Deliver a Higher Level of Learning with Hands On Discovery, Classroom Style.

Extension faculty in northwest Minnesota conducted seven “colleges” since 2003 focused on regional crop production. Soybean was the focus of four colleges (’03, ’04, 05, and ’11); corn was the focus of two (’07 and ’10); and, multiple crops were covered in ’06.

The program agenda was designed to deliver a comprehensive overview of general production and selected advanced topics. Attendees were encouraged to pre-register and select the concurrent sessions they wished to attend.  Novice attendees could select schedules different from those with more experience.  The single-day agendas include general agronomy, growth staging, fertility, weed, insect, and plant disease management, and other specialty topics. The educational programming was split between lecture and lab formats. The lab formats are the most popular.

All crops colleges used classrooms and labs on local Minnesota University system higher education campuses; most were UMN regional campuses. Higher ed facilities were available to UMN Extension without cost. The college campuses provided access to dissecting and microscopes, lab rooms for plant dissection and soil processing, AV equipment and computer labs; such equipment was not easily available in field day settings. The facilities were considered key to the format and the program’s success. Colleges were held during semester breaks so rooms were available.

Single day attendance ranged from the low 90’s to 150+. The higher attendance numbers were less desirable, making lab sessions too crowded for effective hands-on activities. Fees ranged from $30 to $40. Sponsors helped lower costs to participants. Sponsors included the MN Soybean and Corn Growers Associations, and ag industry.