2008 Joint Annual Meeting (5-9 Oct. 2008): University Agricultural Laboratory at Fresno State - a model farm dedicated to teaching and research in agriculture.

The 1000-acre farm constituting the University Agricultural Laboratory at California State University, Fresno, CA, USA provides a unique opportunity for education and research in world-class agriculture for its students and faculty. Located in the centre of a rich and diversified agricultural region in Central California, Fresno State leads the way in practicing and teaching diversified farming and promoting environmentally-friendly farming practices. Students get to experience not only growing crops and raising animals but creating value for the products they produce and marketing them.  For example, students grow the alfalfa and other forage crops which help feed the dairy cows and process the milk from the dairy to produce cheese and ice cream which are then marketed through a student-run campus farm market. Similarly, almonds and pistachio harvested from the farm are converted into value-added products. The only academic winery in United State that is licensed to make and market its wine, Fresno State winery gives a hands-on experience to students in the science of viticulture and enology. Some of our recent student products include honey and olive oil. Fresno State's extra-virgin olive oil is produced from campus-grown olives. Students receive an integrated training and education in crop production and post-harvest processing.  Proceeds from the student-run farming enterprise are reinvested to help strengthen the educational and research programs at Fresno State's of College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.