Students seeking a bachelor’s degree in agricultural technology should look no further than ABAC. Students can partake in the agricultural technology track of ABAC’s agriculture bachelor’s degree. This is good news for those that are heading into careers that may require more than an associate degree, or for those that may want to be in a career where they can use their technical skills. This new track is one of the many bachelor programs that ABAC has added in the recent past along with other programs such as rural studies and its tracks that lead to new bachelor degrees as well. However, the agricultural technology degree remains a track of the agriculture bachelor’s program.
Though the college has been around for the past 111 years, the agricultural technology track was not available at ABAC until 2018. The process of establishing the track started in 2017. This process began at the department level then moved on to the school’s Curriculum Committee before it finally arrived at the college’s Curriculum Committee.
Professors such as Erin Porter, Alex McLemore, Todd Hicks and Von Peavy were part of the development process that allowed the track to be introduced to ABAC.
The new agricultural technology and systems management track, also known as ATSM, prepares students for careers in technical sales and management of agricultural-related organizations involving production, processing or manufacturing. Students also learn to combine their understanding of agricultural, biological and physical sciences with business, managerial and technical skills.
The coursework in the program will be based around and focused on four different areas including machinery systems, electrical systems, soil and water management, and precision agricultural technology.
With this new track comes six new classes. These classes include Intro to ATSM, Problem Solving in ATSM, Agricultural Machinery Systems, Surveying and Introduction to GPS, Electrical Systems and Electronics, and Advanced Irrigation Systems Management.
There are currently 29 students enrolled in the degree for fall 2019. Students that are interested in the agricultural technology and systems management track can contact Dr. Alex McLemore at amclemore@abac.edu, Dr. Erin Porter at eporter@abac.edu or Todd Hicks at thicks@abac.edu.
