Northwest Missouri State University will “Celebrate Agriculture” with a series of activities Oct. 30 through Nov. 4.

The week culminates Saturday, Nov. 4, with an open house showcasing the School of Agriculture Sciences and a barbecue lunch for alumni and friends. The day’s activities are scheduled in conjunction with the Bearcat football game against Fort Hays State University at 1:30 p.m. at Bearcat Stadium.

“Celebrate Agriculture is an opportunity to celebrate not only the School of Agricultural Sciences at Northwest but to celebrate the importance of agriculture in the state and region,” Rod Barr, the director of Northwest School of Agricultural Sciences, said. “The economic impact of agriculture in the state of Missouri is more than $88 billion annually.”

Northwest alumni and friends as well as school groups may register and purchase tickets by visiting www.nwmissouri.edu/ag/celebrate/. Tickets for barbecue lunch at the McKemy Center are $10.

Students in Northwest’s agricultural advocacy course as well as members of the agriculture Greek organizations Alpha Gamma Rho and Sigma Alpha also will conduct a week-long food drive, Oct. 30 through Nov. 4 as well as advocacy events in the Student Union throughout the week.

Additionally, Northwest will host the 57th annual Farm-City Banquet with the Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, at J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom. Chris Chinn, the director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, will address the banquet.

Northwest’s School of Agricultural Sciences is experiencing rapid growth with more than 12 percent of the University’s undergraduate population enrolled in an agriculture major. The School relocated this fall to the Dean L. Hubbard for Innovation while facilities such as the Horticulture Complex and the 448-acre R.T. Wright Farm – a which is home to beef, swine, dairy and sheep enterprises as well as row and forage crops – continue to provide students with hands-on, profession-based experience and supports the 95 percent of bachelor’s degree earners in the School who find employment or continue their education within six months of graduation.

Additionally, Northwest and the School of Agricultural Sciences are in the planning stages and pursuing private support to help fund an $8.5 million, 29,000-square-foot Agricultural Learning Center at the Wright Farm and supplement and enhance the academic curriculum.

The School of Agricultural Sciences offers agricultural majors in agricultural business, agriculture education, agriculture science, agronomy, animal science, animal science-pre vet, horticulture and technology, in addition to minors, a two-year farm operations certificate and master’s programs in agriculture, education and economics.

A complete schedule of Celebrate Agriculture events is provided below. For more information, contact Northwest’s School of Agricultural Sciences at 660.562.1155.

Celebrate Agriculture events

Oct. 30- Nov. 4

• Food Drive, coordinated by Alpha Gamma Rho, Sigma Alpha and agricultural advocacy class

Saturday, Nov. 4

• School of Agricultural Sciences Open House (10 a.m. Hubbard Center)

• Alumni and Friends BBQ Lunch (11 a.m., McKemy Center)

• Bearcat Football game (1:30 p.m., Bearcat Stadium)