Dust fogs behind combines churning through milo and corn fields. The early morning dew beckons balers to wrap up sorghum and alfalfa yields. It’s no secret that water is the life source of these field crop cornucopias, evidenced by the countless number of center pivots dotting the horizon.
These sprinkler systems service over a vast majority of Colorado’s eastern plains, in addition to Nebraska and Kansas acreages. Increased use of center pivots integrates advanced technology with older systems, resulting in a shortage of irrigation technicians required to service the systems.
In an effort to address the technician shortage, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA), located in Curtis, and Reinke Irrigation have partnered to form a unique irrigation tech program offered at NCTA. Through the program, students contract with a local Reinke dealer in their community to obtain some form of financial aid. Upon being certified as an irrigation tech, those students return to their community as employees of the respective Reinke dealer. Paul Casper, co-owner of 1st Choice Irrigation in Rocky Ford, CO, views the program as a bonus package for the dealer and the student.
“What a good resource NCTA puts in front of these students with this program,” says Casper, whose dealership is sponsoring its first student this year. “Anything technical is a struggle. Nobody can find anyone to do this kind of work.”
Jacob Gearhart, a Las Animas High School (CO) graduate, intended to become a diesel mechanic until Casper changed Gearhart’s mind. “I told him (Gearhart) that I had a better idea for him,” said Casper. “I explained this NCTA program to him, and he was sold on the idea.”
Casper employed Gearhart on Casper’s personal farm through a high school internship program. While Gearhart performed other farm duties, his focus was on learning the mechanics of center pivots.
“We started turning Jacob loose to do more technical work with the pivots on our farm,” explained Casper. “He really took on the pivots. We kept him busy gaining as much practical experience as possible on the farm. So, he’s got some background education. But I wanted him to be fully certified if he was going to become a full-time employee with our dealership.”
Gearhart agreed with Casper’s rationale. “I was looking for a job in high school and Paul hired me. But I wanted to learn more about irrigation safety and the business end of things,” said Gearhart.
Each Reinke dealership sets its own financial aid stipulations for the respective student they are sponsoring. Some dealerships only pay tuition. 1st Choice opted to fully sponsor Gearhart through his two years at NCTA.
“We decided to pay 100 percent of his schooling,” explains Casper. “We felt it was necessary and a great way to get a young person started.”
In return, Gearhart agreed to contract under 1st Choice Irrigation’s employ for a period of four years following his graduation from NCTA. However, should plans change, Gearhart is not locked solidly into the employment contract.
“He has the option to buy himself out,” said Casper. “If he finds something different, it’s not like he’s indentured to us.”
1st Choice Operations Manager Kait Grasmick explained how financially beneficial the NCTA partnership can be for Reinke dealers. “The school and the program are both cost-effective,” said Grasmick. “When we’re training someone, we don’t feel like we’re getting much from that person for the first 90 days or so. Through this program, they can come back to us fully certified and trained and ready to go to work.”
Since setting foot on NCTA’s campus in August, Gearhart has been immersed in the training process through beginning welding and electrical courses, scattered among economics classes.
“I’m learning new things about safety and business,” said Gearhart. “Next semester, I will get the opportunity to begin working on the irrigation towers inside the lab. I get a combination of classes and that’s great.”
Casper thanks NCTA for expanding each student’s goals. “At NCTA, they can take other classes around their major, and it helps them better understand the farming industry,” said Casper. “I think that’s critical to their (students’) success. I believe in a good, solid education. Everything up there (at NCTA) leads right into what they will do here. It’s tailored much better for instant, out-of-college employment.”
For more information about the NCTA Irrigation Technician program or about NCTA in general, please visit the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture website at ncta.unl.edu.
