It’s very difficult for Agriculture students to learn about farming by sitting in the classroom. On Sept. 2, 2014 they had the opportunity to go outside to the college farm and tour Central Valley Ag’s test plots, which are located on the Northeast Community College campus.

Central Valley Ag partners with the Northeast Community College Ag Department through internships and on-farm research projects.

There were four different sessions the students stopped at. The first stop explained Advanced Cropping Systems. CVA brought a new trailer which was packed with the newest technology that was being used for irrigation. Also, they explained soil moisture probes and how they were being used on the ground.

At the second session students learned about employment opportunities in their fields of study. The human resources staff told the students what internships were available and what was available at CVA and the cooperative system. In the third session they talked about wind field ag solutions in Monsanto, research that goes into any new hybrid, and that every new development takes eight to ten years to get into the market. They explained to the students how to make this process go as quickly as possible. The Agronomy Specialist in the last session showed the students what disease on the cob would look like and how to identify which is which. The experts explained the dangers of pest control if it were to be in contact with a person and how it helps the corn.

Ag students tend to be hands on learners so the field day was a success. “Kids just love being outside,” said Hilary Maricle Associate Dean of Agriculture, Math, and Science at Northeast.

Even though it had rained the night before and the fields were all muddy the students didn’t mind. Students need new ways to learn and this activity was just one of the many different learning styles.

Many students intern with CVA at various locations throughout Northeast Nebraska and a large number of the CVA workforce are Northeast graduates.