Northwestern College agricultural business program receives grant

Northwestern College has been awarded a $1,000 grant from the Iowa Corn Collegiate Advisory Team for the purchase of items that will be used in the college’s revised business administration/agricultural business option.

The funds will enable the purchase of numerous items, including a grain drying, handling and storage handbook; a pesticide training manual; a corn and soybean field guide; and implant guns.

Northwestern’s agricultural business option is undergoing a major overhaul next fall. The curriculum’s core courses will include Introduction to Agricultural Business, Agricultural Technology Systems, Agricultural Issues and Ethics, Agricultural Risk and Cost Management, Small Business Management, a practicum and an internship. Several of the courses feature hands-on, high-impact experiential learning.

Vonda Post, co-chair of the business department, says the program was revised based on feedback from industry leaders. “We asked them what they would want our graduates to be able to do. They emphasized that employees need to be able to problem-solve, think critically and communicate well in an agricultural environment. Those are all abilities developed through a liberal arts education like Northwestern’s.”

Northwestern’s agricultural business option offers students a business administration major with distinctive agriculture courses. “Our business-centric approach stands in contrast to competitor programs focused on the technical skills needed to raise crops and animals, with only a few business courses,” says Post.

The Iowa Corn Collegiate Advisory Team is made up of Iowa students pursuing degrees in agriculture. The group assists the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board in developing programs that target and enhance relationships with those individuals who are pursuing careers in agricultural production and allied industries.