For Immediate Release
Contact: Daniel Wackershauser, Marketing Specialist
Phone: 608.822.2303
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: December 5, 2023
Partnership results in engine donations to Ag Power program
Fennimore -
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College’s Agricultural Power and Equipment Technician program received two significant donations earlier this year. Thanks to Deere & Company, in collaboration with Hillsboro Equipment, Inc, students will have the opportunity to hone their skills on two brand new engines. One engine is a 6.8L JD engine and the other a 9L JD engine with a combined value of $88,622. “This is an exciting donation for our Ag Power program,” said Deb Ihm, agriculture development and outreach specialist at Southwest Tech. “It will allow our students to work on advanced machinery. It wouldn’t have been possible without our strong partnerships with John Deere and Hillsboro Equipment. As employers of our graduates, they know how important it is for students to have hands-on training opportunities on this equipment.”
Corey Tolle, territory customer support manager with John Deere, along with Don Slama, owner of Hillsboro Equipment, and Sally Kraemer, CFO, of Hillsboro Equipment, were on the Southwest Tech campus last spring to speak with program students.
The conversation between Southwest Tech, John Deere and Hillsboro Equipment officials that led to the donation began at the 2022 World Dairy Expo. The engines were delivered to campus mid-April. Program instructors, John Kvigne and Justin Rounds are excited about these new lab tools as they will be incorporated into electrical and engines courses. The next steps are to run power to the engines with the hopes of getting a diagnostic software in which students would be able to determine faults in the engines.
| Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, is one of 16 institutions that comprise the Wisconsin Technical College System. 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 students for family-sustaining jobs and career advancement. |