在CWC尖端的综合设施内

Located on 22 acres adjacent to CWC’s baseball field on Morfeld Drive, the massive barn-style Rustler complex is a campus-within-a-campus. From exams to lab classes to hands-on sessions with live animals, the building is a bonafide home base for ag students.

CWC offers a variety of certificate and degree tracks in agriculture, including a four year “Agricultural 领导” bachelor of science program introduced in fall 2023. Key faculty members based out of the Rustler complex include five instructors, 竞技教练, 社区食品专家, 还是一名肉类工厂经理. One hundred and fourteen students are enrolled in CWC’s ag and equine courses for the spring 2024 semester, a number that Monteiro expects will climb now that the complex is up and running.

The focal point of the building is a wide-open equine arena where students bring their own personal horses and develop their skills in dressage, 套小牛, 和马术. A massive garage door and trailer bay allows students to unload their animals directly onto the arena floor, where bleacher seats on the perimeter can host up to 300 spectators.

离主竞技场只有几步之遥, the Rustler complex’s classrooms are equipped with state-of-the art teaching tools and immaculate furnishings. A full-size horse skeleton marks the entrance to a storage arena filled with artificial insemination equipment for beef cattle.

Instructor Keith Duran has plans in the works for the program to eventually manage its own cattle herd. The idea is to create a closed system in which cows raised on campus can be slaughtered in-house and served in CWC’s cafeteria. “Our meat processing facility gives us a unique edge over most other ag programs out there,蒙泰罗说. “We went the extra mile to meet regulations that allow us to serve and sell the meat that we produce.”

藏在大楼的西端, the meat processing area is tidy and compact – geared toward teaching rather than maximizing production. Designed with consideration to industry standards based on the work of renowned animal behaviorist Temple Grandin, 这个设施可以处理牛, 猪, 和羊肉. 从屠宰到储存, students participate in every step of the operation – all overseen by a licensed meat plant manager, 根据美国农业部的要求.

In the future, the meat processing floor aims to churn out a variety of marketable commodities. 内部器官, 或内脏, 能在宠物食品中使用吗, 兽皮可以被鞣制成皮革. “One weakness of the greater food system is that there is a focus on high efficiency production of single products rather than holistic use of a resource,蒙泰罗说. “我们希望我们的项目能做到后者.”

除了盗贼大厦, CWC’s ag program also includes a regenerative small scale farming center at the 高山科学研究所 in 着陆器. 去年夏天, the program hosted a farm-to-table fundraiser dinner lavishly prepared with meat and vegetables grown and processed by students. 

现在小偷综合体已经完成了, CWC’s ag program expects to attract increased interest from out of state. For now, the majority of enrollment comes from within Wyoming. “正式, many students had to travel far and wide to access a high-quality ag education,蒙泰罗说. “We hope our program enables folks to continue working on their family farms and ranches while they pursue their education.”

On Tuesday March 19, CWC will host a celebration of National Ag Day at the 偷牛贼Ag) & 马复杂. 从10点开始.m. 到12点.m., attendees will have the opportunity to network with CWC faculty members and local business owners and trade knowledge of the agricultural industry.

“This building [Rustler] is fostering an interesting cross pollination of equine and ag and rodeo,蒙泰罗说. “学生们聚在一起，互相喂养.”