Prepping for an ag career

August 3, 2020

Dean’s Message from Larry Gossen, Ph.D.

Toward the end of August, Allison Wilkens and Logan Wamsley will move into college residence halls at Curtis as college freshmen.

However, the pair of diversified agriculture majors are not rookies in a Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture classroom.

High school transcripts will show each has logged six hours of college credits from NCTA in dual credit courses.

Allison took crop science the fall semester of her freshmen year at Gibbon High School, followed by a natural resource class the next spring. She also chalked up credits from other colleges in general education and agriculture so is transferring a total of 12 hours to NCTA.

“I figured, why not get a head start during high school,” she says. Her NCTA emphasis in diversified ag (crops, livestock, ag mechanics) will include agribusiness management and the Aggie Crops Judging Team.

Logan studied crop science and beef production during independent study, dual credit courses while at Sidney High School. He, too, will major in NCTA’s diversified ag program and add a certificate in irrigation technology.

“The online class was different from a high school class in that I could take it when I wanted,” Logan says. “I tried to work on it every day some, and since it wasn’t at a set time that gave me more flexibility.”

Dual credits and transfer students are welcomed at NCTA. Our faculty and staff are always ready to advise and discuss how an individual’s initial college investment can be parlayed into a completed degree or certificate.

During this time of the coronavirus pandemic, we are seeing more students turning to the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture as transfer students. Some want to have a smaller campus population with smaller class sizes. Others find the hands-on learning and outdoor settings appealing for their classes and opportunities with our Aggie competition teams.

Dual credit advantage

Dr. Brad Ramsdale, chair of the NCTA Agronomy and Agricultural Mechanics Division, is the academic advisor for both Allison and Logan.

He teaches three of the nine dual credit classes offered through NCTA – Agricultural Careers, Crop Science, and Natural Resources Management.

“Over the years, I’ve seen my dual credit courses as a great service for home-schooled students and those without high school agriculture programs,” says Professor Ramsdale. “The NCTA courses provide all students a great opportunity to obtain foundational agricultural knowledge.”

Details and registration can be found at https://go.unl.edu/yfhs.

Nine courses are offered this fall which include a radiology class through veterinary technology, two in agribusiness, and three each in animal science and agronomy. They also are planned for the spring semester, and are listed at https://go.unl.edu/w765.

Registration for dual credit is requested by August 28. We begin on-campus, in-person classes on August 24 so inquiries are encouraged soon to avoid last-minute delays and start up. Tuition is an affordable $69.50 per credit hour for high school juniors and seniors.

Summer Exams, Welcome Aggies

Our summer session of eight weeks has flown by! Finals are this week, concluding by Friday and then a short break occurs for students before the Fall Session begins on August 24.

This year, the New Student Orientation will be provided online for freshmen and transfer students. Details for NSO and move-in periods for the residence halls will be announced soon.

For fall registration, course offerings, financial aid and enrollment details for the fall semester, contact Gaylene in our Student Services department at 308-367-5267. We want to hear from you!

Horses on Friday

The final NCTA Summer Horsemanship Clinic is Friday, here at the indoor arena of the Livestock Teaching Center. The morning session focuses on advanced riding and after lunch the riders will work with the mechanical cow. For cost and times, call the animal science department at 308-367-5291. The instructor is Joanna Hergenreder, animal science professor and Ranch Horse Team coach.

I look forward to greeting and meeting our future in agriculture with the NCTA Aggie classes of ’21 and ’22!

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 numerous 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.