Ivy Tech Wabash Valley gets go-ahead for Ag Equipment Tech Center Construction

INDIANAPOLIS – State Rep. Clyde Kersey (D-Terre Haute) said the State Budget Committee approved Ivy Tech Wabash Valley’s request to proceed with the preparations necessary to create the Precision Agriculture Equipment Technology Center of Excellence in Terre Haute.

The approval for the $2,952,000 project came during the committee’s meeting today on the Ball State University Campus.

“The project will renovate and convert a warehouse into lab space and classrooms for the new Precision Agriculture Equipment Technology Center of Excellence,” explained Kersey. “I am particularly excited about the creation of this new program. It is groundbreaking and state-of-the-art because it combines computer technology with GPS and mapping software to record and track yield information.

“The program will train students for good-paying jobs in a rapidly growing industry as well as provide higher yields for farmers and economic development opportunities for Indiana’s rural communities,” added Kersey. “I appreciate the leadership of Ivy Tech Chancellor Jonathan Weinzapfel, Sen. Joe Donnelly for helping secure the federal grant, and the State Budget Committee for voting for the project to proceed.”

The nearly $3 million project will be funded through a federal matching grant from the Economic Development Administration through the U.S. Department of Commerce. Donnelly is a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry.

The property that will be renovated and prepared is already owned by Ivy Tech at the southern Vigo County Industrial Park. The warehouse will be converted into two classrooms and 12 bay learning labs. In addition, the HVAC and exhaust removal system will be updated.