NDSU Celebrates Fourth Annual “Ag Week”

NDSU's Ag Collective will end the week with a dance and fundraiser for Arthur's Barn At Sanctuary events center

FARGO, N.D. — Our region is known for its agricultural contribution to the country.

Now NDSU students are dedicating a whole week to celebrating the industry with their Ag Week.

Four years ago, NDSU started its Ag Week to educate students and the community about the industry.

That includes getting rid of any misconceptions people may have about agriculture.

“There’s a lot of misconceptions about how animals are treated sometimes and what the industry does but we all do it very humanely,” said Casey Mikel, with the NDSU Ag Collective.

“You see a lot of misinformation about agriculture and a lot of misrepresentation of farmers and producers,” said Jacob Dailey, president of NDSU’s Ag Collective.

As a result, NDSU will be hosting panel discussions with experts in the field throughout Ag Week.

NDSU’s Ag Collective will put on events such as Ag trivia, banquets, games and a bake sale.

The week is meant to unite all those who have a love for the industry with those who may know nothing about agriculture at all.

“We know that things around food are sometimes contentious because they mean a lot. All of us eat every day, we feed each other, we feed our families and it’s really important to get the right information out there,” Dailey said.

Which is important to many in NDSU’s Ag Collective because some say they can’t remember a moment when agriculture wasn’t a part of their lives.

Many of them were involved in 4H or FFA growing up, helping to shape them into the people they are today.

“It helps you get more involved with community and you do all sorts of projects and makes you a well–rounded person,” said Sarah Freitag, with NDSU Collegiate Cattlewomen.

“It’s a lot of hard work but it also teaches you how to prioritize and then how to be time efficient and to talk to a judge. It teaches you a lot of life skills,” Mikel said.

They’re life skills that directly impact North Dakota and Minnesota every day.

“Its economy, its cultures, its communities are built on agriculture. We diversified after a little while but at its heart, these communities are Ag communities,” Dailey said.

NDSU’s Ag Collective will end the week with a dance and fundraiser for Arthur’s Barn, which was destroyed by a fire in October due to an electrical malfunction.

It’ll start at 5:30 on April 20 at the Sanctuary Events Center.