WOODBURY — The Ellis Clark Regional Agriscience Program’s most recent purchase has arrived at Nonnewaug.

The program ordered a John Deere 5057E tractor and a John Deere 6×4 diesel Gator during the summer, both of which have been received by appreciative and excited NHS students. 

“The new tractor is nice because it’s a fresh start so we shouldn’t have any problems like we have had on other tractors in the past,” said agriscience student Noah Zupan. “It is also nice to have the backhoe on it as well because we have already used it a lot for storm cleanup and ag projects. It is useful so far.”

For students like Zupan, this equipment allows the agriscience curriculum to cover even more unique hands-on content. 

“The gator is also going to benefit the program,” said Zupan. “The gator is able to do more tasks like towing trailers that are too small for the tractors. It will allow us to get from point A to point B easier, and also allow us to move smaller objects where the tractor is overkill. In my opinion, they are both beneficial to our program.”

It’s clear to agriscience students that this investment in new equipment is already making a difference. 

“The tractor can do pretty much anything the [previous tractor] Case could and then some,” said Nonnewaug mechanics teacher Andrew Zielinski. “[This investment] keeps the fleet modernized so that people can learn what’s on the market currently.”

In courses like agricultural mechanics, having the new John Deere Gator isn’t just helpful, it’s integral to tackle projects like moving topsoil, mulch, or large tools for class projects. 

“The Gator is going to benefit our program in some good ways,” said senior Thomas Lengyel. “It is going to allow us to be able to do different things by towing and moving stuff with the gator instead of a tractor. It will allow us to do a lot more jobs in the program.”