Students from the College of Agriculture met with President Stan Albrecht Friday afternoon to present him a gift and to signal the start of Ag Week. Ag Week is a week-long list of events hosted by the College of Agriculture from Sept. 25 through Oct.2. The gift presented to Albrecht was an Ag Week T-shirt and a basket of food products representing different areas of agriculture from Utah.

Amy Petersen, Ag senator and senior in agriculture education, thanked Albrecht for his support. Petersen briefly explained the progress in the college, which included new recruitment to encourage students to come to USU.

Albrecht accepted the basket and mentioned the new agriculture building that will be built on the Quad.

“I want all of you to turn around and look east for just a moment. Imagine what it’s going to be like next May when we do a ground breaking for the new Ag building,” he said.

The building will replace the current Agricultural Science Building, Petersen added later.

The ceremony is a yearly tradition to kick off Ag Week. Ag Week focuses on events that defines the college, and all seven colleges at the university get a week to celebrate, Petersen said.

“Because we are the land-grant university, the College of Ag always has the rights to the first college week,” she said. “This year, we’re trying to focus a lot on the diversity of Ag.” Petersen added they wanted to focus on the different areas of the college that demonstrate their diversity, such as dietetics, family and consumer science, plant science and business.

The theme for this year’s Ag Week, according to Utah State Today, is “We’re True Aggies (no kissing required).”

“It goes back to the roots of Utah State because Utah State was the Agriculture College of Utah,” said Ailina Smith, sophomore in ornamental horticulture. “We’re kind of the beginnings of Utah State back in 1888 when it was established.”

Petersen said the theme came from the idea that the College of Agriculture are the True Aggies because of its history.

Petersen said there are many ways for everyone to get involved in Ag Week. On Monday, there will be a tractor parade. It will honor the eight students and the professor who, while on a field trip in 2005, all died in a van crash. Eleven tractors will be brought to campus to symbolize those involved in the crash, nine will be left on campus. Petersen also mentioned that anyone wanting to participate should meet at the stadium parking lot before the parade at 1:30 p.m. On Monday night, there will be a movie shown at the South Farm pavilion on Highway 89-91 in Wellsville. The movie will be “Taken.”

On Tuesday, there will be an opening social at 6 p.m. at the Agriculture Systems Technology and Education shop 1498 N. 800 East. Petersen said Day on the Quad will be Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature a variety of activities and food. There will also be a service project in the International Lounge in the Taggart Student Center (TSC) called Ag in the Classroom. At 9 p.m. there will be country swing dancing at the Fun Park, 255 E. 1770 North. On Thursday, there will be a donut eating contest at 11 a.m. on the TSC Patio. There will be a chuck wagon breakfast on the TSC Patio Friday morning starting at 8:30. To cap the week off, there will be a rodeo held Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Cache County Fairgrounds.

“Everyone is welcome to everything that we do. If you just want to come check it out, please come,” Petersen said.

–candice.m@aggiemail.usu.edu