Carsen Wastell | Staff Writer
July 17, 2023
OAKLEY APPLIED SCIENCE BUILDING– On Monday, scholars in the Agribusiness and Biotechnology focus area with Dr. Iin Handayani welcomed guest speaker and Hutson School of Agriculture faculty member Chad Gaylord to prepare them for Tuesday’s trip to the Apiary at the Murray State Arboretum.
The trip to the Apiary is part of the class’ current focus on beekeeping in Agribusiness. “Bees are very great for agriculture, for different crops and things.” Gaylord said.
“When we talk about [the] bee, it’s not just the bee, [the] bee needs flowers, so we have to improve our plant biodiversity. . . So actually, in terms of plant science, we try to make sure that we have diversity in plants so that we can feed the bees. . . The relationship between plants and bees is a part of agriculture,” Dr. Handayani added. She went on to discuss how this relationship is bolstered by biotechnology, the other part of the class, comparing it to a sort of “circle of life.”
According to Dr. Handayani, each day in the Agribusiness class teaches scholars about a different and important part of agriculture. For example, on Wednesday, Agribusiness scholars learned about reducing the impact of weeds on harvest and productivity, and on Friday about Agribusiness related to livestock.
Guest speaker Chad Gaylord demonstrates a beekeeping jacket, along with proper apiary procedures, to Dr. Handayani’s Agribusiness & Biotechnology Focus Area.
With so many different topics in agriculture being covered so deeply, scholars will certainly have a great foundation for a successful career in agriculture, business, and biotechnology. More importantly, even if they don’t pursue one of those career fields, they will walk away from GSP with a more thorough knowledge of the world around them and more well-rounded outlook.
