COLUMBUS, Neb. — A new college program aimed at dairy production in Nebraska will be outlined Feb. 21 at the Nebraska State Dairy Association convention in Columbus.
The dairy production curriculum which is slated to be offered starting this fall at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis will be summarized for dairy producers and industry leaders during the NSDA conference.
“We are pleased to help prepare NCTA graduates for a career with the Nebraska dairy industry,” said NCTA Dean Ron Rosati. “This project began as a result of a statewide initiative to support the growth of Nebraska’s dairy industry. NCTA is delighted to be able to work with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and the Nebraska State Dairy Association to support this industry.”
Rosati and Doug Smith, chairman of the NCTA Animal Science and Agricultural Education Division, were invited to outline the new statewide academic program at the dairy meeting which draws dairy producers and allied industries, said Rod Johnson, NSDA executive director.
“There is a real need for people who understand the dairy industry,” Johnson said. “Our dairy farmers are constantly looking for employees who have specialized training and the ability to care for dairy animals at any stage of the production cycle.”
The college’s presentations will be at 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus. NCTA also will have an information table at the trade show throughout the day.
NCTA is actively recruiting college students now to major in dairy production, Smith said. A partnership between NCTA and South Dakota State University was developed late last year.
Classes will begin Fall, 2017, with three semesters of coursework at NCTA in Curtis, and one semester at Brookings, S.D., where the SDSU Dairy Science department includes dairy production with a commercial scale dairy herd, along with dairy science and processing programs.
New students would be joining the program annually, with semesters staggered between NCTA and SDSU.
“The program involves 76 credit hours of courses, labs, and practical hands-on experience in dairy production and herd management,” said Smith. “Our University courses in Lincoln and Curtis do not include on-site dairy herds so the partnership with SDSU is a win-win industrywide, here for Nebraska residents as well as out-of-state students.”
The University’s Board of Regents recently approved a single tuition rate per credit hour for all NCTA students, which also begins Fall, 2017. The low NCTA tuition rate, currently $121 per credit hour, will apply to Nebraskans and non-Nebraskans, alike.
See more information about the NCTA initiative see http://ncta.unl.edu/dairy-production or call Dr. Smith at 1-308-367-5286 or e-mail to doug.smith@unl.edu.
Contact Nebraska State Dairy Association at http://www.nebraskamilk.org or call Rod Johnson at 1-402-853-2018.
See article here: http://go.unl.edu/yowr
— Mary Crawford, NCTA News
For more news from Nebraska, click here.
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