The ease of precision agriculture has given a couple agriculture instructors the opportunity to offer their students some hands-on education. Well, an article in the Emporia Gazette said both precision ag and access to the Deer Trail Implement complex located just west of Emporia made the hands-on lesson a reality.

Thirty-five K-State students trekked form Manhattan, KS to Emporia, KS to try out John Deere’s 4830 and 4930 self-propelled sprayers first-hand. Both sprayers are equipped with precision agriculture hardware and software. The 4830 Sprayer uses a GreenStar 2 monitor with precision guidance mapping and variable-rate software in it’s cab, while ag enthusiasts can find a SpreadStar Controller in the cab of the 4930 Sprayer. A SpreadStar™ Controller offers operators precision dual-product rate control from the cab. The technology can apply single or dual product or fertilizer at 20 mph with a spread pattern up to 105 feet. The Emporia Gazette article reports that the Deer Trail Implement complex was meant to foster a learning atmosphere:

When Deer Trail Implement was building its $2.3 million complex west of Emporia on U.S. Highway 50, one feature Deer Trail Manager Richard Garber was excited about was having a smart classroom.

Garber envisioned the room being used by the community and students as a place to learn about agriculture.

Last week, the classroom fulfilled that vision when 35 K-State students traveled from Manhattan to Emporia. The students were juniors and seniors enrolled in a chemical applications systems course taught by John Slocombe and precision ag technologies class taught by Dr. Randy Price.

The students spent more than an hour in the classroom learning about the latest in agriculture spray technology. They then spent time outside driving John Deere’s 4830 and 4930 agriculture sprayers.