Agriculture plays a huge role in Nebraska's economy, and it is the topic of a bill in Congress getting rare bipartisan support.
The Community College Agriculture Advancement Act would create grant funding for college programs providing the training and research needed for a highly-skilled agriculture workforce. As with other industries, ag has become more reliant on technology, which often requires specialized training.
Brad Lang, ag instructor at Central Community College in Hastings, said there is plenty of need for skilled ag workers in Nebraska, especially those trained in the precision ag technologies.
"There are companies out there whose main focus is water management, so they're using moisture sensors, and they're using technologies that are related to crop production," Lang explained. "Also, co-ops have their own precision divisions, where they're soil sampling according to GPS and GIS information."
Lang pointed out drone technology is another rapidly growing area, both for growers and producers.
One in 4 jobs in Nebraska is connected to agriculture, which contributes $25 billion annually to the state's economy. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., is among the bill's bipartisan group of sponsors.
John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, said it is appropriate to increase funding for community college ag programs. He stressed the state's community college system was originally established to provide training to help people stay in rural communities. Hansen believes technology will play an even bigger role in agriculture, especially as the climate changes.
Source: publicnewsservice.org
Photo Credit: istock-ekkasit919
Categories: Nebraska, Business