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Kreher Center will revamp LLCC ag program

Lincoln Land Community College in central Illinois has started construction on a new ag center that will bring more opportunities to agriculture students.

Ag program coordinator Bill Harmon tells Brownfield the center will be named after Charles and Irene Kreher who left their $18 million estate to the LLCC ag program.

He says the Kreher Center will include a state-of-the-art technology lab with combine and sprayer simulators.

“We are able to put a student in front of either one of these and let them experience the machine and learn what they can and can’t do and see mistakes in the virtual world without potential to any damage to a quarter of a million dollar or more piece of equipment.”

He says there will also be a large open building for hands-on projects.

“If our horticulture students want to do some practice on landscaping work like building a patio in February, we have a space that is heated where that can bring the bobcat in and get that hands-on component that ag students want.”

Harmon says the center will allow all ag classes to be housed in one place on campus and will have more student lounges and collaboration rooms. The Kreher Center is expected to be open for the Spring 2021 semester.