Today, some places where many MSU students sit in classrooms and take notes, the land beneath them was used for growing crops, cow grazing or other farming techniques at one point a little more than a century ago. By strolling through MSU’s campus today, full of towering buildings and sprawling sidewalks, it might not seem evident to some that the university’s roots are in agriculture.
In fact, less than 50 years ago the university was still known as Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science.
South of Service Road, there still are countless acres of land being used for farming and various agricultural activities, and now that spring has arrived, many of those facilities are kicking into gear to prepare for summer.
Spring cleaning
Farmers across the state are focusing their efforts on fertilizing, spreading manure and tilling soil among other things, said Fred Springborn, field crops educator at MSU Extension in Montcalm County. Field conditions this spring are considerably drier than normal for this time of year, which has led to a little bit of uncertainty about crop success, he said.
“Agriculture is far more sophisticated today than what the average person realizes,” Springborn said.
MSU Student Organic Farm manager Jeremy Moghtader said the students in the Organic Farmer Training Program, along with MSU student volunteers, are preparing fields to plant peas and radishes soon, with other crops including cabbage, scallions and carrots soon after. The majority of the farm’s spring crops will be planted within the next couple weeks, he said.
Workers at the MSU Dairy Teaching and Research Center also are busy converting barns from winter mode to their spring setups, said Bob Kreft, herd manager at the center. They also are preparing the field for the cows to graze in as well as servicing fans to keep them cool with higher temperatures approaching, he said.
Horticulture sophomore Charles Defever changed his major from international relations because of his interest in agriculture and his desire to work with his hands.
“I really just wanted to get out … and see the fruits of my labor, quite literally, actually,” said Defever, a volunteer crew member at the organic farm.
Defever gets a lot of puzzled looks and raised eyebrows when he tells people what he switched his major to, he said. Farming might not be for everyone, but Defever said he has found something that he enjoys doing and would like to make a career out of despite the necessary hard work.
“There are times in the classes that I get bored and I question why I did this,” he said. “But every time I come out to the farm and I’m working with my hands, there’s more satisfaction there.”
Local warming
While many students have enjoyed the unseasonably warm spring and oddly mild winter, it hasn’t necessarily been so positive for farmers.
The warm weather has pushed ahead the schedule for some plants, such as sugar beets, which have been planted about two weeks ahead of schedule, Springborn said. Corn, soybean and wheat growers also can get a head start in the field, he said.
Springborn said the weather poses a serious conflict for fruit farmers whose trees are budding prematurely.
“If we get extended freezing weather over the next two to three weeks, I think there’s a good likelihood of this being quite detrimental to the fruit industry,” he said.
In Michigan, farmers usually have between 120 and 140 frost-free days to work with, and it’s critical to take advantage of as many as possible, Moghtader said.
“If you screw stuff up right now, it can have impacts that go on and affect the rest of what you’re able to produce and harvest,” he said.
The strict and organized planting schedule at the MSU Student Organic Farm also has been thrown off by unusually high temperatures for this time of year, Moghtader said. Greenhouse plants have grown faster than normal and some outdoor planting dates have been pushed forward because of the weather, he said.
“It’s better for us if the weather is a little bit more normal because we have the patterns for when to plant and harvest things laid out in a way that keeps (it) steady,” Moghtader said.
Moo U
Other than having work that is usually done in May already completed and cows overheating because of their thicker coats, Kreft said the weather hasn’t affected much at the Dairy Teaching and Research Center.
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“We pulled out some clippers and gave some haircuts,” Kreft said of the cattle.
Despite this season’s unusual weather patterns, the facility’s about 180 cows and 160 younger cattle are keeping up a facility that has been a part of campus since MSU was founded more than 150 years ago, he said.
He said MSU’s original dairy was near the current greenhouses and the facility was moved to its current location in 1963 to be used for research and teaching to help feed Michigan and other areas of the world.
Although the agriculture industry might not involve as many people as it once did, it still is critically important and remains a valuable part of MSU’s tradition, said Kreft, who has old photos of cows crossing a bridge over the Red Cedar River hanging in his office.
“If we refer to MSU as a ‘cow college,’ I think that’s something to be proud of,” Kreft said.
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