The Climax-Shelly ISD 592 Agriculture Department is proud to announce it has been selected as one of 11 schools across Minnesota to receive a Drone Class Pack through the MN FFA STEM Grants Program. The grant will provide the department with five DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo (DJI RC) drones with 4K camera capability, along with instructor training to ensure students are prepared to put the technology to work from day one.
The grant, valued at approximately $3,600 plus training, is the result of a competitive statewide application process. Being selected out of a field of applicants is a testament to the direction our program is headed and the value our school community places on hands-on, career-relevant learning.
Students will begin working with the drones in the 2026-27 school year. The curriculum will introduce students to land mapping and explore the broader potential that drone technology offers in agriculture and natural resources — two fields where unmanned aerial systems are rapidly becoming an industry standard. From crop scouting and field analysis to natural resource management, the ability to operate and interpret drone data is becoming a real-world skill that our students need to be competitive.
Climax-Shelly ISD Principal Lucas Soine says, “This latest grant is just another one of the ways our Agriculture program at Climax-Shelly ISD is leading the way to putting technology at the hands of our students in order to develop the farmers of tomorrow, Drones can be used for crop survey, land mapping and disease detecting just to name a few of the possibilities. This is just the next step in the evolution of our Ag program at Climax-Shelly ISD.”
The Climax-Shelly-Fisher FFA chapter will play an active role in integrating this technology into the program, reinforcing the chapter’s commitment to preparing students for careers in agriculture, food, and natural resources. Drone technology is one more tool we can put in students’ hands that directly connects classroom learning to what’s happening in the industry.
