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PCHS ag teacher partners with Illinois Extension for free resources

Unmanned aerial vehicles, often called drones, can help farmers observe their crops and save countless steps through the fields. The video from a drone can show a farmer the health of an area with a focus on water issues, fertilizer needs, or disease detection. 

Anna Shupe, who teaches agriculture classes at Paris Cooperative High School, knows the role drones will play in the future of farming. Shupe is starting the second year of using the Quads Away 4-H curriculum and a drone from the local Illinois Extension Office to teach her Ag Science sophomores critical skills.

 "I am teaching the students the importance of drones in the ag industry and the regulations they must follow," says Shupe. "Additionally, they become certified to operate a recreational drone legally and obtain a TRUST certificate." 

The curriculum teaches aerospace principles, such as weight, lift, drag and thrust, and allows students access to online resources such as University of Illinois and NASA experiments. Students also study how the different components of a drone work together to make it fly and practice making maneuver predictions based on specific scenarios. 

Illinois Extension STEM Specialist Keith Jacobs adds, "The curriculum was written to teach youth the basics of being a safe recreational flyer while also sparking their interest in the potentially lucrative career pathways provided by this technology." 

Once the students understand the flight basics and the rules that govern drone use, they are ready to take to the sky. According to Shupe, "The 4-H curriculum offers excellent instruction on how to fly the drone, plus we watched online videos." She adds the students practice flying forward, backward, up, and down and even learn to program the drone to fly different patterns. 

As part of the Ag Science educational program, Shupe spends about three to four weeks on drone instruction during the spring semester. One aspect new to this year's teaching will be having students map fields and interpret data. She says, "I also hope to have speakers come into the classroom to talk about drones in agriculture." As part of a final project, students create a video using the drone.

Shupe says she looks forward to working with Illinois Extension in the future and learning about additional resources she can use in her other classes. 

To learn more about resources available for your classroom or 4-H club or other opportunities available to area youth, call the Edgar County Extension Office at 217-465-8585. You can also email 4-H Program Coordinator Maria Crandell.

About Illinois 4-H: Illinois 4-H is the flagship youth development program of University of Illinois Extension and is administered through the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. 4-H grows true leaders, youth empowered for life today and prepared for a career tomorrow. The hands-on approach in 4-H gives young people guidance, tools, and encouragement and puts them in the driver's seat to make great things happen. 

 

About Extension: Illinois Extension leads public outreach for University of Illinois by translating research into action plans that allow Illinois families, businesses, and community leaders to solve problems, make informed decisions, and adapt to changes and opportunities.