Ag Leader: An Advocate for Precision Ag Education
It’s been more than 30 years since precision agriculture made its debut. As a greater number of growers adopt precision farming practices, the demand for young people to enter and lead in this industry has also grown. Collaborations between Iowa State University and Ag Leader is giving students valuable exposure to technology that will set graduates apart from others competing for a career in precision agriculture.
For students seeking expertise in advanced software and artificial intelligence, precision agriculture has earned its reputation as a career worth considering. With support from Ag Leader, the Iowa State precision ag lab is equipping its College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) students with advanced skills. Incorporated into Sukup Hall in 2007, the lab has aided agricultural and biosystems engineering students in simulation practices including remote sensing, geographic information systems, and GPS automation. Engaging in these applications equips students with advanced leverage in their agricultural practices and sought-after qualities from employers.
Ag Leader’s partnership with the Iowa State University Research Park has been another beneficial asset in further developing networking and partnerships with faculty, staff, and students. The collaboration between the park and campus incentivizes students to get involved with organizations affiliated with the park. In return, company affiliates, like Ag Leader, are permitted access to both university and ISU Research Park resources.
Beyond the Classroom
Alongside Ag Leader’s support to agricultural education, it has also contributed widely to the enhancement of clubs and organizations on campus.
Nathan Wilson, a recent Iowa State graduate in agricultural engineering, is the 2024 A Team Executive Officer for the ISU Power Pullers Club. The club is a student organization, open to all majors, that gives its team members applied experience in the design of drivetrain systems, tractor performance, manufacturing processes, traction force analysis, and safety testing. Each year, the club competes in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) ¼ Scale Tractor Student Design Competition in Peoria, Illinois.
For the past four years, Ag Leader has donated electrical components for the team tractor. Creating the team tractor is a process of designing a fabricated ¼ scale tractor from the ground up, in approximately one year. The project starts with the engineering design process. Members start with an idea, model 3D design work, speck out components, build, manufacture, and perform most of the required casing machining. Once the tractor is complete, the team takes it to the annual competition.
“Our club relies heavily on sponsors to complete these tractor builds,” Wilson says. “Through these donations, we are enabling our members to strive for whatever designs come to their mind without the determent of limited financial components.”
Iowa State University Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International is a student organization comprised of five teams that compete under the SAE International Student Chapter. One of those teams is the Formula Team, which designs, builds, tests, and races a formula-style race car each year to compete at several SAE Series events. As a silver level sponsor for Formula, Ag Leader contributes up to $1,000 toward materials, service donations, and general funding.
While students gain a great deal from these experiences, Ag Leader also benefits from working with students at Iowa State.
“When a university has a computer lab with SMS and/or AgFiniti software, students get a leg up on handling data and using it to make sound farm management decisions,” Morman says. “If these students go back to the family farm as the ‘younger’ generation, they are often tasked with helping to implement precision agriculture on the farm. If they were in an Ag Leader-sponsored computer lab or a university farm where Ag Leader was present, brand recognition and familiarity with Ag Leader can often lead to a farm using Ag Leader.”
Pictured: Nathan Wilson, a recent Iowa State graduate with a degree in agricultural engineering, is the 2024 A Team Executive Officer for the University’s Power Pullers Club. The club gives members hands-on experience in the design of drivetrain systems, tractor performance, manufacturing processes, traction force analysis, and safety testing. For the past four years, Ag Leader has donated electrical components for the team tractor.
Multiple Iowa State Technology Systems Management 111 classes (TSM 111) receive Ag Leader facility tours throughout the school year. These courses are a combination of manufacturing engineering and agricultural system technology majors.
“We shamelessly plug our internship, which are part-time and full-time opportunities. It has returned many great students-turned-employees for us,” Morman says. “I know several current full-time employees who toured here years ago from an ISU group.”
Helping students become familiar with precision agriculture is a major step toward the contributions young agriculturalists will make in the near future. Some may be on global or national levels. Some may even be on a local level as they return to Ag Leader. •
ABOUT THE ISU RESEARCH PARK
Established in 1987, The Iowa State University Research Park (ISURP) is a real estate development community closely affiliated with Iowa State University. ISURP helps established and startup companies connect with Iowa State’s vast infrastructure to grow their enterprises, whether through students, research entities, equipment, or many other resources. ISURP is currently home to 93 companies and research centers and 11 affiliates, employing 2,155 and 135 people, respectively, and occupies approximately 800,000 square feet of commercial real estate on 400 acres. For more information on ISURP, call 515.296.4204 or visit isupark.org. •