Making the World a Classroom

Entering through a locked door of the processing plant for Howling Cow products, a group of students walk through white foam on the floor which sanitizes their shows. This is one of many safety measures taken in the lab to ensure the milk and ice cream produced are safe to consume. Frequent cleaning procedures and constant testing are other ways the NC State Dairy Enterprise System is able to provide the Howling Cow brand to consumers.

Marne Coit‘s Agricultural Law class witnessed the way the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is ingrained in the plant’s daily procedures. They also learned about the legal aspects of the Umstead Act which stated that a publicly funded entity, like NC State’s Howling Cow brand, legally cannot compete with private brands in a retail setting. Harris Teeter was able to navigate around this law by purchasing the recipe for Howling Cow ice cream rather than purchasing the ice cream directly from NC State.

Stepping out of the classroom to see what agricultural law looks like in actuality creates a memorable experience for students.