Statewide, Iowa – Iowa State University will begin offering the state’s first four-year degree in digital and precision agriculture this coming fall.
ISU associate provost Ann Marie Van Der Zanden presented the program during the recent Board of Regents meeting, and says it will train students in technology and data analysis.
Van Der Zanden says precision ag has come a long way.
Van De rZanden says surveys and discussions with ag equipment manufacturers shows a need for more people who understand the methods. And she says ISU students are anxious to get involved.
Van Der Zanden says their projections show the program will take off quickly.
Several Iowa community colleges offer an associate degree or certificate in precision agriculture, and Van Der Zanden says ISU will work with these colleges to develop articulation agreements.
Information shows South Dakota State University is the only one in the Midwest that offers a major in precision agriculture, but it does not require the level of specialization that the ISU degree will require.
KIWA Staff Photo
