A program offered by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences will help meet the needs of the turfgrass and agricultural equipment industry for highly qualified service technicians.

The Turfgrass and Agricultural Equipment (TAE) Service Technician Certificate program will train technicians to meet the needs of this service area.

Developed with input from industry representatives serving on an advisory council, this two-year certificate program is offered at the University Park campus through a two-year sequence of four eight-week sessions.

“Offering the TAE program in four eight-week sessions each year allows individuals to work in the turfgrass and agricultural equipment industry when not at school,” says James Hilton, associate professor of agricultural engineering and program director. “Sessions will be offered back-to-back with the fall session running from mid-October through late December, and the spring session running from mid-January through early March.”

The first-year curriculum includes mathematics for turfgrass and agricultural service technicians, hydraulic applications, engine technology, electrical systems, computer basics and applications, safe equipment transport and shop practice, communications and public relations, power transmission applications, turfgrass and agricultural equipment, and business concepts.

Subjects covered during the second year include electronic applications, electro-hydraulics and hydrostatics, agronomy or turfgrass principles, machinery management for turfgrass, written communications and agriculture business applications, inventory management, agricultural equipment operation, shop management, turfgrass and agricultural equipment operation, irrigation systems and water management, power units, traction and weight transfer, and diagnostics, repair, and maintenance.

The curriculum covers more than just engines, hydraulics and electrical systems, according to Hilton. It also includes equipment operation and adjustment, plus computer, business, and management skills to allow service technicians to increase their contribution and become an integrated part of a successful business.

For more information, contact James W. Hilton by mail at The Pennsylvania State University, 232 Agricultural Engineering Building, University Park, Pa. 16802; by phone at 814-863-1817; or by e-mail at jwh2@psu.edu. You can also visit the program’s Web site at www.age.psu.edu/tae.

—Jeff Mulhollem