Students find calm, comfort at Ag Quad 'farm'

student petting cow
Matt Hayes
Tamara Lambert ’16, a CALS bioengineering major, strokes a cow named Rosie during Ag Day Sept. 21 on the Ag Quad.
cow selfie
Matt Hayes
GiGi Ventura '16 takes a selfie with Rosie.

Students walking through the Ag Quad Sept. 21 were met with an unusual sight: pens of mooing, bleating and clucking animals.

The living display of cows, chickens and sheep, along with a tractor and activities like a calf roping station, were all part of Ag Day, a biannual hosted by the Cornell chapter of the co-ed fraternity Alpha Zeta.

Lauren Fessler ’16, Alpha Zeta president and biology and plant sciences major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), said the event brings exposure to different aspects of agriculture to students who may not be aware of the role farming plays in their lives.

Fessler said the draw of the animals – Monday’s event featured two Holstein calves, a fistulated cow named Rosie, a pair of sheep and chickens – provides the fraternity the chance to educate students who may not be accustomed to regular contact with creatures who typically inhabit a farm.

“People always light up when they see the animals,” said Fessler.

Nathan Lindsey ’16, an Alpha Zeta member, said the event provides a chance at outreach to everyone in the Cornell community.

“A lot of people don’t know about it,” said the plant sciences major of the role of agriculture. “It’s cool that you can show all the opportunities associated with [agriculture].”

That minibarnyard enticed Katherine Curtis ’19 from the College of Human Ecology, who said she read about the hoopla on social media.

“I purposely left my dorm early so I could come see the animals,” Curtis said. “It’s cool to see them plopped in the middle of the quad.”

More than just a chance to coo over cute animals, the event also featured hands-on activities, like a calf-roping demonstration led by Anya Gandy ’17.

Gandy, clad in jeans and red cowboy boots, showed Paroma Chakravardy, a senior in the College of Engineering, the basics of roping using a hay bale and cow skull as the target. While initial efforts by Chakravardy proved unsuccessful, her wide grin showed she was having fun.

For all the activity swarming around the day, other students found welcome respite being surrounded by the animals. Tamara Lambert ’16 a CALS major in bioengineering, said the placidity of the animals brings its own relief to the hectic life of a college student.

“For me, it’s therapeutic, especially when I get stressed out after classes or school in general,” said Lambert of spending time with the animals. “It’s really relaxing for me to be around them.”

Matt Hayes is managing editor and social media officer for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

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