Agricultural machinery continues to evolve and become more technologically based instead of mechanically based. This change in functionality has allowed machinery such as tractors, planters, and utility terrain vehicles to be used in ways beyond the day-to-day operation on the farm. Students studying soil sciences can operate a UTV to collect soil data over large areas in a much quicker way than by hand. Agronomy students no longer just learn about plants, rather they have the opportunity to understand all the innerworkings of a planter that improve the germination rate of a crop. Animal science students are able to gain hands on experiences with the types of machinery used in livestock production. Agricultural machinery is becoming so much more than a tractor and implement, and this trend is not going away anytime soon. As educators, we owe it to our students to teach them how to connect machinery to their careers and what better way than providing them with hands-on learning opportunities in the seat of these machines. This workshop will dive into how programs, outside of traditional agricultural systems and technology programs, can use agricultural equipment to enhance student learning of important concepts that interconnect disciplines within the agricultural industry. We will look at how tractor and planter technology can be used to teach topics in ENR, Agronomy, and Soil Sciences; how basic equipment like skid steers and tractors can be used to enhance animal sciences programs; and how utility terrain vehicles can be used to enrich teaching of soil and water management. This workshop will employ group discussions around machinery operation, provide time to operate equipment in mock lessons developed by the facilitators, and afford the opportunity for participants to develop a lesson that applies to their specific teaching environment.
1328 Dover Rd
Wooster, OH 44691
United States