Aaron Spronk participates in national ag competition with Dordt College

2014 Mar 21

Aaron Spronk of Edgerton, Minnesota, was one of the 12 Dordt College agriculture students who participated in the 2014 National PAS (Post-Secondary Agriculture Student) Conference in St. Cloud, Minnesota, held March 12 to 15. Spronk was part of the Crop Specialist team that took 11th place. Spronk is a senior majoring in agriculture.

Three of the four Dordt College teams placed within the top four in their categories and several students earned additional individual honors.

In team competitions, Dordt College took first place in the Swine Specialist contests and fourth in both the Dairy Specialist and Beef Specialist contests. Three students took first place individual honors.

“Dordt’s agriculture students do very well at the national level because they are learning to be problem solvers and critical thinkers,” says Agriculture Instructor and Program Leader Gary De Vries.

“Competitions like this one allow our students to apply what they learn in class to real-world situations judged by professionals in the agriculture community,” he continued. “Students also network with other agriculture students and industry professionals from across the country. These are their teammates working to solve the problem of feeding a growing global population while being faithful stewards of limited natural resources.”

PAS is one of 10 career and technical student organizations approved by the U.S. Department of Education as an integral part of career and technical education. Their motto is “uniting education and industry in agriculture.”

Dordt College from Sioux Center, Iowa, is one of a handful of Christian colleges in North America to offer a four-year agriculture program. Over the past several years, all Dordt agriculture students have found positions within six months of graduating, most much sooner. Graduates enter careers not only in farming and technical service support but also in government, finance, and international development. Learn more at www.dordt.edu/agriculture.