Students in full-body cow suits loitered around Library Mall Wednesday, handing out can koozies and beef jerky to passersby.
In some other state and on some other day, people may have gawked at the scene. But this is Wisconsin and today was Ag Day: a celebration of local farmers and a chance for students to learn about the state’s agriculture industry.
Collegiate Farm Bureau, a UW-Madison student organization, puts on the event annually. Students are able to pick up free bottles of milk, participate in games and get information from those students in cow costumes, whose signs read “Ask me about farming!”
According to Sara Griswold, president of CFB, the main purpose of the event is to educate students on where their food comes from and promote the idea that the agriculture industry in Wisconsin wants to provide “safe and healthy food for consumers.”
“Our main purpose is to talk with students and Madison community members,” Griswold said. “Most of us are studying in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences here at Madison, so we’re sharing our agriculture stories with others.”
Sydney Endres, a CFB member who grew up on a farm in Lodi, Wis., said Ag Day is important because it gives students a chance to talk with peers who have first-hand knowledge of farming.
“If you have questions about your food … just reach out to someone who is from a farm,” Endres said. “Sometimes there’s articles floating around on Facebook or social media that aren’t true, and the best way to really understand [agriculture] is to talk to a farmer.”
For this year’s event, CFB partnered with The University Club, which provided free food from Wisconsin farms, including pork belly, chicken satay and, of course, cheese.
Additionally, some students have something extra to celebrate during this year’s Ag Day. Earlier this month, the Association of Women in Agriculture announced it awarded 19 scholarships to UW-Madison women studying agriculture-related fields. The scholarships totaled more than $10,000.
