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Have you ever wondered what life on the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus is really like? The Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture is offering you the chance to see for yourself! On Thursday, July 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Agricultural Campus will open its doors to allow the community to explore the magnificent campus. With something for everyone there is no shortage of fun and excitement during Community Open House! Join staff, students, and faculty to learn about agriculture and participate in some of the exciting activities that are in store.

Your First Stop? Cumming Hall! The hub of Community Open House, Cumming Hall is where you’ll find official event guides, balloons, and free ice cream treats courtesy of Chapman’s. Capture the day at the Xerox Photo Booth and hop on a wagon ride to take you to other must-see destinations around campus. Don’t worry, if your first stop isn’t Cumming Hall, volunteers in black t-shirts will be all around campus handing out official event guides, answering your questions and guiding you in the right direction.

Hungry? Our campus caterer will be serving chicken on a bun, hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, and more for purchase – gluten-free and vegetarian options will be available! The barbeque will take place from 11am to 2pm on the Cox field. Menu items include: BBQ chicken breast sandwich ($4.00), Italian sausage ($3.50), hamburger or hot dog ($2.50), home-style potato salad ($1.50), vegetable pasta salad ($1.50), apple ($1.00), water or juice ($1.75)

Learn to Change the World: If you’re exploring your post-secondary options, introduce yourself to our Student Services team to find out about living and learning on our campus. Take a tour of campus and residence, ask your questions, and meet some of our faculty, staff and current students!

Agriculture includes Engineering! Head to the Banting Building to learn about everything from waste oil for biofuel development to sheep’s wool insulation. While you're here, visit our Precision Agriculture team to see the innovative, automated machines they’ve developed to help farmers reduce environmental risks and improve their yields. And of course, the Bubble Barn- a soapy slip-and-slide that’s always a hit with the kids!

Agriculture, Then and Now: Head to the McCrae Library to view displays from the Agricola Collections and check out The Agricola Archives, Special Collections & Museum that house over 100 years of agriculture in the Maritimes. Be sure to join Cultiv8 and Brilliant Labs and take part in innovative, hands-on activities for all ages!

Sheep Dogs! Fred Hamilton and his talented canine companions put on quite a show as they demonstrate how dogs and handlers work together to tend the flock. You’ll find Fred and his four legged friends in the field across from the Ruminant Animal Centre.

Check out our Chicks: Come see the newly hatched chicks in the Atlantic Poultry Research Centre, and learn the latest on poultry research. Take a tour of the feed mill and learn what it takes to make feed for the animals.

Dairy Cows, Sheep and More: Visit the animals who call our campus home – dairy cows, sheep and more who reside in the Ruminant Animal Centre. There might even be a calf or two to see. Make sure to check out our sheep shearing demos, dig deep in our interactive ‘sand’ box and explore artifacts from our campus supplied by the Nova Scotia Farm Exhibit Museum.

Step back in Time: In the 1920’s, our students took courses in basketry and even dressmaking! Take a step back in time in Cox Institute, Room 254 and see what we offered on our campus 100 years ago.

Come Home to Residence: Come enjoy a full tour of our residence in Chapman House and enter to win an exciting prize. Come plant a takeaway, from our home to yours! 

Daily Dairy Dash: Learn what it takes to keep our herd of dairy cows happy and healthy using good research techniques. Head to the farm fields and carefully navigate through our obstacle course to win a prize!

And More! You’ll come across many more exciting attractions and activities all around campus during Community Open House. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook and share your adventure with us throughout the day using #DalAgOpenHouse!