Dozens of community members, educators and industry partners gathered at the Refinery in Garden City April 7 to celebrate the unveiling of Newman University’s newest educational asset: The Smart Mobile Agriculture Lab.
The more than $1 million climate-controlled trailer — described as the region’s largest mobile “ag lab” — allows students to develop hands-on skills using cutting-edge agricultural technology, from drone operation to tractor driving simulations, before they ever enter the workforce.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, spoke ahead of the ribbon-cutting and credited Congressionally Directed Spending as the financial backbone of the project. Congress authorized $1.2 million to support the partnership between Newman University and Garden City Community College.
“I am pleased to work with Newman University to expand access to higher education in Southwest Kansas,” Moran said. “This new mobile agriculture lab is just one of the many efforts Newman has made to provide accessible education to students across our state.”
Moran also addressed the broader promise the lab represents for a region heavily dependent on agriculture.
“You do not have to go away to be a success,” he said. “You can stay in your home community, stay in Kansas and receive the necessary education and become a successful citizen.”
Newman University President Kathleen Jagger, Ph.D., MPH said the lab reflects both the university’s founding mission and its vision for the future.
“This mobile ag technology lab is the showplace of our ag tech management degree program from Newman,” Jagger said. “It represents a forward-thinking investment in our students, our workforce and, of course, our agricultural future in the state of Kansas.”
Jagger noted that agriculture today looks vastly different than previous generations.
“Innovation is necessary to stay abreast of the possibilities,” she said. “This degree program builds both technological skills, like you’ll see in the lab, but also business and management knowledge.”
Alden Stout, vice president of academic affairs, reflected on how far the partnership between Newman and its Southwest Kansas community college partners has come since those early conversations.
“We are excited to present the Newman mobile agriculture lab to the community,” Stout said. “We are confident that this addition will redefine agricultural education at all Newman campuses and cannot wait to see our students learn and grow using this resource.”
The partnership, branded as the HERE program — Higher Education Right here — connects Newman University with Garden City Community College, Dodge City Community College and Seward County Community College, allowing students in Southwest Kansas to earn a bachelor’s degree without leaving their communities. Stout said the university now offers more than 12 programs through that partnership, with the agriculture tech management degree among the newest.
Carlie Rooney, assistant professor and director of Newman’s agriculture technology management program, said the reception from community members touring the trailer has been enthusiastic.
“People have been really blown away in opening their eyes to what we use these different technologies for in agriculture,” Rooney said. “We’re able to operate it and bring it throughout the community to different communities and throughout Kansas.”
Rooney said students will be able to use the technology during their time at partner community colleges, conducting data analysis and developing prototypes for innovative technologies. The lab’s mobility also means Newman can bring training directly to industry.
“We’ve done some AI training with different industries and we can do that all in this mobile classroom and have access to all of our technologies,” Rooney said.
As for what she is most excited about, Rooney didn’t hesitate.
“I’m also really excited to use the drone with my students,” she said. “The data analysis that’s more high-level — that’s definitely something students are interested in looking at and analyzing.”
Newman University students from Southwest Kansas to the Wichita campus can make use of the mobile ag lab beginning in summer 2026. The lab was made possible in part by sponsors American Implement, MJE, Garden City Co-op and Heartland Soil Services.
Agricultural Technology Management
The program is designed to meet strong student and employer demand for agribusiness education in the region.
