Proposal

Primary Goals and Focus of the USU Bastian Agricultural Center

The primary goals and focus of the USU Bastian Agricultural Center will be to:

• Provide agricultural education and experiences to an increasingly urban population
• Promote youth education through the only youth 4-H center in Utah
• Deliver community-based adult education
• Provide research-based information to local government, community organizers, constituents and corporate leaders
• Share the most recent agricultural knowledge, technologies, and manufacturing methods
• Further research and development to discover better products and processes

Pre-concept Planned Components of the Bastian Agricultural Center

The Bastian Agricultural Center will include four (4) major areas comprised of the following
facilities and spaces:

1. Natural Resource Area

• Create trails as a community resource
• Develop a lake for recreation and programming
  • Activity Island
  • Eco Island
  • Beach
  • Docks
• Develop an amphitheater area for community and educational programming
• Create spaces for water education
• Develop landscaping including native plants for educational efforts

2. Educational Area

• Develop a state-of-the-art STEM center
• Develop facilities for plant and animal science education
• Provide space for research crops
• Develop educational garden plots
• Provide facilities for 4-H horse programs
• Provide facilities for 4-H livestock programs
• Develop agritourism events and exhibits

3. Equestrian Activities (Existing Facilities)

• Continue current equine events
• Draw additional events, both equine and nonequine, to the facility
• Continued and broadened opportunities for non-equine events
• Updates to equine arenas and facilities to draw more professional equine focused events
• Prioritized 4-H/community equine ride times

4. Pasture Area

• Providing a safe space and best practices demonstration for equine and livestock

Benefits to Salt Lake County:

• Increase usership by the local community in facilities and opportunities at the site
• Increase in educational programming and opportunities designed to improve the lives of Salt Lake County residents
• Increase recreational opportunities for residents in an urban area
• A continuation of the majority of programming and events currently happening at the Salt Lake County Equestrian Park and Event Center
• A commitment to continue to work with and serve the equestrian community in Salt Lake County while broadening the reach of the facilities to serve additional
  residents
• A commitment from Utah State University and the Bastian Family Foundation to support the facility long term
• Partnership in and a reduced timeline for the development of a multimillion-dollar facility and resource in Salt Lake County
• A commitment to protect portions of the Equestrian Park
  and Event Center as open space