York Duke taps into ag college certificate

June 30, 2017

By Mary Crawford, NCTA News                                                                          

YORK, Neb – A career in agronomy or diversified agriculture within Nebraska’s agricultural workforce is the 3-year-goal of Donovan Buss.

The graduate of York High School is headed to the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis in the fall to study two semesters and complete his associate degree.

“I took the classes in high school to earn dual credit and head to NCTA with one year of college already done,” Buss said Friday, during a break at his summer job with Central Valley Ag Cooperative.

He earned a college certificate in agricultural chemical application while taking the core classes during his junior and senior years at YHS.

The son of Bryan and Diane Buss comes from an agriculture background, having grown up around the family’s cattle business and the Diamond B Stable, a boarding stable for travelers with horses.

He plans to major in agronomy or diversified agriculture, graduate from NCTA in May of 2018, then transfer his college credits to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to earn a bachelor’s degree in 2020.

In a diversified program, students take a combination of courses emphasizing crops, livestock and agribusiness, along with a few general education studies.

Buss said he was able to take online classes through NCTA with assistance from instructors at YHS and the agricultural industry. The workforce development and career academy initiative was launched in September, 2015, in a 4-year agreement between NCTA, York Public Schools, Central Valley Ag Cooperative and Reinke Manufacturing, Inc.