Northwest hosting annual ‘Celebrate Agriculture Week’ activities, market on Nov. 16

Northwest hosting annual 'Celebrate Agriculture Week' activities, market on Nov. 16

Northwest Missouri State University will celebrate the impact agriculture has on the region with a week of activities Nov. 9-16, including its second annual Taste of Northwest Agriculture Market.

Northwest's annual Celebrate Agriculture Week events showcases the University's Agricultural Learning Center (ALC), located on the R.T. Wright Farm at 22893 U.S. Highway 71 in Maryville, with a variety of educational sessions and networking events as well as some competition.

The week concludes with the Taste of Northwest Market from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, which also features an open house with coffee and donuts at the ALC.

All of the week's activities are free and open to the public as well as vendors.

"If we sit back and think about the impact agriculture makes on each and every one of us from a food standpoint, we need to celebrate that," Dr. Rod Barr, the director of the School of Agricultural Sciences, said. "That's why we chose celebrate agriculture."

The Taste of Northwest Agriculture Market, a collaboration of the School of Agricultural Sciences and the Missouri Agriculture, Food and Forestry Innovation Center, welcomes producers and consumers to tour the ALC and engage with Northwest faculty, staff and students to learn about innovative activities and education happening within the facility.

Visitors to the agriculture market will be encouraged to sample local goods and experience flavors of the region while learning about the vital role local food systems play in building resilient communities. The event will also give local producers an opportunity to form relationships with potential buyers and receive feedback as they fine-tune products and recipes.

Other events during Celebrate Agriculture Week include a career networking event with agriculture employers at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, hosted at the ALC by Collegiate FFA/ATA, agriculture education majors, agriculture media majors and agriculture science majors.

On Wednesday, Nov. 13, the Block and Bridle organization will host the Little National Western livestock show in the ALC. Collegiate Farm Bureau, Collegiate Cattlemen's, Pre-Vet Club, Delta Tau Alpha, animal science majors and agriculture business majors also will host agriculture advocacy tables. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 5:30 p.m.

Beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at the ALC, the Agronomy Club, Horticulture Club and agronomy majors will host a chili and soup cook-off, cornhole tournament and yard games.

Alpha Gamma Rho and Sigma Alpha will host a barbeque contest at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at the ALC.

Additionally, the School of Agricultural Sciences will conduct a food drive throughout the week in collaboration with Hy-Vee. Collection bins will be outside of Hy-Vee in Maryville from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. All donations will go to the Maryville Ministry Center.

About the School of Agricultural Sciences

Headquartered in the Dean L. Hubbard Center for Innovation, Northwest's School of Agricultural Sciences offers programs in agriculture business, agriculture education, agriculture media, agriculture science, agronomy and animal science.

The 29,500-squear-foot multipurpose Agricultural Learning Center, which opened in 2021, enhances the School and its curriculum while addressing infrastructure needs at the 448-acre Wright Farm, which is home to beef, swine, dairy, sheep and goat enterprises as well as row and forage crops. The ALC enables further innovation and partnerships while addressing best practices for the Northwest campus and agriculture sciences.

For more information about the School of Agriculture Sciences and its programs, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/ag/.