515-223-5119 info@ineda.com

[Source: INEDA, 07.17 | Keywords: Ag Education, College]

What is the average age of your technicians? If your shop matches the national average, thereís a good chance that many of them will be leaving soon. 

According to DieselTechJobs.com, as many as half of the mechanics working today are expected to retire within 10 years, which means now might be the perfect time to reach out and build a relationship with your local community college to help find replacements.

Schools today rely on input from local industries to help make their programs better. And they value their relationships with local dealers, even if ag equipment is not their main focus. 

Where do you start? First, call the school or an instructor and let them know you want to be involved. Tell them youíd like to be a part of their support network and find out what you can do to help. Consider serving on a board, offering a scholarship or donating equipment they can use. You can even offer to teach a class or talk with them about your dealership and what opportunities the industry offers. There are plenty of ways to get involved and establish a good relationship.

Weíve compiled a list of Iowa and Nebraska community colleges and universities that offer programs/degrees in agribusiness, diesel technology and precision agriculture to help you get started. We encourage you to take a look, pick up the phone and give them a call today! 

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Des Moines Area Community College | dmacc.edu
Des Moines Area Community College [DMACC] is one of the fastest growing community colleges in America. In addition to its main campus in
Ankeny,

DMACC also operates campuses in Boone, Carroll, Newton, downtown Des Moines and West Des Moines. Since 1999, DMACC has operated a 325 acre farm north of Adel, providing its agribusiness students hands-on, real world experience. In addition, DMACC has teamed up with Ziegler to offer a Caterpillar Technology program, which is accredited by the Associated Equipment Distributors.
• Agribusiness | Ankeny
• Caterpillar Technology | Ankeny
• Diesel Technology | Ankeny

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges | eicc.edu
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges [EICC] includes three community colleges stretched along the Mississippi River. Muscatine, Scott and Clinton Community Colleges serve the Iowa counties of Clinton, Jackson, Muscatine and Scott, and parts of Cedar and Louisa counties.
• Agribusiness Equipment Technician | Muscatine
• Agribusiness Management | Muscatine
• Diesel Technology | Scott

Hawkeye Community College | hawkeyecollege.edu
Hawkeye Community College [HCC] serves more than 25,000 individuals and awards almost 1,500 diplomas and degrees annually. HCC’s main campus is located in Waterloo and six outlying centers offer services throughout the Cedar Valley. The community college also operates a 400+ acre farm just west of the main campus.
• Agricultural Business Management | Waterloo
• Agricultural Power Technology | Waterloo
• Diesel Truck Technology | Waterloo

Indian Hills Community College | indianhills.edu
Indian Hills Community College [IHCC] is located in southwest Iowa. In addition to the main campus in Ottumwa [Wapello County] and the Centerville Campus [Appanoose County], Indian Hills operates a service center in each of the other eight counties it serves.
• Diesel Technology | Ottumwa
• Sustainable Agriculture/Entrepreneurship | Centerville


Iowa Central Community College | iowacentral.edu
In addition to its main campus in Fort Dodge, Iowa Central Community College [ICCC] also operates campuses in East Fort Dodge, Storm Lake and Webster City. ICCC also operates a farm that allows students to apply many farm management skills.
• Agricultural Technology | Fort Dodge
• Diesel Technology | Fort Dodge

Iowa Lakes Community College | iowalakes.edu
Iowa Lakes Community College has campuses at Algona, Emmetsburg, Estherville and Spirit Lake. The Emmetsburg campus features a 360-acre college farm laboratory, complete with crops, swine or beef, and supervised employment experiences during each fall and spring.
• Agribusiness Technology | Emmetsburg
• Farm Equipment & Diesel Technology | Emmetsburg

Iowa State University | iastate.edu
Iowa State University [ISU] is a public, land grant university located in Ames. The university is made up of 10 colleges/schools, including the Agriculture & Life Sciences College. ISU’s Ag 450 Farm is the ONLY student-managed farm at a land grant university in the United States.
• Agricultural Business
• Agriculture Systems Technology
• Agronomy

Iowa Valley Community College District | iavalley.edu
The Iowa Valley Community College District [IVCCD] operates Marshalltown Community College [MCC], Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa Valley Continuing Education, MCC’s Iowa Valley Grinnell satellite campus, and the
Orpheum Theater Center in Marshalltown. Ellsworth Community College was the first to offer a Mobile Service Technician program in the nation and is currently the only college to offer the program in Iowa.
• Agribusiness | Ellsworth
• Mobile Service Technician | Ellsworth
• Precision Agriculture | Ellsworth

Iowa Western Community College | iwcc.edu
Iowa Western Community College [IWCC] currently offers 84 different vocational/technical programs and Arts and Sciences/Transfer majors. In addition to its main campus in Council Bluffs, IWCC also operates centers in Atlantic, Clarinda, Harlan and Shenandoah.
• Agribusiness Technology | Council Bluffs
• Diesel Mechanics | Council Bluffs
• Diesel Technology | Council Bluffs

Kirkwood Community College | kirkwood.edu
Kirkwood Community College celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015. In addition to its main campus in Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood operates 10 satellite locations across Eastern Iowa. The main campus also features a 600-acre working farm that includes a 300-head beef complex, a swine complex, a 1.5-acre vineyard and full production winery.
• Agriculture Business | Cedar Rapids
• Agricultural Geospatial Technology | Cedar Rapids
• Diesel Ag Technology | Cedar Rapids

Northeast Iowa Community College | nicc.edu 
Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) operates two campuses in Calmer and Peosta, as well as 11 service locations across eight counties in northeast Iowa. The diesel technician training program at its Calmar location is AED endorsed.
• Agriculture Business | Calmar
• Agriculture Office Technician | Calmar
• Diesel Mechanics | Peosta
• John Deere TECH | Calmar
• Precision Agriculture | Calmar

North Iowa Area Community College | niacc.edu
Starting in 1918 as Mason City Junior College, North Iowa Area Community College [NIACC] has the distinct privilege of being the oldest community college in Iowa. In addition to NIACC’s main campus in Mason City, the college also operates Community Education Centers in Charles City, Garner, Hampton, Lake Mills and Osage. NIACC’s Farm Lab consists of 260 no-till acres, 110 acres of pasture and livestock facilities for swine and beef breeding herds.
• Agricultural Marketing & Finance | Mason City
• Agricultural Sales & Service | Mason City
• Agricultural Technology | Mason City
• Diesel Technician | Mason City

Northwest Iowa Community College | nwicc.edu
Northwest Iowa Community College (NWICC) was the first Iowa institution to become a community college. This small, rural community college is located in Sheldon, the geographical center of its four and one-half county service area comprised of Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Sioux and half of Cherokee counties.
• Heavy Equipment Operation & Maintenance | Sheldon

Southwestern Community College | swcciowa.edu
Southwestern Community College [SWCC] is located in Creston and operates centers in Osceola and Red Oak. In addition, the college features a 215-acre farm with a 30 head cow-calf operation.
• Agricultural Business | Creston

Western Iowa Tech Community College | witcc.edu
Western Iowa Tech Community College, located in Sioux City, serves the Iowa counties of Cherokee, Crawford, Ida, Monona, Plymouth and Woodbury.
• Agribusiness Technology | Online

 

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Central Community College | cccneb.edu 
Central Community College [CCC] serves 25 counties in central Nebraska, with campuses at Columbus, Grand Island and Hastings. The Diesel Technology program features a new, modern, well-equipped diesel education facility and several industry partners, including Nebraska Machinery Company (NMC) and Titan Machinery, offer student sponsorships that provide tuition, fees, books and tools, as well as internships.
• Agribusiness | Columbus & Hastings
• Diesel Technology | Hastings
• Precision Agriculture | Columbus & Hastings

Metropolitan Community College | mccneb.edu
Metropolitan Community College [MCC] was created in 1974 when the Nebraska State Legislature consolidated eight technical community college areas into six and later that year merged with the Eastern Nebraska Technical Community College. Today, MCC is a comprehensive, full-service public community college with seven locations throughout urban and suburban Omaha.

Mid-Plains Community College | mpcc.edu
Mid-Plains Community College has campuses at McCook, North Platte [north & south], Broken Bow, Imperial, Ogallala and Valentine. Its technical program training is built on a foundation of theory coupled with hands-on experience, and taught by experienced teachers with real-world experience.
• Agribusiness | North Platte
• Diesel Technology | North Platte

Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture | ncta.unl.edu
The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture [NCTA] is devoted to a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology, food and related industries. The college [part of the University of Nebraska system] focuses on tangible learning activities and hands-on education relevant to modern agricultural careers. Located in the small town of Curtis, NCTA maintains a 580 acre working farm adjacent to campus.
• Agribusiness Management Systems
• Agriculture Equipment Management

Northeast Community College | northeast.edu
Northeast Community College [NECC] encompasses 771 acres [including a 566 acre farm] at the northeast edge of Norfolk. The college also operates three extended campuses at O’Neill, South Sioux City and West Point. In 2016, NECC announced a $40 million expansion of its agriculture facilities and programming, including a precision agriculture facility.
• Agribusiness | Norfolk
• Diesel Technology [Ag] | Norfolk
• Diversified Agriculture | Norfolk
• Mechanized Agriculture | Norfolk
• Precision Agriculture | Norfolk

Southeast Community College | southeast.edu
Southeast Community College [SCC] is located in the southeast portion of Nebraska. The college includes three campuses at Beatrice, Lincoln and Milford, and more than 20 off-campus sites in 15 counties. SCC’s Diesel-Ag Equipment Service Technology program provides extensive up-to-date training in the farming industry and incorporates new technology in the instruction. SCC has also partnered with John Deere since 1989 to train entry level technicians for the company’s network of dealerships.
• Agribusiness & Management | Beatrice
• Diesel Ag Equipment Service | Milford
• John Deere Tech | Milford
• Precision Ag | Beatrice

University of Nebraska-Lincoln | unl.edu
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, chartered in 1869, is an educational institution of international stature. The land-grant university is made up of nine colleges, including the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources.
• Agribusiness
• Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Communication
• Agricultural Economics
• Agricultural Engineering
• Agronomy

Western Nebraska Community College | wncc.net
Western Nebraska Community College [WNCC] offers all the advantages of a small college, but with the experiences of a large university. Located in the panhandle of Nebraska, WNCC has three campus locations in Alliance, Scottsbluff, and Sidney.
• Applied Agriculture Technologies Program
• Agricultural Science