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Kirkwood Boosts No. 1 Ag Program with Simulator

By June 7, 2016November 28th, 2018No Comments

A Kirkwood student operates the new simulator

College becomes first two-year institution in the world to use new technology

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (June 7, 2016)-Kirkwood Community College has become the first two-year college in the world to add the John Deere S-Series Premium Combine Simulator to its teaching curriculum. The addition of the state-of-the-art technology further enhances the capabilities of the college’s number one in the nation two-year Agricultural Sciences program.

Originally designed to assist businesses in training their labor force, the simulator gives the college the ability to teach combine operations to students in a variety of harvest conditions and situations. In addition, college faculty will be able to train inexperienced operators without the risk of damaging expensive equipment and crops.

According to Kirkwood Instructor James Jordan, the benefits of using the simulator are well worth the cost of the technology.

“Putting an inexperienced operator behind the wheel of a $300,000-plus combine obviously has its risks,” said Jordan. “The simulator is still quite pricey at $35,000, but the possibility of damage is almost none. More importantly, we will be able to teach more students the ins-and-outs of running a combine because of the flexibility the simulator provides. Our goal of getting 20 to 30 students inside a real combine cab per semester can be troublesome from a logistical standpoint. Now we will be able to teach them as their schedule allows. Weather conditions also become a non-factor. The instructional possibilities are really exciting.”

A student learning on the simulator uses the same parts and equipment that are in an actual combine including a touch screen, sensors and even the command center. In addition, four large screens can display images of 10 different training modules that replicate almost everything that could arise in real-world combine operations. A student will be able to experience the environments of various conditions while harvesting crops such as corn, beans and wheat. They then will be able to put that knowledge to good use in an actual combine later in their studies.

To Jordan, the new equipment is another example of the strength of Kirkwood’s Ag program.

“Kirkwood provides a wide variety of opportunities for students to enter careers prepared with the skills and knowledge needed to be successful. This simulator is another tool to enhance their workforce preparation.”

To see video of the simulator, go to the Kirkwood Agricultural Sciences Facebook page.