14 CapitalPress.com
May 15, 2015
Blue Mountain Community College turns techies into aggies
Did you know that video
games and agriculture have
something in common?
Well, they do. I’m not talking
about some absurd game or real-
ity TV show either ... I’m talking
technology. The technology that
often confounds or frustrates the
older, wiser generations is help-
ing to propel agriculture into the
next level of prosperity ... and
precision.
This is why all generations of
agriculturalists are adopting dif-
ferent aspects of precision agri-
culture, not only in Oregon but
across the country.
While the most entertaining
tool in precision agriculture, the
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV,
a.k.a. drone) is attracting loads
of attention, practical applica-
tion of miniature helicopters in
agriculture is still in its infancy.
However, there are several
tools that are much more ad-
vanced, and they save money,
too.
For example, the increasing-
ly popular GPS steering sys-
tems that can be installed on
tractors, planters and combines
actually add up to big savings,
often enough to pay off the ini-
tial investment in only a few
years.
They save in: fuel, fertilizer,
pesticides and crop loss due to
missed swathes or overlap. For
those of us who are irrigators,
you can now monitor and control
your irrigation from your smart-
phone. Oh, and you can irrigate
those low spots less and those
dry spots more.
Similar technology exists
for variable rate applications
of fertilizer and seed. With all
this technology, we are bound
to experience some benefits
and savings, but we’re also
doomed to deal with technology
failures.
Failing and advancing tech-
nology is the focus of the new
precision irrigated agriculture
program at Blue Mountain Com-
munity College (BMCC). While
the older, wiser generations have
readily adopted this new tech-
nology, few graduates or current
agricultural workers have the
Blue Mountain Community College
Blue Mountain Community College ag students learn the different components of
a yield monitoring system during the precision ag short-course this spring.
Blue Mountain Community College
Blue Mountain Community College Ag students Nikoa Murchison and Amedy
Swenson help fit sprinklers on a new pivot.
skills to operate, maintain, and,
yes, repair precision ag technol-
ogy.
The demand for technical-
ly skilled laborers in our re-
gion, across the country, and
internationally is high, and
it’s projected to increase by
about 14 percent in the next 10
years.
In response, BMCC devel-
oped a new program to meet lo-
cal needs and provide the masses
of tech-savvy high school grad-
uates with some profitable and
productive career paths. Current-
ly, a two-year, associate’s de-
gree in precision ag is sufficient
to get graduates into positions
with starting salaries of about
$30,000, but with the potential
to earn over $65,000 as they gain
experience.
The new precision ag program
at BMCC offers students three
different career paths: precision
irrigation maintenance, data an-
alyst and farm management. All
three pathways provide students
with the skills to work safely and
efficiently in an agricultural set-
ting, troubleshoot new variable
rate technologies, and develop
recommendations using preci-
sion ag tools.
Students are also required
to engage with the industry
through internships and work
experience.
This new program does not
require many additional re-
sources or courses. A partner-
ship with Oregon State Uni-
versity Hermiston Agricultural
Research and Extension Center
has provided a number of new
center pivots for hands-on learn-
ing as well as land for the Pre-
cision Ag Center that is pro-
posed in the May 19 BMCC
Bond.
Local businesses and deal-
erships have also stepped up to
provide access to new equipment
for students.
The program integrates nicely
with BMCC’s current and out-
standing agriculture program,
as well as the new mechatron-
ics program, which uses similar
technology in agricultural and
industrial processing. Addition-
ally, the precision ag curriculum
is designed for both current ag
workers and traditional students,
offering many of the new courses
online and on-campus.
While the precision irrigated
ag program doesn’t start until
the fall, BMCC offered a short
course this spring that was met
with great success.
Soon-to-be graduates had the
opportunity to gain hands-on
experience and training in some
of the basic concepts and tech-
nologies used in precision ag.
Blue Mountain looks forward
to welcoming the first cohort of
precision irrigated ag students,
from all walks of life, this
fall.
If you are interested in more
information regarding enroll-
ment or financial aid opportuni-
ties for the new precision irrigat-
ed agriculture program, please
contact Alex Murphy at 541-
278-5781 or amurphy@bluecc.
edu.
Oregon State University
Facilities such as these for malting barley are part of Oregon State University’s fermentation sciences
program. They are one small example of a much larger $55 million research enterprise at the College
of Agricultural Sciences that focuses on food, health, agriculture and natural resources.
At OSU, the world is your classroom
There are no walls holding
back ag sciences students at
Oregon State University.
They are studying seals
in Antarctica, mangroves in
Honduras, and the interna-
tional wheat market.
And they are engaged in
real-world, hands-on research
here in Oregon, too, in labo-
ratories across campus and at
twelve experiment stations in
every corner of the state.
The College of Agricultur-
al Sciences at OSU is growing
fast, preparing leaders for the
21st century. Students study
food and beverage technol-
ogy, plant breeding, wildlife
science, and molecular tox-
icology, among many other
topics that are critical to feed
the world, protect the environ-
ment, and improve quality of
life.
Our students are changing
the world. Right here. Right
now.
For more information, see
http://agsci.oregonstate.edu/
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