A local business teamed up with the Greene County Career Academy to bring agriculture-related technology to the classroom.

Home State Bank Land Manager Mike Richards says they recently purchased a Polaris Ranger for community, educational and bank-related activities. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that he was joined by Heartland Ag Technician Kyle Fischer earlier this month to install an automatic steering system on the Ranger with students from the Agriculture shop of the Career Academy. 

Richards then made a return trip to the high school and career academy to have the students experience riding in the Polaris as it calibrated itself and witnessed a drone flying demonstration on Thursday. Ag teacher Raelynn Harris appreciates businesses such as Home State Bank and others that allow her students to get hands-on experience with some cutting edge ag technology that’s used in the real world.

“Well with agriculture, we use a lot of the GPS, or Global Positioning Systems, in our fields, whether it’s with tractors or we’re seeing more and more being used with like larger equipment too. We were able to install the GPS tracking system with Home State’s Polaris Ranger, which is kind of awesome to see, even though it’s a smaller operation, it still gives the students the kind of hands-on touch with how easy it is to install, as well as the technology behind it that we’re able to see.”

Harris adds the class also visited John Deere in Paton to see GPS guided large farm implements earlier this month as well.