By Katelynn Liedtke

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s School of Agriculture and Farm Laboratoriesinvites the campus community to an open house at Guy James Farm in Lascassas at the end of October. 

The event will be hosted from 3-6 p.m. Oct. 29 at Guy James Farm, 3211 Guy James Road. This event serves as an opportunity for the campus community to come to the farm, get an inside look at farm operations, and ask any questions. 

Erin Frantz, executive assistant over farm labs, said that the Farm Laboratories were created to provide students with hands-on experience in agriculture and livestock management. Farm staff and student workers are on the farm 365 days a year because animals need regular care. 

Frantz said that a tremendous amount of hard work goes into keeping the farms running, and they are looking forward to sharing insight on that with the campus community. 

“Many faculty and staff in the School of Agriculture have spoken with students and faculty from other departments about the farms, and those conversations have often been similar. People are curious, have lots of questions, and are excited to learn more. Many have expressed interest in visiting the farms and trying MTSU chocolate milk,” said Frantz. 

“Some have even been surprised to learn that MTSU has farm laboratories! We regularly schedule tours for anyone interested in visiting, so it was exciting to see just how much interest there is across campus. Our director of the School of Agriculture, Dr. Jessica Carter, has participated in many farm open houses over the years and felt it was time to host another one.”

Upon arrival at the event, attendees can expect self-guided tours with stops throughout the farm; they will see where the wildly popular MTSU milk originates, and there will also be Trunk-or-Treat booths set up by the School of Agriculture clubs. 

“We’re excited to welcome everyone to the MTSU Farms Open House! Bring your family, come see the cows, enjoy some MTSU chocolate milk, and let the kids have fun with our trunk-or-treat activities. We hope to see everyone there,” said Frantz. 

The MTSU School of Agriculture is part of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. For more information about the farm and the open house event, visit the School of Agriculture’s webpage at https://agriculture.mtsu.edu/farm_labs/. 

Journalism major Katelynn Liedtke is a practicum student in the Office of News and Media Relations. Reach her at [email protected].