Cal Poly president let ag land flourish

How callous of Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong to describe the alarm of the dairy students over proposals to repurpose prime cattle grazing sites as “conversations” that “are healthy and present yet another ‘Learn By Doing’ opportunity” (“Cal Poly dairy students rally against proposal to develop ag land,” May 15).

Those students understand it is an animal welfare issue, the preservation of “prime” ag land, sustainable practice in the recycling of wastewater and a necessary site for both research and hands-on learning.

When Armstrong asserted, “As always, we support our students advocating for their programs,” does Armstrong advocate for his role as president of Cal Poly?

If Cal Poly is currently receiving enormously generous grants toward its ag program, how dare they subject their students to any mention of a reduction of their program, rather than its preservation and expansion.

Temple Grandin wrote “Animals Make Us Human.” To even consider repurposing cattle’s prime pasture is a betrayal of animal welfare. President Armstrong had the opportunity to “learn by doing” last year when the Master Plan threatened orchards and fields in the crop science program. Clearly Armstrong hasn’t learned.

This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 8:26 PM with the headline "Cal Poly president let ag land flourish."