INA, Ill (Oct. 27, 2023)—The Agronomy Innovation Center at Rend Lake College prepares students for their future in agriculture.
Patton and his Ag Tech class pose for a photo.
Blake Patton was appointed the Director to the AIC at the start of the year, and during that short time he has impressed students with his leadership and knowledge. RLC has been leading the new in agronomy and agriculture innovation by partnering with industry professionals such as Syngenta and John Deere.
Patton has been providing his Ag Technology students with valuable hands-on learning with equipment. that correlates to the lessons in the classroom. Over the course of the Fall 2023 semester they have learned Variable Rate Technology on Sprayers, Fertilizer Spreaders, and Planters. They have also had the opportunity to build a 4-row plot planter with all new Precision components provided by Syngenta Crop Protection.
For Patton, it is not just about teaching his students, but preparing them for their futures in Agriculture so that they can advance in higher education or their careers. “Industries such as Retail Ag continue to post job positions for new personnel to carry out spraying and fertilizer applications,” said Patton. And with the advancements made every day at the AIC, RLC is leading the way for students to jump into the industry.
One returning student, Derek Sample (Sesser), talked about how amazed he was to come back to RLC and see the transformation of the Agronomy Innovation Center. He took a year off to serve as an FFA State Officer and during that time he got to travel the state across the states to visit different schools. From that experience, he said that he hasn’t seen anyone at the same level of the agriculture program at Rend Lake College. “We’re very fortunate to have a program like this here…” he said.
Sample said that returning to RLC is like coming back home. He is interested in pursuing a career in agriculture education; he hopes to pass on all the information he’s learned the college to his future students.
RLC is opening their doors to the community to learn as well with the Ag Expo on November 30th.
The Expo will consist of morning sessions that focus on sprayer and planter technology and combine maintenance and calibration conducted by Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners. Attendees will also receive updates from Illinois Soybean Association as well as Cover Crop practices with crop consultant, John Pike. Afternoon sessions following lunch will give you the chance to dive into a couple farm management software programs and the opportunity to “Ask the Experts” on questions revolving around sprayers, planters, and combines. Syngenta will be presenting at lunch for some agronomy updates to help prepare for the 2024 crop year.
To register, fill out the form here: Ag Expo Registration.
To learn more about the Ag Program here at RLC, visit: https://info.rlc.edu/aic.