Argiculture Production NewsLetter

Agriculture has always been a positive at Lake Area Tech.  It is from this vantage point that we continually strive to build our agriculture programs around the needs of the ever changing agriculture industry.
Our Agriculture Production program is one of the leading efforts in the upper Midwest in training people to better meet the demands of meeting the world’s food needs, doing it efficiently, and doing it in a global market.  We must do this through modern technology, practical application, and hands-on experience.
With the total number of farms in the United States on a continual decline, the demand is high for the remaining farms to be more efficient in their production and operation if they are going to survive in the world marketplace.The farmer/rancher of today must take on, and maintain, a positive attitude towards his/her chosen career.
The future is excellent for the individual who chooses to better himself/herself and maintain the operation in and efficient manner.  The farmer, because of his/her unique blend of advantages as a business person, is, and always will be, the envy of everyone.

Rich Hetland
Agri-Production Instructor

Argiculture in Progress

The Agriculture Production program is continuing its efforts to meet the needs of people with career goals of farming and/or ranching.  We here at Lake Area Tech are continually updating our curriculum to meet those needs.

  We are excited about the future of agriculture in the Midwest, but it will take a broad educational background to be an efficient producer of the world’s food products and to adapt to today’s technological advances.

  Farming today is an excellent family oriented livelihood.  It must also be treated as the complex business that it is.  Let us provide you with the needed education and experiences and put you in contact with other people of similar needs and opportunities.  We invite you to visit our program and make your choice.

3 M’s and a T

The Agriculture Production program at LATI recognizes that the 3 M’s:  management, marketing, and maintenance, and the T: technology are what constitute the overall success of today’s modern American agricultural producer.  All are dealt with regularly and form the basis for the program’s entire curriculum.

MANAGEMENT

• The farm or ranch must operate as the complex business that it is.
• The farmer or rancher must be able to tell how much is being made (or lost) on any and all of the business’s enterprises through enterprise analysis.
• The producer must know the cost of his/her production.
• The producer must know actual production costs (input, seasonal, etc.) and keep adequate production records (these records are kept by the students at their home operation and are used in class the following year for enterprise analysis and crop budget preparation.)
• The farm business must be transferred seamlessly from one, or more, generations to the next.
• Today’s farmer/rancher must be a capital manager:  machinery, land, facilities, breeding stock, etc.

MARKETIng

• The producer must know how to calculate the cost of production so he/she knows the break even price of their commodity.
• Producers must market their products rather than sell them.
• Producers must have a working knowledge of various marketing programs. and methods so they can make a educated choice which method will work the best for them in their operation.

MAINTENANCE

• The farmer/rancher must be practical as he/she still has to weld, pound, tighten, wire, and drive.
• He/she must keep tractors and equipment in the best condition possible as this equipment is a very important part of the operation and may be in the operation for a while due to various reasons (expenses, initial costs, etc.)
• The producer should be able to do as much of his/her own work as possible, when time is not a factor.  It is advantageous to have many abilities that will benefit the operation in many ways.
• The producer must know that “uptime” maintenance means that there is less of a chance of downtime (and added expense) in the busy times of the year
• The producer must “maintain” the entire operation. This includes buildings and facilities, equipment, record systems, fields, etc.
• The farmer must remember that maintenance means more than keeping belts tight and the radiator full.

TECHNOLOGY

• Today’s producer must be able to adapt to ever-changing technology in today’s agricultural environment.
• He/she must be able to see, and choose, the right technological advances that will work in their operation and will show economic return for their investment.
• Classes in GPS and precision agriculture have been added recently to try to meet the needs of the student who wishes to learn as much as possible about these ever-growing areas.  These courses are being continually updated.