Purdue Ag Week a success both virtually and in-person

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Although this year’s Ag Week at Purdue University was different than in the past, students still engaged in-person with daily events on Memorial Mall, as well as connected virtually on social media platforms.

Ag Week, which celebrated its 10th anniversary during the week of April 12-16, is a weeklong event where students highlight the giant leaps within the agriculture industry and Purdue’s College of Agriculture.

The Purdue Ag Week Task Force, a team of 19 students, worked to ensure that Ag Week could take place this year — with extra safety and health precautions.

Bennett Walther, the Purdue Ag Week Task Force president, said this year’s event was done half on campus and half virtually utilizing Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify and YouTube.

Walther said planning for the event usually starts around August and continues until the celebration takes place in April.

Each day, College of Agriculture student organizations set up in booths on Memorial Mall. The Ag Week Task Force had a booth to distribute free promotional items.

During the “Burger Bash,” 1,000 free hamburgers were pre-packed and handed out safely to educate Purdue students on what makes up a burger.

On “Fry-Day,” in place of handing out free french fries, potato chips were distributed this year.

“We gave out 1,500 free T-shirts and 1,250 bags of potato chips,” Walther said.