For Immediate Release
Contact: Daniel Wackershauser, Marketing and PR Specialist
Phone: 608.822.2303
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: November 21, 2025
Students complete first harvest on new crop ground
Fennimore -
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College students brought in their first harvest this fall from the college’s new 80-acre Agricultural Demonstration Lab. This marks a major milestone for Southwest Tech’s agriculture programs and its hands-on learning model.
The college purchased the land in June 2024 and partnered with Premier Co-op to manage the crop ground. This fall, students harvested corn and soybeans planted during the spring semester—many of them experiencing full-scale field operations for the first time.
“This is day three of corn harvest, and yields are phenomenal for our first year,” said Agriculture Instructor Andrew Dal Santo, who leads the precision agronomy work on the site. “Students planted the seed, monitored the fields, and now they’re seeing the results of what they’ve done. Some of them have never planted corn before, let alone run a combine. Watching their reaction when they see those yields is incredible.”
The acreage includes 40 acres of corn—planted in three varieties—and 35 acres of soybeans, planted with two varieties. Students spent the fall monitoring stand counts, evaluating stalk quality, and conducting yield estimates. Weather delays stretched soybean harvest over several weeks, but Dal Santo said the experience mirrored real-world conditions.
“Fighting the rain, working around class schedules, and making decisions day by day—it’s all part of learning how farming actually works,” he said. “This is a student-run field. Instructors and Premier agronomists make recommendations, but the students are doing the work.”
For the first time, every agriculture program—Precision Agronomy, Animal Science, Ag Power, and Ag Business—has been able to use the same land base. Ag Power students handled combine setup and maintenance. Precision Agronomy students collected crop data and managed field decisions. Animal Science students learned crop-production fundamentals that tie directly back to their on-farm roles.
Precision Agronomy student Calan Meylor, Mineral Point, Wisconsin, said the experience has been transformative. “It’s a lot of hands-on work out here, and it’s something you don’t get at every school,” he said. “We get to experiment, try different varieties, and basically run the land. It gives us a better idea of what it takes to produce a good crop every year.”
The partnership with Premier Co-op has been critical in guiding the college through its first full growing season on the site. Premier agronomists advised on fertility, seed selection and disease management, while its grain merchandising team worked with students on marketing the harvested crop.
“We have enjoyed the opportunity to have our agronomy and grain team help guide the next generation of agriculture at Southwest Tech,” said Matt Severson, Premier Co-op CEO. “We look forward to continuing to grow this partnership and provide students with real-world experience.”
“Without Premier, we wouldn’t be out here today,” Dal Santo said. “They’ve supported us every step of the way, and the results speak for themselves. This land is yielding beyond anything I expected.”
Learn more about the college’s agriculture programs: swtc.edu/agriculture.
| Southwest Wisconsin Technical College is one of 16 institutions that comprise the Wisconsin Technical College System. The college was recently named the winner of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Southwest Tech offers more than 60 programs in a wide variety of disciplines. Courses are offered on campus, online, HyFlex and in a blended format. The college provides apprenticeship, certificate, technical diploma, and associate degree programs that respond to district workforce needs and prepare student for family-sustaining jobs and career advancement. |