Every year, the brotherhood hosts Agriculture Awareness Week (AAW) to network with other clubs in the college and help a university with 30,000plus students learn more about agriculture. Although the university was founded in agricultural and mechanical arts, most students are not from farming backgrounds. AAW is now considered a campus tradition and has been going on for over thirty years. Tommy Batts, chair of the AAW Committee began planning the event over six months ago. The committee worked to prepare for the arrival of animals, plants and equipment on campus. The committee contacted alumni, faculty, student organizations and contest participants. The t-shirt committee designed t-shirts to sell during the week and the leadership committee presented agricultural information at meetings leading up to the event. All of the 49 active brothers are expected to participate in a minimum of three 3-hour shifts. Brothers stayed on the brickyard at all times from March 17th to March 21st.
Sunday morning, four brothers traveled to the university’s Small Ruminant Educational Unit to wash two sheep that we borrowed for the week. While at the unit, they helped process newborn goat kids. Twenty brothers worked to set up on the Brickyard on Sunday from 11:30am to 7:00pm. In one tent, animal pens were set up for calves, goats, sheep, and pigs. Another pen was set up under a tent for a cow calf pair. Brothers helped with the arrival of the animals and helped them settle in. Brothers were instructed to use hand sanitizer and fill out animal care charts when working in the animal pens. In the large tent, we set up tables to prepare for the arrival of College of Agriculture and Life Sciences clubs on Monday morning.