The Continuing Education department at Three Rivers College is ready to start their Tractor Operation and Guidance classes in New Madrid on Saturdays, Nov. 7 - 21 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
According to TRC Project Director Michael Barrett, the first course offered will be at no charge; however, after that initial class, the fee will be $150 per course. "We normally charge a fee because these are Continuing Education classes," said Barrett. "But, since this is the first class, we are offering it at no charge."
He said that the idea behind the course, is to teach students how to do what they should do while working on a farm. "For example, the first thing you should do before getting on a rig is to safely inspect it," said Barrett. "Make sure that it can safely hit the field without any damage to the tractor or to the operator." He said that the student will learn how to safely inspect the tractor, how to check all fluids, how to check all components on it that are important and need constant attention; then they will learn all of the components in the cab. "They will learn all of the components on the guidance system."
The tractor is a CASE IH Magnum 240 with the advanced farm system in it that includes the GIS (geographic information system) and GPS (global positioning system), heat and air. The tractor is also equipped with the CVT (continuously variable transmission) transmission, and according to Barrett, the tractor could practically drive itself. "To change gears, it's like a joy stick, you just push the buttons to change the gears," said Barrett. "It is a super nice rig."
Barrett added that students will learn all of the components, how to operate the tractor, how to hook up equipment, and how to set up the guidance in it. They will also learn how to go down the row without wasting fuel by overlapping too much, as well as learn how to map out a field.
"The course will run three Saturdays in a row, starting Nov. 7," said Barrett. "That will make it the Nov. 7, 14 and 21, and all 8 hour days. Our instructor will meet with all of the students." Barrett said that he still has to talk with the New Madrid Tech Center, but TRC does have a contract with NMTC to use their classroom and shop. "We will have classroom training for a while, and then we will move to the farm," he said. "We have forty-six acres of land in New Madrid, which is the reason we took the program there." He said it is a couple of miles from the high school, and since the course is brand new, it is a precursor to the Precision Agriculture (PA) college class, but it is not a college credit course. "Those who sign up for this class will definitely be encouraged to enroll in the PA program," Barrett said. "Through the last two years, everything that I have learned about precision agriculture amazes me because of the opportunities that are available out there, such as crop inspection, surveying, farm managing and operator."
According to Barrett, anyone who takes the 24 hour contact class, should be able to take the certificate to any farmer and show that they are familiar with the newer tractors and can operate them. "The entire purpose of the course is to get quickly get people involved and make them employable," said Barrett. "The equipment has been loaned to us, and we have leased the land from the Missouri Delta Medical Foundation out of Sikeston."
Barrett said that the land is large enough to plant quite a bit, and he has partnered with some seed companies as well as some fertilizer and chemical companies in the area. "We will be able to till, plant, do research, and experiment," said Barrett. "It should be a great program." Barrett said that if they have enough participants for the course, they could very well offer it several times before the end of December.
For the Spring Semester, TRC will be offering two new courses, one in Intro to Precision Agriculture and the other in Data Collection in Agriculture. "We hope to do all of the lab work in New Madrid," said Barrett, "but as much is as possible, we will do classes through ITV." He said that many of the TRC campuses are already equipped with ITV rooms, so for those student who have limited transportation, the ITV classes would be more convenient.
For more information on the Tractor Operation and Guidance classes or any other Continuing Education classes offered by TRC visit trcc.edu/continuing. To register for this course, contact Amber Spears at 573-840-9619 or email her at aspears@trcc.edu.