Blue Mountain Community College’s new Precision Irrigated Agriculture program instructor Drew Leggett has been asked to speak during the General Session on Wednesday at the Hermiston Farm Fair at the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center.
Leggett will talk about the Precision Irrigated Agriculture (PIA) program at BMCC.
Precision irrigated agriculture utilizes technology like GPS, GIS, infrared and automated sensors to help reduce production costs, and improve yields, making agriculture easier, more accurate and more profitable. BMCC provides an Associate of Applied Science degree in Precision Irrigated Agriculture, as well as four related certificate programs.
Leggett – a BMCC graduate – began teaching at BMCC earlier this fall at the new Precision Irrigated Agriculture Center on the campus of the Oregon State University Hermiston Agricultural Research & Extension Center. Leggett grew up on an irrigated farm in Baker County, and his practical experience in the field and in his research has given him a keen view of the value of precision irrigated agriculture in Eastern Oregon.
Leggett’s presentation on BMCC’s PIA program is at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. He’ll also present Thursday at 4:10 p.m. during the Cereal Session on Optimizing Liming Rates for Low pH Soils in Northern Idaho, which will speak to Leggett’s research while working on his master’s degree at the University of Idaho in the amelioration of acidic soils.
