AgCentric receives $129,579 NSF supplement to advance Agricultural Robotics and Automation
Agriculture educators from across the country will have another opportunity to help shape how robotics and automation are taught in high school classrooms after AgCentric secured an additional $129,579 from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Agricultural Robotics and Automation Technologies (ARAT) project…
National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Agricultural Robotics and Automation Technologies (ARAT) project. Supported through the NSF Advanced Technological Education program, ARAT is developing classroom-ready curriculum and professional development to help secondary educators prepare students for technician careers in agricultural robotics, automation and related.
The curriculum is organized around three agricultural pathways: Animal Science, Plant Systems and Food Processing. The project is led through a partnership between AgCentric and Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE), working with Minnesota State colleges and industry collaborators.
What Happened
CASE has been instrumental throughout the project, helping develop the curriculum and prepare teachers through professional development. Together, CASE and AgCentric coordinate the national field testing and support the collection of classroom feedback for continued revisions.
Agriculture educators from across the country will have another opportunity to help shape how robotics and automation are taught in high school classrooms after AgCentric secured an additional $129,579 from the U.S.
The supplemental award will support the next phase of national curriculum field testing and educator training, including a Food Processing-focused field test planned for summer 2027.
Awarded July 15, 2026, the supplement increases total obligated federal support for NSF Award No.
Key Details
The curriculum uses inquiry- and project-based instruction and is designed to be adaptable so educators can use individual units or combine them to fit local programs, geographies and communities. They worked through hands-on activities involving sensors, automated agricultural vehicles and an automated.
Since the project began in July 2024, ARAT has moved from curriculum development into national field testing, revision and dissemination.
During two 2025 field-test cohorts at Central Lakes College in Staples, 31 high school agriculture instructors representing 20 states tested the Animal Science portion of the curriculum.
In June 2026, 20 additional agriculture educators representing 11 states and Puerto Rico tested the Plant Systems portion at St.
Why It Matters
Their feedback helped strengthen lessons in electricity, programming, automation, inputs, logic and outputs, as well as lesson anchors and transfer tasks. Participants explored sensors, coding, robotics, automation, irrigation and data-driven decision-making through classroom activities, technical-college connections and a farm visit.
The final field test, planned for summer 2027, will focus on Food Processing.
As these instructors implement the new curriculum in their classrooms, they are positioned to directly reach nearly 1,400 students.
What Reports Say
Coverage of the story so far points to:
ARAT-related classroom visits and AgCentric outreach trailer events have reached approximately 3,000 students.
ARAT is also featured in NSF’s ATE Impacts 2026/27 publication, which showcases cutting-edge, community college-based initiatives and the institutions and communities advancing technician education.
Continued reporting by MessageMedia.co as more details emerge
