When reading the paper Wednesday, I came across an article that was a little disheartening. As a member and former president of the Agricultural Systems Technology Club I felt that I needed to set a few things straight about the agricultural equipment display on the lawn of Davidson Hall and what it means to VEISHEA.

The VEISHEA equipment display has been a longstanding tradition of the Agricultural Systems Technology Club and we take pride in putting the latest and greatest in agricultural technology on display for the students of Iowa State and the Ames community. It is by no means a “temporary showroom” for the equipment manufactures.

The equipment is on loan from local dealerships and is not intended to be any type of advertising. If the companies were trying to advertise why would they allow their biggest competitors to be on display right next to them? Who would they be advertising to, there aren’t many college students that can afford a $300,000 tractor or combine.

The club puts the equipment on display strictly as an educational opportunity for those that do not get the chance to see farm equipment on a daily basis. We rotate through different brands of equipment each year so as to not play favorites, and try to have a variety of different ones on display at the same time so people can see the differences between them.

The building they are displayed in front of is Davidson Hall. It is home to the Agricultural Systems Technology Program as well as the Agricultural Engineering Program. In these programs we are focused on machinery design and technology development. So it just makes sense that the technology we learn about and work to create would be on display in front of our building for VEISHEA.

As for “coming together and honoring the humble beginnings of Iowa State University” I think we are doing just that. When it was established in 1858 the school was originally called the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm. In 1898 the name was changed to the Iowa College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts. Finally in 1959 the name was officially changed to Iowa State University of Science and Technology. I can’t think of any better way to honor a school that has from the beginning been focused on agriculture and technology, than by displaying the most technologically advanced machinery on the market today.

Is Iowa State solely focused on agriculture and technology? No, the school is very diverse and has made advancements in many areas other than agriculture. But agriculture was the reason for starting Iowa State in the first place and has always been at the core of it.

The equipment display is much more than just a “temporary showroom,” it is a learning opportunity for those who are not actively involved with agriculture. The machines on display this year are some of the most technologically advanced equipment on the market and are a testament to how far we have come and where we are headed in the future. The equipment display has been a long standing tradition of the Agricultural Systems Technology Club and will continue to be for many years to come.

It’s our way of putting the A in VEISHEA.