Career in a year

As agricultural technology advances, so does the need for highly trained people to operate it.

Despite this demand, the industry struggles to fill jobs with qualified individuals who have the knowledge and skills to successfully perform this increasingly complex work.

A new one-year certificate program at North Central Missouri College (NCMC) in Trenton is launching next fall to help change that trend.

Endorsed by MFA Incorporated, the Agriculture Operations Technology Certificate provides an accelerated pathway toward a successful career in custom application. In just two semesters, the program delivers hands-on education in agronomy, technology, mechanics, safety, compliance and customer partnering while allowing students to gain real-world experience and industry-valued credentials.

“The custom applicator role is very tech-forward, and when we look for talent in that space, sometimes we have a hard time finding folks who meet the criteria,” said Scott Morfeld, MFA Incorporated talent and development manager. “By partnering with a college that has a solid agriculture program and is already integrating students into those hands-on components, we can develop them into highly skilled, full-time employees pretty quickly.”

Custom applicators are crucial to the agricultural industry, ensuring that fertilizer and crop protectants are applied safely and effectively to minimize environmental impact while maximizing crop yield and health. With the MFA collaboration, NCMC is positioning itself to help fill the gaps in the skilled labor needed for this important role, said Rustin Jumps, NCMC agriculture and natural resources instructor.

“We wanted to revamp our agriculture operations technology certificate with a curriculum that enhances career opportunities for our students and helps employers like MFA Incorporated,” Jumps said. “Before, it was more of a general agriculture-type certificate, but now we’re focusing on agronomy-based and precision ag technologies with hands-on career training.”

Along with classroom education, students following the ag operations path can also earn their custom applicator’s license, FAA Part 107 drone license and Class A commercial driver’s license (CDL). MFA recently donated a Peterbilt semi-truck to help facilitate the CDL training, which is new to the program.

“These days, you can’t just go take your CDL exam; you have to go through a standardized training program first. That change in the rules happened in 2022,” explained Kurt Meighen, NCMC agriculture and natural resources instructor. “We will be considered a registered CDL training course, and tuition covers it instead of the student having to go pay for the training on their own.”

All these licenses add to the value of the education for both the student and their future employer, said Morfeld, adding that qualified truck drivers are another hard-to-fill role for MFA.

“Those components really help students stand out and make them highly marketable in the agricultural workforce,” he said. “We would be doing them a disservice if our ag program didn’t help them get those credentials. It just gives them such leverage in the industry.”

MFA-sponsored students who are accepted into the ag operations certificate program are awarded an $8,000 scholarship in exchange for 18 months of full-time employment with MFA beyond graduation. And because NCMC is an A+ Scholarship school, students who are eligible for those funds may use them in addition to the MFA stipend.

The program begins with a 16-week semester from August to December, during which students are enrolled in agronomy-related classes such as plant science, soils and fertilizer, agriculture mechanics and precision agriculture.

“Because these are very focused, one-year certificates, students are taking classes that are specific to their major,” Morfeld said. “They’re learning things that are driven by the industry, and then they get to put that knowledge into use. We’re giving them marketable agronomic skills that truly make them valuable, not only in their career paths but also for the producers MFA serves.”

From January to March, students begin preparing for their CDL and custom applicator license with practical, hands-on training.

“When you actually get to do everything, it’s so much more valuable to your learning instead of just staring at a board and talking about it,” said Kale Rockhold, a current ag operations student. “Our instructors know how to teach you based on how you’re going to understand it, and they are going to let you do it and figure it out. I’ve really enjoyed that.”

The program culminates in an eight-week internship at an MFA retail location from March through May, allowing students to apply their knowledge in a real agricultural setting under the mentorship of seasoned professionals. From there, the internship could turn into full-time employment.

“The internship component of this program is crucial,” said Jack Green, NCMC agriculture and natural resources instructor. “They’re getting eight weeks of on-the-job experience, which is not only a trial run for MFA to see if it’s the right fit, but it also allows the student to figure out if this is really the career path they want.”

Current NCMC student Milo Costner of Chillicothe, Mo., is enrolled in both ag operations and ag business programs and said he expects the certificates to give him an edge when he starts his career.

“Coming out of college, I feel like having the education and the experience will look great on an application,” Simpson said. “It’s all stuff I can use on the job right off the bat. If you don’t want to go to school for four years, this is definitely one of the better options.”

The smaller class size at NCMC is another benefit, added Jaci Davis of Blythedale, Mo., who is working toward her ag operations certificate and several others.

“I’m from a really small high school, and that’s one of the things I like about the program here,” she said. “You get to know everybody, and you can really get one-on-one instruction. It’s a great opportunity.”

Morfeld encourages students who are interested in starting the ag operations certificate in the fall of 2025 to learn more about the program and start the application process. Seating will be limited to ensure optimum class sizes.

“I would highly recommend that anyone who is looking at the program to plan a visit to the college, see the classrooms and equipment, meet the instructors and talk with some of the current students,” Morfeld said. “They’re extremely passionate about agriculture, and that’s one of the reasons we asked them to partner with us.”    

Steps to success

•    The application process starts by being accepted into the MFA-endorsed program. Visit mfa-inc.com/careers, click on “See Current Openings and Apply Online,” and then choose the custom applicator program at North Central Missouri College. 

•    After that, prospective students should schedule a campus tour and apply for admission at ncmissouri.edu. 

•    Once accepted by the college, the student can start the certificate program and be career-ready in one year.

•    For more information, contact MFA Incorporated Recruitment Specialist Johnnie Goings at 573-876-5209 or jgoings@mfa-inc.com.

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