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BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Photo Editor
Sheep dive into the morning feeding of hay at Hawkeye Community College's Farm Laboratory recently as the morning sky gradually brightens.
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Hawkeye Community College ag programs shine
By MATTHEW WILDE, Courier Staff Writer
WATERLOO --- It is a farmer's life --- even for college students.
Up at the crack of dawn, students studying agriculture at the Hawkeye Community College Laboratory Farm lace up work boots when most classmates are still snuggled in bed. They do chores in temperatures that would make a penguin shiver. The animals don't care how cold it is, all they want is food and lots of it.
Day after day the ritual is the same for freshman Lane Worden, sophomore Andie Platner and their fellow ag students.
"Get up at 6:30 (a.m.), do chores, go to class and do it all over again," Worden said, with a hint of smile. "It's no big deal, I used to do it at home."
That is what a farmer does, and many students want that life --- all but the class part. They know how important an education is to being a successful producer. Worden and Platner believe HCC is the best place to start.
They aren't alone. Enrollment in Hawkeye's agriculture programs has steadily increased this decade despite declining farm numbers statewide.
"(We) love it," Platner said.
U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics indicated Iowa had 145,000 farms in 1970. By 2000, that number dwindled to 94,000. And by 2005, only 89,000 farms remained.
But Hawkeye's ag enrollment has jumped dramatically since 1998, when 85 students studied to become farmers, ag teachers or work in ag-related businesses. In 2002, 157 were enrolled in agricultural business management, natural resources management, horticulture science, animal science and agriculture science programs. This year, 185 are taking ag classes.
Another 10 students, on average, take the veterinarian assisting program, which more than doubles the ag enrollment compared to the late 1990s.
Students and school officials say the quality of education, enthusiasm of instructors and hands-on experience are great recruiting tools. Dan Lane, agriculture department chair and animal science instructor, said the combination of classroom and hands-on instruction is critical to student success.
"Computers don't make corn grow or keep animals alive. Students still need a basic production understanding," Lane said.
The school's 400-acre farm is an important teaching tool. Theories from the classroom are applied on the farm. The operation consists of raising corn, soybeans, alfalfa and pasture ground. There is an 80-sow farrow-to-ween operation, 50 Suffolk ewes and a 25-head cow/calf herd.
Grain that isn't fed is sold. Livestock that isn't used for breeding is sold to other farmers, youths looking for a 4-H or FFA project or to meatpackers.
Financially, the farm is basically self-sufficient, Lane said. However, public and donated funds are used to buy land and make infrastructure improvements. Almost every building is new in the last 10 years, like the new hog confinement building and sheep barn, to reflect changes in Iowa agriculture.
"Anything students are going to be exposed to we provide here," Lane said.
Six students, including Worden and Platner, do most of the daily chores as part of a paid work study program --- feeding and caring for animals, administering medicine if needed --- but all ag students are involved.
HCC officials provided several examples:
--- Students put classroom instruction about the latest artificial insemination techniques and equipment to work in the farm's hog facility breeding sows.
--- Students are in the process of gathering yield, soil test, pest, weed and fertilization data to make new field maps using the latest in global positioning system (satellite) technology. Improving future yields and profitability is the goal.
--- Animal science majors don't just dissect animals in anatomy class. They learn about blood testing and DNA to find out why an animal died and how to prevent it. A breeding program may be changed if a certain blood line is susceptible to disease.
--- Grain and livestock marketing is aided by students who take related classes.
"Students come out for class and do immunizations on cattle. ... It's stuff they need to know, and you learn better with hands-on," said Justin Clark, farm manager.
Kathy Flynn, HCC's vice president of institutional advancement, said ag teachers market courses heavily at high schools, conferences and fairs.
"They (HCC ag instructors) are go-getters. They're very aggressive in meeting with students," she said.
Platner said Lane helped convince him to go to Hawkeye. The future farmer looked at several colleges, but chose Hawkeye because of its farm and the fact the school sells show animals.
Platner, 18, eventually wants to farm with his father and uncle near Lisbon. The family farm consists of 1,400 acres of grain, a custom ween-to-finish hog operation and raising show pigs.
Getting practical experience working on the farm will help, Platner said.
"My uncle and dad didn't go to college. They urged me to (because) they didn't make the best marketing decisions early on," Platner said. "I can learn here and go home and apply it. There's not as much risk doing that."
Lane agreed.
"I would rather have them make a mistake here and cost us some money than make one later and cost them a job," he said.
Worden farms near Belmond with his family. The second-year student already owns 75 sows and one-third of the family's 45-head cow/calf herd. However, he is not sure that and the 500 acres the family farms is enough to support multiple households.
The young farmer hopes his animal science degree from Hawkeye will help him be a successful farmer and possibly help him get an off-the-farm job if needed.
"There's things we didn't do in our herd that we do here," Worden said. "When I came here I had no idea about sheep. Now I'm learning about that."
Contact Matthew Wilde at (319) 291-1579 or matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com.
Up at the crack of dawn, students studying agriculture at the Hawkeye Community College Laboratory Farm lace up work boots when most classmates are still snuggled in bed. They do chores in temperatures that would make a penguin shiver. The animals don't care how cold it is, all they want is food and lots of it.
Day after day the ritual is the same for freshman Lane Worden, sophomore Andie Platner and their fellow ag students.
"Get up at 6:30 (a.m.), do chores, go to class and do it all over again," Worden said, with a hint of smile. "It's no big deal, I used to do it at home."
That is what a farmer does, and many students want that life --- all but the class part. They know how important an education is to being a successful producer. Worden and Platner believe HCC is the best place to start.
They aren't alone. Enrollment in Hawkeye's agriculture programs has steadily increased this decade despite declining farm numbers statewide.
"(We) love it," Platner said.
U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics indicated Iowa had 145,000 farms in 1970. By 2000, that number dwindled to 94,000. And by 2005, only 89,000 farms remained.
But Hawkeye's ag enrollment has jumped dramatically since 1998, when 85 students studied to become farmers, ag teachers or work in ag-related businesses. In 2002, 157 were enrolled in agricultural business management, natural resources management, horticulture science, animal science and agriculture science programs. This year, 185 are taking ag classes.
Another 10 students, on average, take the veterinarian assisting program, which more than doubles the ag enrollment compared to the late 1990s.
Students and school officials say the quality of education, enthusiasm of instructors and hands-on experience are great recruiting tools. Dan Lane, agriculture department chair and animal science instructor, said the combination of classroom and hands-on instruction is critical to student success.
"Computers don't make corn grow or keep animals alive. Students still need a basic production understanding," Lane said.
The school's 400-acre farm is an important teaching tool. Theories from the classroom are applied on the farm. The operation consists of raising corn, soybeans, alfalfa and pasture ground. There is an 80-sow farrow-to-ween operation, 50 Suffolk ewes and a 25-head cow/calf herd.
Grain that isn't fed is sold. Livestock that isn't used for breeding is sold to other farmers, youths looking for a 4-H or FFA project or to meatpackers.
Financially, the farm is basically self-sufficient, Lane said. However, public and donated funds are used to buy land and make infrastructure improvements. Almost every building is new in the last 10 years, like the new hog confinement building and sheep barn, to reflect changes in Iowa agriculture.
"Anything students are going to be exposed to we provide here," Lane said.
Six students, including Worden and Platner, do most of the daily chores as part of a paid work study program --- feeding and caring for animals, administering medicine if needed --- but all ag students are involved.
HCC officials provided several examples:
--- Students put classroom instruction about the latest artificial insemination techniques and equipment to work in the farm's hog facility breeding sows.
--- Students are in the process of gathering yield, soil test, pest, weed and fertilization data to make new field maps using the latest in global positioning system (satellite) technology. Improving future yields and profitability is the goal.
--- Animal science majors don't just dissect animals in anatomy class. They learn about blood testing and DNA to find out why an animal died and how to prevent it. A breeding program may be changed if a certain blood line is susceptible to disease.
--- Grain and livestock marketing is aided by students who take related classes.
"Students come out for class and do immunizations on cattle. ... It's stuff they need to know, and you learn better with hands-on," said Justin Clark, farm manager.
Kathy Flynn, HCC's vice president of institutional advancement, said ag teachers market courses heavily at high schools, conferences and fairs.
"They (HCC ag instructors) are go-getters. They're very aggressive in meeting with students," she said.
Platner said Lane helped convince him to go to Hawkeye. The future farmer looked at several colleges, but chose Hawkeye because of its farm and the fact the school sells show animals.
Platner, 18, eventually wants to farm with his father and uncle near Lisbon. The family farm consists of 1,400 acres of grain, a custom ween-to-finish hog operation and raising show pigs.
Getting practical experience working on the farm will help, Platner said.
"My uncle and dad didn't go to college. They urged me to (because) they didn't make the best marketing decisions early on," Platner said. "I can learn here and go home and apply it. There's not as much risk doing that."
Lane agreed.
"I would rather have them make a mistake here and cost us some money than make one later and cost them a job," he said.
Worden farms near Belmond with his family. The second-year student already owns 75 sows and one-third of the family's 45-head cow/calf herd. However, he is not sure that and the 500 acres the family farms is enough to support multiple households.
The young farmer hopes his animal science degree from Hawkeye will help him be a successful farmer and possibly help him get an off-the-farm job if needed.
"There's things we didn't do in our herd that we do here," Worden said. "When I came here I had no idea about sheep. Now I'm learning about that."
Contact Matthew Wilde at (319) 291-1579 or matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com.
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