Case IH donates equipment to three schools

Jun 04, 2020

Students will use tractors to further their education

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Students at three U.S. technical schools will be using new pieces of farm equipment to further their skills.

Case IH donated three tractors – a Puma 170, Optum 270 and Optum 300 to Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, N.D. and Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, S.D., respectively.

The students in the schools’ diesel technology programs will receive training on how to repair ag equipment and use the tractors to apply what they learn in the classroom.

“Programs and partnerships like these are instrumental in helping our dealer network hire excellent technicians,” J.E. Cadle, Case IH marketing manager for Maxxum, Puma and Optum tractors, said in a statement. “There is always a demand for technicians, and we are excited to take this opportunity to supply future generations with important first-hand learning opportunities and experience.”

Representatives from the schools are thankful for the donation.

Having access to the latest equipment and technology gives students a solid foundation for the types of job opportunities they’ll face after graduation.

“A donation like this is huge for our program,” said Darrel Woolery, agriculture department supervisor at Lake Area Technical Institute. “Our students are excited about it, and it serves as a great recruitment tool. Because new equipment is changing rapidly, the more familiar they are with new technology, the better prepared they are.”

Farms.com has reached out to Case IH and the recipient schools for comment.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.