Profile from Recent Department of Horticulture Graduate, Lucas Cox Graduated May, 2005
Current Position: General Manager of Cox Farms

My experience in the Department of Horticulture at ISU as an undergraduate student was wonderful. Being from Virginia I didn't know anyone in the university, much less in the department. From the first day of classes I felt welcomed and right at home. Not only is the staff very informative and knowledgeable, they also make a great support team. Any problem I had during my four years, I could go to Dr. Gladon, my advisor, and he would help me through it or refer me to someone who could.

Going into college I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do for a career. The department of horticulture not only reinforced my original plans, but also broadened my horizons within the horticulture world. I learned a great deal about the different elements of horticulture and methods I had not previously been exposed to. My experiences at ISU in the Department of Horticulture have greatly prepared me for my future in Horticulture.

After a summer of travel, I returned home to my family's business Cox's Farms in Centreville, Virginia. I have included photos of our huge fall festival season of 2005. Imagine a pumpkin patch mixed with a theme park, in other words, Agri-tainment. Rope swings, mountains, slides (including fairyland, miners motel, and the volcano slides), live music, free apples and cider, animals and a heck of a hay ride make it a great place to bring kids. Thousands of people come everyday including families, school field trips, birthday parties, and anyone looking for a nice fall day in the "country". It is next to impossible to describe and seeing is believing so there are pictures on our web site, www.coxfarms.com.

In the spring we have a greenhouse range of 22 greenhouses and two farm markets, one on the farm in Centreville and one in Vienna, Va, all of which are filled with beautiful bedding plants and combination pots. I will oversee the greenhouses and the production of the plants. In the summer we sell fruits and vegetables as well. During the winter season we retail Christmas trees at both of our markets. All of these seasons are documented through photo on our web site.

I would definitely recommend Iowa State's department of horticulture to anyone looking into the business. The wonderful people, the useful information and the networking possibilities make it an excellent and very useful experience.

Past Profiles