Heartland Community College breaks ground on $23M ag building

College officials hope to have the building completed in the fall of 2023. (Photo courtesy: Steve Fast/Heartland Community College)

By Heart of Illinois ABC

NORMAL – Ground has been broken on the new 29,500 square foot Ag facility at Heartland Community College.

Ground was broken Tuesday during a ceremony, which featured Heartland staff, students, local officials, and agriculture industry leaders.

The building, according to the college, will be located on the west side of the main Heartland campus on Raab Road in Normal.

“By expanding our agriculture education pathways to include not only three degree programs but also additional certificate programs, we are seeking to meet the Ag workforce needs of the present and also the future,” said Heartland Community College President Keith Cornille in a statement. “With this facility we will have the learning spaces needed for plant science, soil analysis, precision planting technology, drone technology, heavy equipment, agribusiness, and the many other types of instruction tied to this diverse industry.”

Cornille also says the facility will be used as a resource to engage community youth, especially for school field trips, FFA members, 4H Club members, and others.

College officials hope to have the building completed in the fall of 2023.

Heart of Illinois ABC can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…