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Soybeans and College Spirit Make a Great Combination

Posted on: September 5, 2018   |   Category: News
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 5, 2018

WATERTOWN, SD – The wheels were turning early this spring when Lake Area Technical College Precision Technology Agriculture students and instructors wondered about the possibility of combining technology and college marketing. Could it really work in a field of soybeans?

According to Lake Area Technical College Agriculture Department Supervisor, Brian Olson, “The planter utilized by the Precision Technology Ag students and instructors has the capability of planting multi-hybrids in the same field. We thought it would be a great idea to see how this can actually work and create our college logo within the field?”  The equipment for this technology was installed by the students, along with Agriculture Instructors Justin Hagedorn and John Brennan.   Precision Technology Agriculture instructor Justin Hagedorn plotted the design when he programmed the planting equipment this spring and used two REA Co. varieties, RX0516 and RX0826, in the school’s multi-hybrid planter. The soybeans were then planted on May 12 at one of the Lake Area Technical College Demonstration Fields,  which is a 90 acre tract that’s usage has been donated by Lee and Jan Schull.  The soybeans for the logo and letters, which were sourced from Agri-Partners of Clear Lake, are an earlier maturing variety than the remainder of the field which caused the coloration of the Lake Area Technical College logo.

“We kept this to ourselves, Olson continues, just in case it didn’t turn out.  We’ve been up in the air a few times the past few weeks with our Aviation Maintenance/Flight instructor, Greg Klein taking photos and watching it take form.  This week, it became colorfully visible at that vantage point when the early maturing beans started to change from green to yellow. Our former Business Associate Photography program instructor, Dennis Newman captured the final photo using drone technology. We thought it would be a great picture to use for marketing our agriculture program as well as Lake Area Technical College.”

PHOTO:  Lake Area Technical College’s logo is clear to see from the air in the agriculture program’s soybean field north of Watertown. This photo was taken on September 4.