Progress is accelerating at the Arkansas Tech University Farm Credit Agriculture Building construction site.
The concrete pad for the building was poured on Thursday, June 26, and it is anticipated the metal building that will constitute the exterior of the facility will be erected in early July. Interior finishes and equipment installation will follow.
Scheduled to open in late 2025, the Farm Credit Agriculture Building will house welding equipment, a tool storage area, classroom space, laboratory space and other equipment that will be utilized by the ATU agriculture program.
Farm Credit, Arkansas Farm Bureau, Greenway Equipment, Arvest Bank and Union Bank are among the financial contributors making the construction project possible. Mobley Concrete donated the concrete for the foundation. The building will be outfitted with equipment provided by a $730,000 federal grant earned for ATU by Congressman Steve Womack.
The federal funds will allow for the purchase of equipment that will be utilized in animal science, plant science and agriculture mechanics and will benefit Arkansas Tech students on the agriculture business and agricultural education tracks.
The grant will also allow for the purchase of virtual and augmented reality welding systems that will help future K-12 agriculture teachers prepare for lessons they will teach in their classrooms.
Learn more about the ATU agriculture program at www.atu.edu/agriculture.
