About Hokie Harvest

Undergraduate students, both 4-year and 2-year, in the Livestock Merchandising class manage the annual Hokie Harvest Sale. This event allows students to gain experiential learning experiences in organizing and conducting a livestock sale of university-owned beef cattle and horses.  Animal handling skills and sale management exercises are performed with both livestock species. Since the first sale in 1995, a total of 2,017 students have gained valuable merchandising experience working on all facets of the sale. Students in the Livestock Merchandising class hear from guest lecturers from the equine and cattle industries and get insight on their professional knowledge of merchandising and marketing, catalog production, presentation of sale animals, and the organization of auctions. Students must serve on one of the committees that are devoted to a specific aspect of the sale such as registration, advertising, catalog and social media, clerking, livestock photography, animal display, food and beverage, decorations, or sale ring.  

Proceeds from the sale are re-invested in various programs within the School of Animal Sciences.  Over $4.2M has been generated from Hokie Harvest Sales in the 30-year history of this undergraduate course.