Two Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES recently visited a local farm to learn more about 21st century agriculture.
The Plant, Animal & Life Sciences (PALS) program and the Computer Systems & Network Administration (CSNA) program recently visited DuMond Farms for a tour and to discuss how technology plays an integral part in the success of the farm.
CSNA Teacher Assistant Stacy Pettigrass said the students were surprised by the amount of technology the farm utilizes.
"Everything is so computerized now," Pettigrass said. "The farm showed how they load and unload large shipments in five minutes thanks to technology. And how each tractor has a GPS system in it to determine how long it will take to plow each field."
Other than touring the facilities, CSNA students were also able to operate drones at the farm to help provide aerial shots of the area.
PALS Instructor Katie Hopkins said the field trip was a great reminder to her students that there are a lot of employment opportunities in the field of agriculture.
"It was great for them to see the different roles of each employee. DuMond Farms has thousands of acres, and they have 40 or more employees. They have famers, they have human resources employees, they have public relations employees. So, it was great to see all the different roles that agriculture can provide right here in the local community."
