Indiana is the nation’s 10th largest farming state with nearly 57,000 farming operations. Agriculture contributes more than $31.2 billion to the state’s economy, and is the eighth largest agricultural exporter. The Romain College of Business’ visionary new agribusiness classes support the demand for skills and knowledge in this increasingly sophisticated field. The first offering in the new program was an asynchronous online course titled Business Technology with Advanced Agricultural Applications taught by instructor Ryan Loehrlein '19 M’20. (You may recall he was a member of the team that built and launched USI's UNITE CubeSat, the first orbiting satellite designed by students at an Indiana public university.) Students in the course got a glimpse into the power of using drones to optimize business decisions in agricultural operations.
“I’m obsessed with all things agriculture,” laughed Dr. Katherine Draughon, USI’s Chief Data Officer, when asked what drew her to sign up for the course. Although she didn’t grow up in a farming family, she has a horse farm and acreage in Posey County, Indiana. Taking noncredit courses through USI’s Outreach and Engagement sparked her interest in just how much data is used in farming operations, whether it’s coming from drones or other sources. She wanted to learn more.
While agriculture was the focus of the course, one particular aspect made it attractive to many students: it prepares them to take the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107 exam to obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate. The FAA exam covers regulations, weather, national air space requirements, emergency protocols, airports, radio frequencies, learning to navigate maps—all topics covered in the course.
It paid off for Mark Murry '21, who passed the FAA exam soon after completing the class. He has a casual interest in drones, so the course description grabbed his attention. He noted how impressed he was with how preparatory Loehrlein’s material was. “Before this course I had looked around at buying online tutorials and test prep materials. When it comes down to it, I feel like my dollars were better spent in this course. Even though it had a heavy agriculture aspect to it, I feel like I got my money’s worth.”
Loehrlein said he set high standards for his students because he wanted them to be able to hit the ground running after completing the course. “I’ve been in this industry for nearly 14 years. But just because I understand some of the material doesn’t mean everybody else is going to get it. I really had to figure out how to make sure the material was easily digestible for everyone,” he said. Each section ended with a knowledge check to test students’ grasp of the main concepts. “I was giving them more material to reference if they weren’t understanding something instead of leaving it open ended for them to research.”
Murry started at USI in 2008 as an engineering major. This fall finished his Bachelor of Professional Studies degree with an emphasis on health informatics. Now that he has earned his certification, he said it’s something he can see using as either a hobby or more professionally as a side gig. In fact, he purchased a drone and launched Evansville Aerial, a sole proprietorship that focuses on aerial photos and videos of Evansville and the surrounding area. He has partnered with local media livestreaming events such as the 420 Main Street implosion and documenting the tornado aftermath in Kentucky.
Draughon plans to continue studying and practicing with a neighbor’s drone to prepare for taking the FAA test. She is looking forward to future class offerings and notes that there is a lot of agricultural business in the area that people may not be aware of. “There is a real opportunity for the Romain College here, and I would encourage the College to continue down this path, perhaps offering an Ag track as part of the MBA. Just the data aspect of agriculture could open up a new world that students may not think about.”
Loehrlein will be teaching the class again in 2022 in Summer 1.