Our campus facilities, with their energy and water conserving measures, are a tangible sign of the SUNY Cobleskill’s commitment to the sustainable use of natural resources.
Center for Agriculture and Natural Sciences (CANR)
The Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) provides distinctive facilities for Animal Science, Plant Science, Environmental Management, and Fisheries and Wildlife. The building incorporates many distinct features, included greenhouses, a conservatory, a USDA meat processing lab, cold and warm water fish hatcheries, and laboratories for animal science, mammalogy, herpetology, ornithology, botany, soil science, and plant pathology. CANR is a LEED-certified building and replaces many older, less efficient buildings on campus.
CANR Greenhouses
The CANR Greenhouse staff practices the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) throughout our range, including 8,500 square feet of greenhouse space. IPM programs are founded on the use of cultural control strategies, such as:
- Maintaining a high level of greenhouse compartment and plant sanitation;
- Pest scouting and record-keeping to successfully employ Biological Control Agents (BCAs);
- Use of biopesticides and disease-resistant plant stock in the elimination or reduction of pest presence and to diminish or remove the need to employ chemical pesticides.
The Plant Science greenhouse staff produces all greenhouse crops for the purpose of supporting curriculum. Students learn to grow a variety of plants as a component of most laboratory classes. We sell approximately one-third of what students and staff grow annually. The remainder is student project material that is taken home upon successful completion of course obligations. The proceeds of what we do sell offsets the high cost of purchasing equipment, materials, and plant stock for greenhouse use. All plant waste is composted on campus.
