P RO G R A M S P OT L I G HT
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Program Spotlight:
Agriculture
In spring 2012, Ridgewater administration gave faculty in the Agriculture department the thumbs-up to proceed with a plan to farm 61 acres of college-owned land adjacent to the Willmar campus. The intent of the Ag instructors was to provide real-world, hands-on experience with all aspects of crop farming to students enrolled in the various agriculture programs. Because the idea wasn’t able to be fully implemented until late in spring, students weren’t able to be overly active in the planting processes. However, students in the Planters and Spring Tillage class were able to do some spring tillage with equipment donated for use by Arnold’s Equipment of Willmar. Students in summer Crop Scouting lab were also able to scout the fields and make weed control recommendations for the corn and soybeans that had been planted. Early this fall, students in the Forage Harvesting and Equipment class were able to bale some forage off of the oats ground. Students in Fall Tillage and Combines class were able to actually operate the combine while harvesting. Haug Implement helped combine the soybeans, and they also demonstrated John Deere’s “machine synch” technology at the same time. This advanced technology enables the combine to actually take over the driving control. All things considered, Ridgewater’s Living Laboratory’s first fall harvest went smoothly, mainly because there were no rain events to slow progress. That same dry weather did cause some challenges to crop growth and health over the course of the summer, however.
Overall, the first year of the Living Laboratory initiative has been a huge success. Local businesses have provided tremendous support, including donations of input products and equipment that have been instrumental in getting the project going. Ridgewater Agriculture students have ultimately benefited from the additional hands-on experiences and the “teachable moments” offered by actually participating in the processes involved in raising a crop. The program will continue to grow and evolve next year, beginning with some new trials that students have decided on. Instructors will also be examining ways to build the opportunities the Living Laboratory provides into the curriculum of more and more classes, ultimately touching as many students as possible, helping them become the agriculture industry leaders of tomorrow.