JCAST facilities and units serve students, faculty, community 

University Agricultural Laboratory (a.k.a. "the farm")

The University Agricultural Laboratory (UAL), or the “Farm”as popularly referred to, supports the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (JCAST) through teaching, research, outreach and production while providing hands-on practical experience to students. The 1,050-acre farm is comprised of 20-plus crop, animal and retail enterprises that serve as an outdoor classroom and laboratory for our faculty to showcase the latest advancements in agriculture and for conducting applied research supporting the region’s agricultural economy. Students gain practical experience and develop new skills by working in the different enterprises, volunteering, or conducting student projects. This past year, more than 80 class sections were taught on the farm. The different enterprises typically employ more than 130 students each year in all aspects of agriculture including growing and managing crops and livestock; making wine, processing meats, fruits and nuts, and marketing our products. The Fresno State Agricultural Foundation through its board of directors provides guidance and oversight to the UAL to stay fiscally viable to achieve its mission.

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Agricultural Sciences Building

The Agricultural Sciences Building is the administrative hub for the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. Located near the center of the Fresno State campus, it houses the dean’s office and staff; a dozen “smart classrooms” and teaching laboratories dedicated to agriculture and related disciplines; a central computer lab available to students; a large theater-style classroom for faculty, staff and student assemblies; and JCAST department and faculty offices. Additional faculty and department offices are housed in other campus buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

Gibson Farm Market

The Gibson Farm Market is a unique Fresno State enterprise offering a variety of food and horticulture products produced on the university’s own campus farm. Among the most popular market products are fresh summer sweet corn; Fresno State ice cream, cheese and milk; beef and pork products; almonds; grapes; and wine from the Fresno State Winery. The products have been either grown, packaged, and/or processed by Fresno State and its students.A generous $2 million donation made by benefactor Joyce Mae Gibson in 2011 (which included $500,000 for the campus quarterhorse unit) propelled the market into a new chapter, enabling construction of the brand-new farm market building, as well as improved equipment for the store. These new facilities have helped the market grow even more, by adding the new Fresno State ice cream counter, plant cage, and wine tasting room. Every purchase made at the farm market directly supports the students and enterprise that developed it. This has enabled enterprises to purchase new equipment, create new products and in-turn provides valuable hands-on instruction and experience for students.