For Hub City Times

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Thanks to a two-month renovation project this summer, agriculture students at Mid-State Technical College now have a dedicated agriculture lab on the college’s Marshfield campus, prominently located in one the first classrooms visitors encounter when walking down the main corridor.

The timing of the project coincides with Mid-State’s celebration of 100 years in Marshfield and delivered the new lab for student use at the beginning of the fall semester.

“I know our agriculture students will feel even more connected to the College now that they have their designated area for hands-on labs,” said Mid-State Agribusiness Instructor Teri Raatz.

In the past, students working toward Mid-State’s Agribusiness and Science Technology associate degree or the embedded technical diplomas, Farm Business & Production Management and Farm Operation, were scheduled in any normal classroom with carpet. With no dedicated agriculture lab, scheduling changes meant that lab materials were stored in various places throughout campus.

According to Raatz, the new ag lab better supports long-term experiments that can remain set up in the classroom. Labs such as food dehydration, yogurt making and growing plants can remain in the classroom without having to be relocated to instructor offices. All of the furniture is also movable and can be rolled out of the way to make space for specific lab activities such as milk and food product processing/testing, soil and feed testing/identification and plant identification. The large viewing window allows other students and visitors to observe the hands-on activities taking place in the classroom.

With agriculture and technology becoming increasingly intertwined, Mid-State wanted to bring in the latest technology, including laptops and tablets, that will allow students to work with programs and industry-recognized simulations.

“Previously the space we provided for our agriculture programming was adequate, but this renovation really shows Mid-State’s commitment to offering agriculture programs,” said Marshfield Campus Dean Dr. Alex Lendved. “Everything about this project, including its highly visible location within the building, demonstrates the pride we all feel for agriculture and our agriculture programming.”