CLOUMN: Endless opportunities lie through Agriculture
Agriculture is an exciting and continually evolving area. There are endless opportunities available for individuals who have the gumption to go for it. Many of you right now are saying things like “whatever” and “yeah, if you want to be a redneck” and many other things along those same lines. I, however, would like to show you the future available to those who are involved in the College of Agriculture.
You see, I and others have come to see agriculture as the practical application of anything in science, business, engineering and pretty much anything that has a real-life application. Following are a few examples to demonstrate this belief.
To begin with, Dean Rodney Brown, College of Agriculture, is currently working with NASA on a project using satellite imagery to identify problems in crops. These problems include weeds, lack of fertilizer, plugged nozzle on a sprinkler system or uneven fertilizer applications. Combining this technology and other technologies of the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) will allow farmers to apply pesticides and fertilizers on a field according to production requirements rather than blanketing the field with a uniform application. This is beneficial to both the farmer through reduced inputs, and to the environment through tighter application controls.
Another example involves Professors Tilak Dhiman and Kenneth Olson from the animal, dairy and veterinary science department here at Utah State University. They are working together on a project to increase Conjugated Linolei Acid (CLA) in milk. Some studies show CLA has tremendous health benefits. Some include stronger immune systems, more muscle and less body fat, slowing the development of heart disease and acting as a growth inhibitor of several types of cancer. These things are important for a society where 51 percent are overweight.
Interested in food and nutrition? The College of Agriculture has one of the leading food and nutrition departments in the nation. Multiple research projects are taking place here, including ways to introduce color and marbling in cheese and developing several new food products for the ever-changing marketplace.
These are a few of the things happening in agriculture here on our campus. In the Agriculture Research Service publication for August 2001, there are numerous articles on the advances taking place around the world. For those who don’t seem to care about food production, there is an article on the use of organic pest control for the Dollar Spot, a fungus responsible for numerous problems on golf courses. Whatever would we do without golf? (I can think of a lot of alternatives.) There are millions of dollars spent each year on the upkeep of these courses, and with the research done through the field of agriculture, the odds are against the fungus.
These are a few of the developments and opportunities available to those involved in the field of agriculture. The College of Agriculture welcomes any student who wants to be involved regardless of their current field of study. We are confident you can find a place to apply it in agriculture. Come and get involved with the good people in the College of Agriculture to study or just attend our activities and have a good time.