Agronomy Youth Field Day is July 7 at NCTA

Youth can get a new perspective on crops grown in fields around Curtis on July 7 through the eyes of an aerial drone.

That will be just one of the highlights at the 5^th annual Agronomy Youth Field Day sponsored by Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

Crop science topics at the NCTA campus and farm will also include weed control, planter technology, soil health, plant diseases and disease identification, and more.

NCTA Agronomy Professor Brad Ramsdale will join researchers and educators from University of Nebraska Extension for the free, daylong workshop geared toward youth, ages 9 to 18.

“Agronomy and agricultural mechanics professors will help youth to get excited about careers in agronomy, weed science, irrigation, mechanized agriculture,” Ramsdale said.

“We share knowledge in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and demonstrate the fun aspects of STEM in producing Nebraska crops,” added Ramsdale, who also coaches the award-winning NCTA Crops Judging Team.

Hands-on activities in two age tracts (ages 9-11 and 12-18) will include opportunity to pilot a drone through an obstacle course. A signed, parental release form must be submitted for youth to participate.

Sessions include field, laboratory and classroom activities, said Kathy Burr of Nebraska Extension Frontier County.  Parents and adults are welcome to attend.  The program will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and begin at the Nebraska Agricultural Industry Education Center at NCTA.

The field day is free and includes a lunch at noon. However, for meal counts and materials, online advance registration is requested by Friday (July 2) at https://go.unl.edu/agronomyyouthfieldday .   

For more information, call Frontier County Extension at 308-367-4424 or email kathy.burr@unl.edu.

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and for the success of student teams in competitive activities including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.