Progress 08/15/13 to 08/14/17

Outputs
Target Audience:The goal of this grant was to reach out to high school students to enrich their knowledge of precision agriculture and its associated careers. This has been expanded to reach a broader audience and activities include high school visits, elementary and middle schools career exploration events, county 4-H fairs, and Kokomo First Friday events. There have been high school visits with the PAML and module labs. The PAML has been to less than high school visits and career exploration events with younger students, such as the Wabash county career exploration fair. The PAML has been to the Kokomo First Friday event where it was displaying Precision Agriculture careers and information to event participants of all ages. The PAML has been to several county 4-H fairs where it was displaying Precision Agriculture careers and information to event participants of all ages. Changes/Problems:Ivy Tech's President, Thomas Snyder, started a regional restructure project which consisted of the combining of some regions including the Kokomo region in the fall of 2014. The President announced his retirement from the college in the late summer of 2015. At this point Ivy Tech started a nation wide search and hired a new President in the summer of 2016 at which time the restructure attempt was put on hold until a new-restructuring effort could begin. At the time that this grant ended the Kokomo region was looking for new upper leadership along with upper leadership changes at most all other Ivy Tech regions. The number of regions originally decreased from 14 to 9 and now is increasing to 19 with the separation of regions ongoing until the summer of 2018. The purpose of the Agriculture Education Mobile Lab was to solidify a connection between agricultural industry and classroom education, both at the regions' secondary level and post-secondary level at the Kokomo Ivy Tech Campus. The grant writer and Project Director, Jennifer Vandeburg, left the college in the early fall of 2015. A new Project Director was appointed in the fall of 2015. The original Project Manager was planned to be a specific person, however, she left the college shortly before the grant started. The position of Project Manager was unable to be filled until January of 2016 due to a lack of available candidates that held the skills needed to develop the curriculum and lab content. The timeline for the grant was established by the original Project Director and Project Manager but the first two years of the grant saw very little accomplished. The bulk of the work was to be completed and developed during the first one to two years and never happened. Effective January 5, 2016 newly hired Agriculture Program Chair, Lisa Paxton became Project Manager and began the needed development work for the grant. This set of events created a requirement for a one year extension of the grant. The major partner for the grant, The Daugherty Companies, Inc., was supportive and helpful at the beginning of the grant period. During this timeframe very little was being accomplished with the grant. With the new Project Manager the work began to accelerate rapidly however two things created issues. First issue is The Daugherty Companies, Inc. changed ownership and the new owners were not supportive of the partnership with the grant. This created the loss of much of the faculty professional development opportunities that were to happen within the grant. Some training was completed and was determined to be extremely valuable but not to the full extent of the original proposal. The training that was to be paid for by The Daugherty Companies, Inc. to send a faculty member to Trimble in Denver Colorado was not supported by the new owners and was not able to be accomplished. The second issue that occurred is that the original handheld GPS units by Trimble became obsolete. The hand held devices are Windows XP based units and were being updated annually along with the subscription service to allow them to operate and students to interact with them. The Windows XP platform is now unsupported and Windows 10 is the current platform. The old software is not compatible and the hand held device technology has been replace by tablet based Apps. The late change with technology caused the Project Manager to suspend any further expenses or training associated with the obsolete technology. A change that was made during the development of the PAML was to increase the age range of prospective students. The original idea was to reach out and interact with high school students only, it quickly became apparent that reaching down into the k-8 range was very beneficial. Some of the activities so far have been with the younger students and they have received the PAML very well. There were two additional activities developed to hold the attention of the younger students and a video was developed that showed different farming activities. These activities are not self-directed learning labs but interactive instructor led activities designed to last 10-15 minutes for groups of 8-12 students at a time. ?Overall the goals have been met and the activities are ongoing. The total financial goal was underspent partly due to technology changes and partly due to the late start of the PM. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Kokomo faculty have received training on the Precision Agriculture equipment the college has purchased by personnel from The Daugherty Companies, Inc. Additional training for adjuncts and faculty has occurred in 2016 and 2017 as the PAML labs and academic curriculum were being developed around the equipment. Additional training dates happened in fall of 2017 and additional training dates are being planned so that additional faculty can be fully trained on all the new equipment and labs. These additional training dates will fall outside of the grant window but the plan is to continue the PAML and Precision Agriculture activities thus requiring ongoing training and professional development activities. The summer of 2017 had 3 additional modules developed so the training for them has not happened but is expected to happen in October/ November of 2017 and additional dates in spring/ summer of 2018. Six adjunct faculty and 1 full time faculty have incorporated their industry expertise in the academic objectives for their course work. The faculty have worked together to develop their own professional development for Ivy Tech Kokomo as they are engaged in production agriculture. The faculty have worked together to help teach and train each other on the equipment, PAML, PAUV, and module lessons. This has been a great collaboration effort by all involved. There have been five high school instructors trained on the use of the PAML as of August 2017 with an additional 12-15 instructors expected to be trained by the end of spring 2018, outside of the grant range but training wand usage will continue beyond the grant period. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The goal of this grant was to reach out to high school students to enrich their knowledge of precision agriculture and its associated careers. This has been accomplished by high school visits, elementary and middle schools career exploration events, county 4-H fairs, and Kokomo First Friday events. Additional plans for the grant called for the sharing of the PAML and its resources with the other agriculture programs within the Ivy Tech system across the state. This has not happened and is not currently planned to happen. Ivy Tech's President, Thomas Snyder, started a regional restructure project which consisted of the combining of some regions including the Kokomo region in the fall of 2014. The President announced his retirement from the college in the late summer of 2015. At this point Ivy Tech hired a new President in the summer of 2016 at which time a new-restructuring effort began. At the time that this grant ended the Kokomo region was looking for new upper leadership along with upper leadership changes at most all other Ivy Tech regions. The number of regions originally decreased from 14 to 9 and now is increasing to 19 and a separation of regions will be ongoing until the summer of 2018. With the restructuring it is a difficult time-period to attempt the sharing and cross-training of the PAML. In the future when the restructure is complete and regions have been reorganized this can be re-visited. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This is the final reporting of this grant however additional school visits and training will continue to happen as the PAML was designed to last and be used in a productive way for many years.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? GOAL 1:This goal has been met but is continually being enhanced. ITCC faculty continue to incorporate new tools as they become available. The courses being offered have been enhanced as per the original goal however the courses continue to be additionally enhanced with the continued addition of new content as it is developed and technologies evolve. The following courses have been developed locally so they can now be offered; AGRI 220 Applied Agronomy and AGRI 222 Agriculture Applications of Geographic Information Systems. These courses were unable to be offered due to curriculum not being developed and equipment not being accessible to meet the objectives. The Precision Agriculture Utility Vehicle (PAUV) purchased by the college now allows for the incorporation GPS, auto steer, RTK remote sensing apparatus, crop (color) sensing technology, and wireless camera activities for AGRI 222. The equipment and labs developed for the PAML allow for the AGRI 220 class to meet the objectives as stated. Both courses are now able to be run at the Kokomo campus and are part of the elective lists for degree seeking students. Agriculture Adjunct teachers collaborated to utilize the handheld Trimble units in their lessons. The Project Manager initiated the purchase of 3 drone units to be utilized in AGRI 100, 101, 111, 117, 200, 217 and 219 for scouting purposes and to document agronomic principles that apply to the industry standards for records pertaining to Indiana Department of Environmental Management guidelines. Instructors utilize the somewhat limited components of the handheld Trimble in current lesson plans. The advancements of technology has drastically changed from the onset of the grant. These teachers are utilizing smart phone apps that are readily updated for industry standards. The following courses have been re-developed locally; AGRI 101 Precision Farming Technology and AGRI 200 Agriculture Data Management. These courses have content added to them to incorporate the precision agriculture instructional technologies that are available with the purchase of advanced systems and equipment purchased. Activities with the Precision Agriculture Utility Vehicle (PAUV) incorporate GPS, auto steer, RTK remote sensing apparatus, crop (color) sensing technology, and wireless camera. These courses are statewide courses but the Kokomo campus is able to include this enhanced technology to fulfill the objectives and create a robust experience for the students. The following courses have been enhanced locally to take advantage of new equipment and technologies available with the PAML; AGRI 111 Introduction to Crop Production, AGRI 117 Soil Science, AGRI 217 Soil Fertility, AGRI 219 Crop Machinery and Equipment, and AGRI 223 Plant Pest ID and Control. These courses use labs and test equipment from the PAML to enhance the student experience and expose the students to the depth and breadth of precision farming technology. GOAL 2: Goal has been met. Kokomo faculty have received training on the Precision Agriculture equipment the college has purchased by personnel from The Daugherty Companies, Inc. Additional training for adjuncts and faculty has occurred in 2016 and 2017 as the PAML labs and academic curriculum were being developed around the equipment. Additional training dates happened in fall of 2017 and additional training dates are being planned so that additional faculty can be fully trained on all the new equipment and labs. These additional training dates will fall outside of the grant window but the plan is to continue the PAML and Precision Agriculture activities thus requiring ongoing training and professional development activities. The summer of 2017 had 3 additional modules developed so the training for them has not happened but is expected to happen in October/ November of 2017 and additional dates in spring/ summer of 2018. Six adjunct faculty and 1 full time faculty have incorporated their industry expertise in the academic objectives for their course work. The faculty have worked together to develop their own professional development for Ivy Tech Kokomo as they are engaged in production agriculture. The faculty have worked together to help teach and train each other on the equipment, PAML, PAUV, and module lessons. This has been a great collaboration effort by all involved. There have been five high school instructors trained on the use of the PAML as of August 2017 with an additional 12-15 instructors expected to be trained by the end of spring 2018, outside of the grant range but training wand usage will continue beyond the grant period. GOAL 3:Goal has been met. We have a 30-foot enclosed trailer, built to our specific project specifications for transporting the Precision Agriculture Utility Vehicle (PAUV) and all the instructional equipment and supplies. The trailer has had the vinyl installed. The PAUV has had additional equipment installed on it and updates done to the previously installed equipment. The PAUV was acquired and fitted with some chemical application equipment. Hand held Trimble units were purchased which were state of the art equipment at that time. As technology rapidly advances, the updates have not been an effect use of the resources. Laboratory equipment and supplies have been stocked in the PAML to strategically match the module lessons that were developed in the summer of 2016. The process is ongoing, as 10 lesson were originally planned but a total of 13 lessons have now been completed, the three additional lessons were completed in summer 2017. GOAL 4:Goal has been met. The curriculum included with the PAML module lesson plans, in addition to technology skills, will include information about careers that incorporate the use of these targeted technologies. The PAML and curriculum has been used at high schools for training. The PAML was also used at community events in Wabash for elementary/middle school students and Kokomo for adult exposure to Precision Agriculture careers. The PAML has also been to county 4-H fairs to help drive exposure for the Precision Agriculture industry. The module labs have also been tested and are being used in the Ivy Tech college academic courses to supplement and enhance the college student educational experience. The scope of exposure for the PAML has been 716 non-students (ages range from 6-18 from elementary to high school) and 49 Undergraduate students. These students and non-students were exposed to careers in agriculture and precision agriculture by having contact with the Ivy Tech Community College USDA SPECA grant "Precision Agriculture Mobile Lab". Recruitment materials were provided during the contact with these groups, resulting in additional face-to-face advising sessions for incoming undergraduate students. There were sessions at the county 4-H fairs that had high volumes of traffic which made counting exposure impossible. People that filled out information cards were tracked but the walk-by exposure was untracked and high. Five students have been actively engaged in agronomic internships relating to the fields adjacent to precision agriculture including: chemical/fertilizer applicator services, row crop seed production, soil testing services, maintenance on sprayer applicator equipment and drone services capturing row crop traits. There has been an increase in Ivy Tech Kokomo graduates who have taken at least two precision agriculture related course, from zero in fall 2012 to 16 by spring 2016.

Publications

Progress 08/15/15 to 08/14/16

Outputs
Target Audience:This project targets specfic courses for the incorporation of curriculum of Precision Agriculture. Among the target classes a total of 37 (duplicated) students were reached in six different courses including; Introduction to Data management (8) Soil Science (5) Soil Fertility (6) Precision Farming Technologies (8) Plant Pest and ID Control (6) Crop Machinery and Equipment (8) Changes/Problems:There have been major changes in leadership of this grant in the past year. The PD was replaced and a PM was hired. There was very slow action on this grant under the original PD but in the last several months under the new PD and with the PM on board, work has greatly increased and finished outcomes have been seen. The PM has worked tirelessly to create and develop the curriculum labs for this project which has been the major holdup to this point. With the labs developed the PAML will now be equipped and finished and will start visiting the local high schools. There are two people interested in being technical advisors and assistants to support the transportation, professional development, and interactions with the high school teachers and students. Final arrangements will occur this fall to launch the PAML to the schools. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?There are training sessions scheduled over the next few months that will allow the PM and some of the adjunct instructors to become better versed on the operation of the UTV, its equipment, hand held computers, and software. It is expected to have three to four training sessions at the campus and also at other locations. The other locations are expected to be at the software developer's location and at the hardware installer's location How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The PAML will be fully equipped and functional and will start making site visits to local high schools. The labs are developed and ready for the high school students as well as the college students in the current classes. ITCC Kokomo will hire hourly technical assistant(s) to help train the high school instructors, help promote Precision Agriculture to students and the general public, and assist with the transportation of the PAML as it makes visits to the local high schools. Additional training sessions will occur for the PM, technical assistant(s), adjuncts, and high school teachers so everyone will understand how to operate the equipment and will be able to fully execute the lab activities for the students.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The original Project Director (PD) had continued to seek a qualified individual to fulfill the role of Project Manager (PM). A candidate was hired, but was unable to fulfill the time commitment needed for the project. The PD had completed some tasks originally assigned to the PM role, such as specifying and arranging for purchase of the trailer to house the Precision Agriculture Mobile Lab (PAML). The original PD has since left the College (Fall 2015) and a new PD, Mike Erny, has been assigned and is moving forward on the grant project. Lisa Paxton has stepped into the role of the PM and has completed all ten of the curriculum lesson plans, or labs, for the PAML. Ivy Tech students performed all of the lab activities on a trial basis this summer and a few minor changes were made to make the labs run smoother. GOAL 1: College Level instruction in precision agriculture and crop production management: This goal has been met but is continually being enhanced. ITCC faculty continue to incorporate new tools as they become available. The new adjunct helping with Precision Agriculture Technologies is also the leader of the precision agriculture team at a prominent seed company and has been incorporating tools from that company in the classroom so that other instructors can use and benefit from them. The courses being offered have been enhanced as per the original goal and this goal has been met however the courses continue to be additionally enhanced with the continued addition of new content as it is developed. Six courses were offered this year with 37 students attending, this is on top of the previous two years activities. GOAL 2: Ivy Tech Kokomo faculty training Training has occurred in June and July as the labs were being developed around the equipment. Additional training dates are being planned so that additional faculty can be fully trained on all the new equipment and labs. These dates are being scheduled in August/ September with additional dates coming in November/ December. GOAL 3: Ability to take instruction & technology to high school students We have a 30-foot enclosed trailer, built to our specific project specifications for transporting the UTV and all the instructional equipment and supplies. The trailer has had the vinyl installed. The UTV has had additional equipment installed on it and updates done to the previously installed equipment. Acquisition of the equipment and supplies for the PAML is progressing. A new list of items is being developed as well as pricing to support the learning lab modules that have been developed. The additional equipment is expected to be ordered in August/ September. This equipment will be for the direct support of the learning labs that have been developed. It is planned that the PAML will be ready to start high school visits in September 2016. There are 10 labs that are available for the high school teachers to use. This first round of visits in September and October will be for field testing the newly developed labs and will continue through the fall of 2016. Updates and enhancements to the labs will occur in the spring and summer of 2017. GOAL 4: Ability to educate high school and college students about career opportunities The curriculum included with the PAML, in addition to technology skills, will include information about careers that incorporate the use of these targeted technologies.

Publications

Progress 08/15/14 to 08/14/15

Outputs
Target Audience:This project targets specific courses for the incorporation of curriculum of Precision Agriculture. Among the target classes as total of 50 students were reached: The courses included: Introduction to Crop Production (17 students) Introduction to Agricultural Systems (16) Soil Science (8) Precision Agriculture Technologies (3) Plant Pest ID & Control (6) Changes/Problems:One major challenge has be in finding an appropriate candidate to fulfill the role of Project Manager. ITCC Kokomo is in the process of re-evaluating the position requirements. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?ITCC Kokomo will hire a Project Manager, complete the assembly of the PAML, and develop the high school-targetedcurriuculum. As that occurs, the new curriculum will also be brought into the college-level courses.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The ProjectDirector (PD)has continued to seek a qualified individual to fulfil the role of Project Manager (PM). A candidate was hired, but was unable to fulfill the time commitment needed for the project. The PD has completed some tasks orignially assigned to the PM role, such as specifying and arranging for purchase of the trailer to house the Precision Agriculture Mobile Lab (PAML). Key industry relationships have been developed with leading crop services and seed companies in the region to contribute to curriculum development. GOAL 1:College Level instruction in precision agriculture and crop production management: ITCC faculty continue to incorporate new tools as they become available. The new instruction for Precision Agriculture Technologies is also the leader of the precision agriculture team at a prominent seed company and has been incorporating tools from that company in his classroom. This past school year, we offered 5 courses with a total headcount of 50 students. This is in addition to the students served during Year 1. GOAL 2: Ivy Tech Kokomo faculty training No activity on this goal yet GOAL 3: Ability to take instruction & technology to high school students We have a 30-foot enclosed trailer, built to our specific project specifications for transporting the UTV and all the instructional equipment and supplies. Acquisition of those equipment and supplies is progressing. GOAL 4: Ability to educate high school and college students about career opportunities The curriculum included with the PAML, in addition to technology skills, will include information about careers that incorporate the use of these targeted technologies.

Publications

Progress 08/15/13 to 08/14/14

Outputs
Target Audience: This project targets specific courses for the incorporation of curriculum on Precision Agriculture. Among the target classes, a total offifty-three (53) students were reached. The courses in question included: Introduction to Crop Production (11 students) Introduction to Agricultural Systems (10) Soil Science (7) Precision Agriculture Technologies (6) Soil Fertility (2) Crop Machinery & Management (6) Plant Pest ID & Control (8) Part of the grant also includesparticipation in a SPECA Grant Project Driector Training Workshop. The Project Director attended this workshop inDecember 2013.This workshop was held as part ofa larger national conference for agricultural educators. At this NAAE (National Association of Agricultural Educators)conference a reception was held that included the opportunity for theProject Director to set up a display anddiscuss the project with other agricultural educators from across theUnited States. Changes/Problems: The largest change to the planned schedule is a delay in hiring the Project Manager. There has been difficulty in finding qualified candidates for the position who are willing to accept a half-time position. The position description was revised to more clearly communicate the duties and compensation levelof the position.Aqualified candidate was selected in the last two months andthe hiring process will now move forward. It is expected that once the Project Manager position is filled, progress will proceed with in depth curriulum development and the contruction of the PAML. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Professional development: The Project Director attended the SPECA Grant Project Director Workshop. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The Project Director participated in a poster presentation-style reception at the National Conference for the National Association of Agriculture Educators, sharing the goals, planned activities and anticipated outcomes of the project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? With the hiring of the Project Manager and delivery of the PAML's trailer, the project should proceed as planned.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Because this is the first year of a three-year project, much of the effort has yet to show impact. The Project Director focused on finding candidates to fill the Project Maneger position, build relationships with industry experts for contribution to the curriculum and specifying and ordering equipment.. Those efforts will start coming to fruition in the coming months, as the trailer that will house the Precisin Agriculture Mobile Lab (PAML) will be delivered in the next month. Key connections have been established for enagaging with leading crop services firms in the region in curriculum development.The Project Manager's position has been promoted and advertised extensively. GOAL 1: College level instruction in precision agriculutre and crop production managment: The faculty at ITCC Kokomo have already started utilizing the existing precision agriculture equipment in their classes more often. The classes in question had a total enrollment of 53 students, in 7 existing courses. GOAL 2: Ivy Tech -Kokomo faculty training No activity on this goal yet. GOAL 3: Ability to take instruction & technology to high schools students The trailer for housing the PAML is due to be delivered before the end of August. GOAL 4: Ability to educate high school and college students about career opportunities No activity on this goal yet.

Publications