see the people that are taking care of our wilderness and our natural resources.”
He believes events like Cowboy Night are important because they expose students to the unseen processes of agriculture.
“It’s important to learn where our food comes from,” Allred said. “A lot of the time, there’s this disconnect about what goes on behind the scenes. A lot of people go to the store, and they buy their milk.”
At Cowboy Night, he said, “it becomes a lot more real. People are actually getting milk from the cows. They understand the process behind how that milk gets treated and eventually ends up in the store.”
Allred hopes people from outside of the college will continue to come to QANR events.
“Even if they’re not an agriculture major, even if they’re not looking into it, I think it’s a huge opportunity for people to see something that is a foundation for society in general,” Allred said.
Balderas said her favorite part of QANR Week was the Agricultural Products Barbecue.
“You’re getting to see local food sources and enjoy new things and get out and support the community,” she said.
At the barbecue, the Student Nutrition Access Center collected excess food.
“None of that food went to waste. We recovered about 176 pounds from that event of extra rolls and salad, which was really exciting,” said Georgia Wilde, SNAC student director. “All of that was reused and given out to students at SNAC.”
SNAC representatives also participated in other QANR Week events. Wilde stood at the entrance to Cowboy Night, collecting the entrance fee, and donated canned goods.