Ivy Tech teaches precision agriculture

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO) — Ivy Tech Community College is changing the way students farm with precision agriculture.

The precision ag program is just over two years old and is not offered anywhere else in Indiana.

Student Trent Broermann is a fifth-generation farmer from Ohio who hopes to use his precision ag skills to improve his family farm.

“It’s more of a way of life, and that’s all I really want to do with the rest of my life, just go home and farm,” he said. 

According to the program chair, Darin Kohlmeyer, precision ag has been around for about 20 years. The program at Ivy Tech is hands on and is constantly changing with advances in technology.

“We focus a lot of things on the different types of technology. GPS, GIS,” Kohlmeyer said. “We’re working with some precision placement equipment to maximize the placement of seed.” 

GPS-based applications aid in field mapping, soil sampling and crop scouting.

Student Cody Sanders said his family farm has recently applied precision ag to its equipment and the advances have made a significant difference.

“Helps decide with financial decisions: what to plant, when to plant it,” Sanders said. “Where we’re going to make the highest yields at.”

The program takes only two years, and Kohlmeyer urges students to register.

So far, the 15 graduates of the program have jobs in the precision ag industry, meaning the demand for experience is high and so is the job security.

“I’ve talked to a lot of industry partners. They come in here they look at the facility. They love what we’re doing because there’s such a huge demand,” Kohlmeyer said.