Ag Student Finds an Ideal Fit With BVU

Maggie's formative years were spent raising cattle. She’s now excited to dive even more deeply into the trade at Buena Vista University, learning all she can about the science behind breeding, growth, and production. 

A new ag program featuring one-on-one attention from professors appealed to Maggie Albert as she considered college choices.

Buena Vista University had, in a sense, just planted seeds for its new Agricultural Institute, the result of a strategic plan adopted by the University.

“BVU’s ag program was just getting started and I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to grow my education in agriculture,” says Albert, a 2019 graduate of Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School.

“Having the Ag Experiment Station gives us the chance to get hands-on experience for what we’re learning about in class. At BVU, you get more than a lecture.”

Maggie Albert

Albert, now a sophomore majoring in animal science, serves as vice president of BVU’s new Ag Club. She’s also a member of BVU’s new Livestock Show Team. She plans to travel to the World Beef Expo to assist BVU junior Nicole Lange as she competes. 

“I’ve showed beef at county fairs, but not any of the big shows,” says Albert. “I want to see what that experience is like.”

Albert also enjoyed the opportunity to work at the BVU Ag Experiment Station, a diversified grain and livestock operation owned and operated by Dana and Mike Christen, who serves as unit manager for BVU’s Ag Experiment Station.

“I helped Mike prepare their calves for the club calf sale in September,” says Albert, who also tends to a herd of her beef cattle on a family friend’s pasture at nearby Cherokee. “Having the Ag Experiment Station gives us the chance to get hands-on experience for what we’re learning about in class. At BVU, you get more than a lecture.”

Albert’s formative years were spent raising cattle, breeding cattle, selling cattle, and butchering cattle. She’s now excited to dive even more deeply into the trade, learning all she can about the science behind the breeding, growth, and production. 

“My favorite class is animal science,” she says. “And I like the fact that whenever I have a question, the professor, all my professors, know who I am and take the time to help me find the answer. I know I’m learning a lot.”

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