Student Logen Pugh receives a mounted miniature tractor as part of the Western Tractor Honorary AgPro Award.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Prairie Rose Public Schools celebrated the end of its AgPro CTF semester with a tech showcase Thursday, highlighting what may lay in store for students with a passion for agriculture.
“This was our first ever ag pro machinery and technology showcase as a celebration at the end of our career and technology foundations, also called CTF option, that we run out of Irvine School,” said director of agriculture education Nichole Neubauer.
The program partners with Western Tractor to provide six weeks of hands-on learning in various areas associated with the business, from sales to parts and service.
The celebration highlighted upcoming technology in the field, including the incoming potential of self-driving tractors. This serves as a way to help keep students engaged and excited for what the agricultural field may look like by the time they’re entering the workforce, said Neubauer.
Students led the crowd through a round of trivia and had an opportunity to ask industry professionals questions about the technology surrounding the agriculture industry. AgPro student Logen Pugh was also awarded the Western Tractor Honorary AgPro award for his efforts throughout the semester.
“We’re hoping that this just opens their minds up to some exciting possibilities. They don’t have to commit at this stage at all. They just have to think about it,” said Neubauer. “So we’re just planting seeds and cultivating some knowledge in a way that is exciting, fresh and new for students.”
Western Tractor president Leighton Storsley also expressed his enthusiasm to be able to partner with PRPS to make these opportunities possible for the students.
“I think they are really supporting the future of agriculture in southern Alberta, and I’d love to see more of these schools in other counties,” said Storsley. “One of the biggest factors in agriculture right now is people leave the family farm and don’t have a reason to stay in the small communities. This gives people a reason to stay.”
