Recipient Organization
LANGSTON UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
LANGSTON,OK 73050
Performing Department
Agriculture & Natural Resours
Non Technical Summary
The general goal of this proposed project is to enhance the experiential learning, improve instructional delivery systems, and increase recruitment and retention of students in Animal Science through establishment of a large animal teaching center at Langston University. Specific objectives of this project are to start a animal teaching center of beef cattle; to provide much needed large animal recourses to faculty and students in Animal Science teaching and training; to enhance students' interest and experiential learning in Animal Science; and to ultimately enhance the competitiveness and quality of Animal Science students for the future animal industry in Oklahoma and beyond. This three-year project will fill the void of large animals and complement our already renowned small ruminant programs for all Animal Science classes at Langston University. Students majoring in Animal Science and all other students taking animal science-related courses offered at Langston University will be provided with on-site demonstrations and hands-on trainings of both small and large animal species. Students will have opportunities to work part-time and build up practical animal care, management and handling experiences. Animal Science students will participate in internships in the large animal teaching center and earn credit as part of academic requirements for graduation. Objectives of this project will be achieved through commitment of the School of Agriculture and Applied Science, through this 1890 Land-Grant institution teaching capacity building grant program, with enhanced collaborative partnership with the 1862 Land-Grant Institution Oklahoma State University, and with the strong supports of the LU Agriculture Alumni Association, the Oklahoma Beef Council, and local alumnus livestock farmers. This teaching endeavor is strongly supported by Langston University through commitments of pastureland, personnel resource and state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities, and the American Institute for Goat Research. This project will enhance the teaching capacity of the submitting institution and fulfill part of the Institution's long-term goals to enhance student enrollment and retention in Animal Science. Students will be trained in a series of seminars and workshops with advanced technology and applicable skills for the future animal industry.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
The general goal of this proposed project is to enhance the teaching capacity of DANR and the experiential learning of students in Animal Science through establishment of a large animal teaching center. Specific objectives of this project are:to establish a large animal teaching center with beef cattle initially;to provide much needed resources to faculty and students in Animal Science teaching and training;to enhance students interest and hands-on experience;to increase the enrollment and retention of students in Animal Science at LU;to ultimately enhance the teaching capacity in large animal species in addition to small ruminants and the education quality for our Animal Science students.
Project Methods
A barn with concrete floor and with grain and concentrate storage areas will be constructed. This proposed large animal teaching center will commence with a herd of 5 beef cattle and 10 calves. The herd will be initiated in the summer/fall of 2019. The initial herd of cattle and calves will be donated to the center as indicated by the LU AAA, the Oklahoma Beef Council, and local alumni farmers and ranchers (see three respective Letters of Supports in attachments). An observation platform with 30 seats will be built for live animal demonstrations. Automatic water feeders, mineral feeders, grain trough, round-bale feeders, squeeze chute, bedding and other necessary items and utensils for cattle feeding, care, management will be provided in place before introduction of animals into the center.Pastureland is a vital part of any animal operation and production. A recently purchased and cleaned 80-acres of pastureland is located on the south side of the main campus and has been allocated for this large animal teaching center. This pastureland will be fenced and ready for animals in 2019. Many native Oklahoma grasses make a natural pasture habitat for these animals. The location is adjacent to our goat research farm and convenient for faculties and students to access during and between class hours. The personnel in AIGR will provide human and facility resources for maintenance of the pastureland and for training of the work-study and intern students. No additional funding is being requested from the federal agency.Veterinary service must be available to treat animals in needs and to devise a biosecurity plan for the entire teaching center. Dr. Lionel Dawson, veterinarian with a joint appointment with the OSU Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and AIGR, will be on call for immediate health and treatment needs of the in-coming large animals. He has been providing animal health service to our 1500-goat herd. In addition, the veterinary hospital and large animal clinic at OSU will provide health care if needed. OSU, a 1862 Land-Grant institution located only 22 miles away, and LU have forged a strong collaborative partnership in many areas of animal teaching, research and extension.Training and experiential learning of Animal Science student workers and/or interns in the real world settings are the main objective of this proposal. This large animal teaching center will provide live animal demonstration and technical training for all agriculture students. In addition, 2-3 students majoring in Animal Science or other agricultural discipline areas will be recruited each semester during (and after) this project. Students will work up to 20 hours per week during the semester and will be rotated in all aspects of animal production. The students will have an active role in training workshops and technical seminars such as animal nutrition, artificial insemination, parasite control, farm profitability and economics, etc., as illustrated in the Timetable on Page 13. They may also participate in research and extension projects and take internships for credits. New students will be given opportunities to work in the center each semester to build practical experiences as partial fulfillment of requirements for graduation.Non-expendable equipment such as tractors, trailers, trucks, and haying machines is necessary for modern animal operations and productions. While funds are requested through this grant program for basic supplies and facilities, no request of funds in this proposal is made to purchase heavy equipment for the animal teaching center. In these beginning stages, existing pickup trucks, trailers and haying machines in AIGR will be shared as needed for animal transportation, hay making and delivery for the proposed project. This will ultimately make the existing resources in the School more efficiently used for students' education.Throughout this project, several workshops and seminars for our students and clientele will be carried out by PD and Co-PIs in collaboration with other research and extension specialists in SAAS each year. Topics such as artificial insemination (AI), parasite control, animal nutrition, animal behaviors, farm management, cattle operation economics, etc., will be instructed or demonstrated through hands-on and interactive teaching with live animals.Because of lack of large animal resources for teaching, practice and training at LU, many of our graduates, particularly Animal Science students, have serious deficiencies in hands-on experiences with large animal care and handling. Therefore, as stated earlier, the proposed large animal teaching center becomes vital and will serve as a demonstration and practical training site for all agriculture students and will dramatically and immediately strengthen our teaching capacity. This large animal training center will address some of the imminent problems our department is facing in Animal Science education and simultaneously reach the planned goals of all 1890 Land-Grant institutions. Students will not only be required to take part in daily animal handling and management, complete internships during semesters and in the summer, but also participate in field studies on various animals. Large ruminant animals on LU campus will also prove useful for comparative and/or parallel experiments and studies in feeding, nutrition, metabolism, and management with small ruminants in AIGR. Furthermore, this large animal teaching center can be integrated into our already nationally and internationally renowned goat outreach and extension programs and will help expand our extension services to the stakeholders.With the continuous and strong growth of the Oklahoma animal industry, there will be a continuous demand for college graduates for all animal sectors of the industry in production, processing, marketing as well as in research and education. The objectives of this proposed animal teaching center fit well with the long-term mission of the Oklahoma animal industry. Industry support through animal donation, animal expertise, and operation advice will assure the completion of this proposed animal teaching center and make it sustainable beyond the life of this proposed project. Initial animals and some equipment will be donated to this center from the LU AAA, the Oklahoma Beef Council, and local private farmers (See Letter of Supports in attachment) . This center will in return serve as an education, demonstration and training platform, enhance LU's teaching capacity in long term, and provide highly skilled professionals to the Oklahoma animal industry. Thus this proposal of a large animal teaching center will be a win-win-win scenario for LU, the Oklahoma animal industry and most importantly students in Animal Science upon completion and operation of this proposed large animal teaching center.