College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences

Campus Activities

A group of four people stand together at an indoor event, smiling and laughing. A woman in a blue suit and matching hat reaches out warmly toward a man in a gray suit and hat. Two other attendees stand nearby, also smiling. A table with yellow flowers sits in the foreground, and an event banner is visible in the background.

Congresswoman Adams shares a joke with Alston Thompson, Ph.D., head of the Association of Research Directors/Ag Innovation, who wore a hat in her honor. At right is Interim Dean Radiah Minor.

N.C. A&T celebrated of 134 years of legacy and leadership as a land-grant institution while also recognizing its contributions to the present during Agriculture Awareness Weekend, an inaugural event held Oct. 24–25 in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, one of the university’s founding colleges.

Events included a student career awareness day, an alumni networking tailgate event and a farm-to-table dinner at the University Farm.

Congresswoman Alma Adams ( D-12) served as keynote speaker for the dinner, which honored the 135th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act of 1890, the landmark legislation that paved the way for establishing N.C. A&T and 18 other Historically Black Colleges and Universities. A&T, which opened in 1891, was the second institution in the nation to be established under the Second Morrill Act.

A woman in a blue suit and matching hat speaks at a clear podium on a stage. Behind her is a large screen displaying the text “From Legacy to Growth: The 133rd Second Morrill Act Anniversary Celebration.” Floral arrangements sit in front of the podium, and dark curtains frame the scene.

Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) spoke at the farm-to-table dinner celebrating the 135th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act, saying it was a privilege to return to an institution that has guided thousands of students..

“The founders of our institution understood something very powerful: That the path to freedom and self-determination runs through education,” said Adams, a two-time graduate of N.C. A&T, to a crowd of nearly 200 lawmakers, alumni, University trustees and college faculty. “When they were locked out of opportunity, they made their own doors. Through the Second Morrill Act of 1890, they ensured that African Americans in North Carolina would have a land-grant university of our own.”

Earlier in the day, students from across campus also had the opportunity to learn about the jobs that exist with some of agriculture’s top employers at Ag Career Awareness Day, held in the Deese Ballroom.

Alumni, friends and fans gathered the next day to cheer the Aggies on to a 28–24 football victory over the Campbell Camels and enjoy barbecue, fried fish and fellowship outside Truist Stadium at an Ag Day tailgate, the college’s third such event.

Read more and view the photo gallery on CAES News

Cooperative Extension to Honor Morrill Act During Small Farms Week

Small Farms Week, Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T’s annual tribute to small-scale farming, will honor the 135^thanniversary of the Second Morrill Act through the land-grant mission of outreach this year.

This year’s event marks its 40^th anniversary, and will be held March 22-28 on campus and across the state. The event, which draws more than 350 attendees each year, features hands-on demonstrations, workshops, networking events and the crowning of the 2026 Small Farmer of the Year.

For more information and registration, check our Small Farms Week web page.