The agriculture division at Connors State College consists of General Agriculture, Equine Science and Horticulture facilities.
CSC Shooting Range
The Connors State College Shotgun Shooting Team has a new, state of the art facility for the Shotgun Shooting Sports Team. The skeet-trap combination range is located approximately 5 miles south of town on the Gary Harding Research Station. The team has year-round access to the facility resulting in tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition spent yearly. The fully concrete shooting stations and side-walk, allow shooting in nearly all of the weather conditions Oklahoma has to offer.
The Horticulture facilities
Our Horticulture facilities installed and/or renovated beginning in 2002. Currently the horticulture complex consists of two teaching greenhouses and a main building for potting, storage, and classroom laboratory activities. There are four large cold frames and a shade plant growing area outside the greenhouses. The main building contains a classroom, lab facilities, walk in cooler (for bulbs, cut flowers and cooled crops), and office and storage space. Multimedia and internet access are available in the lab classroom. A handicapped accessible restroom is also in the main building. Greenhouse #1 is an even span house and was retrofitted with polycarbonate panels, automated shade cloth, mist bench, Kool Cel, ventilation and heat. Galvanized, expanded metal benches are available for growing student crops and seasonal plants. Greenhouse #2 is a raised sidewall greenhouse. It is used for tropical plant production, plant identification, and propagation and student projects.
The CSC Equine/Rodeo facilities
Our Equine/Rodeo facilities include an indoor arena, outdoor arena, two stall barns, rodeo horse paddock facilities, 5 round pens, numerous turn out and holding pens, and an office and classroom teaching facility. The 100 X 250 indoor arena is a key part of the facilities and is used for equine training classes, rodeo practice, and several special events sponsored by the division of agriculture. Recent and continuing upgrades to the indoor arena will aid in the continued success of the equine and rodeo programs. The 150 X 300 outdoor arena is surrounded by five round pens from 40 to 100, numerous holding and turn-out pens, and is linked to the pastures that hold rodeo practice cattle. The CSC Rodeo horse housing facilities can house over 60 rodeo team horses, and are set up in 12X 48 partially covered runs. In addition, an 18 stall barn is available for agriculture student stall lease, and overflow for the equine and rodeo programs. The equine program stall barn consists of 22 stalls, tack room, feed room, hay loft, and office and storage rooms. The Equine and Rodeo office and classroom building is located just to the southeast of the indoor arena, and contains offices for the equine instructors and rodeo coaches, a multimedia classroom and meeting space, bathrooms, and storage areas.
The Connors Bull Test
The Connors Bull Test is the second oldest running test in the nation. It was established in 1962 and has been running ever since. Connors performance tests bulls on a 112 day time period to measure average daily gain and weight per day of age. The station feeds approximately 200 bulls per year with a post-test sale every December and April. The bull sale facility has been recently renovated and updated with a classroom, concession area, and wireless internet. The enclosed, heated barn also includes bleachers, announcers stand and sale ring. The new feeding facility has eight testing pens (40 ft X 540 ft), alleys, holding pens, loading facilities, a covered working area and automatic watering system. The facility can accommodate up to 100 bulls on test each semester.
The on campus farm
Our farm consists of a swine barn with farrowing facilities and a sheep lot and barn for lambing. There are several runs and paddocks that house CSCs show cattle, Herd bulls, and cowherd. The campus farm includes 350 acres of fenced pastures and that house cattle during development and A.I. and embryo work. The CSC cowherd consists of registered Angus, Simmental and Santa Gertrudis cattle. All of these animal enterprises are incorporated into classwork and labs as much as possible.
Harding Ranch and Research Farm
CSC is unique among two-year schools in Oklahoma, in that the college owns a 1,300 acre tract of land, the Harding Ranch and Research Station, which includes 725 acres of hardwood timber, 550 acres of native and introduced grasslands and 25 acres of wetlands and lakes. . The grasslands are utilized for hay production and maintaining the schools 175 head cowherd.