P&K Equipment is lending a helping hand to the Oklahoma State University Student Farm on its mission to feed the community.
On Feb. 26, the company two tractors for operational use at no cost to the farm.
P&K Equipment is a premier John Deere dealership and owned by Dr. Barry Pollard, an OSU alumnus and cornerstone donor to OSU Agriculture’s New Frontiers campaign.
“P&K is proud to support and partner with Oklahoma State University on John Deere Equipment needs,” said Scott Eisenhauer, P&K Equipment general manager. “We are especially proud to be a part of the Student Farm, which combines a learning opportunity for OSU students, as well as giving the food grown back to the local communities.”
The OSU Student Farm provides students with hands-on learning experiences while also sustainably supplying the local community with fresh produce in partnership with Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center in Stillwater.
Each tractor will be used throughout the year for roughly 150 hours before being traded in for a new one.
The machinery will be especially useful to the farm as it plans to significantly expand its acreage in the near future. The expansion will feature a new organic plot behind the barn as well as a full acre dedicated to growing strawberries.
“In sincere appreciation of providing two John Deere tractors to the OSU Student Farm, we extend our heartfelt thanks to P&K Equipment and Dr. Pollard for this invaluable contribution,” said Justin Quetone Moss, professor and head of the department of horticulture and landscape architecture. “This will help us to expand the vegetable production acreage and meet our goal of providing more than 100,000 pounds of food to Oklahomans through our current partnership with Our Daily Bread and new partnership with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.”
In addition to expanding acreage, site improvements and cleanup are ongoing. For the next phase of facility improvements, OSU is seeking private support to cover the $250,000 architectural costs to advance the farm’s renovation, including the historic Swine Barn.
The Student Farm will serve as an anchor of the OSU Innovation Park, a unique 678-acre ecosystem that will include the Agronomy Research Station and The Botanic Garden at OSU. The Innovation Park will be at the heart of a visionary mission to fuse technology development, commercial partnerships and progressive ideas through STEAM education and scientific discovery, driving economic growth and strengthening community connections in Stillwater and beyond.
“The Innovation Park will be a huge boost in the pursuit of our land-grant mission, and the Student Farm is a crucial piece of that,” said OSU First Cowboy Darren Shrum. “Through the generosity of the Cowboy family, like that demonstrated by P&K Equipment, we will make the farm better than ever before and continue to broaden its impact on the Stillwater community.”
Source : okstate.edu