The Faculty of Agriculture and Technology of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (FAT USB), with financial support from the Annual Educational Plan of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, organized two workshops for high school students.
The workshops were aimed at providing high school students with practical exposure to modern agricultural technologies. They also aimed to motivate future high school graduates (not only from agrarian fields) to pursue agricultural programs at universities, precisely by acquainting them with progressive technologies emerging in agriculture in recent years. Students gained practical experience in handling and using Agriculture 4.0 technologies within the educational events.
The first workshop took place on April 17, 2024, at the School Farm of the Secondary Vocational School and Higher Vocational School in Tábor. It specifically focused on using robotic systems in animal production, with a practical demonstration of a milking robot from Lely company. The second workshop occurred on May 7 on the premises of FAT USB. Students had the opportunity to visit the International Training and Development Center of DeLaval company and the Robotics Development Center of the Department of Engineering and Cybernetics. The program then shifted its focus to modern technologies in plant production. Students were introduced to ROBOTON – an autonomous agricultural robot – from TERMS a.s. and the utilisation of unmanned systems in agricultural primary production and protection of young animals in crops. Drone capabilities were demonstrated during a practical showcase.
During the workshops, students were introduced to the study opportunities at FAT USB, which mainly focused on developmental projects and the possibilities for student involvement in these programs. Nineteen students attended the workshop in Měšice, and forty students participated at FAT USB.