Carl Hahn graduated from Blackhawk Technical College’s Agribusiness program in 2010. Today, he is an Agronomy Systems Specialist at Insight FS, a retail division of Growmark, which is headquartered in Jefferson, Wisconsin.
“The path I chose that led me to Blackhawk was certainly not a traditional one,” Hahn said. “I grew up on the family farm in Clinton, Wisconsin, and was immersed in a rural small-town community–and I absolutely loved it. However, I also had a pretty strong interest in human biology, so I decided to major in biology in college. It was a normal pre-med path. However, as school dragged on, my interest waned in that path. After some soul searching, I realized that the only thing that was going to make me truly happy in my career was one that was in ag.”
Hahn hit a snag, however. He explained, “I had no idea what kind of jobs were available, and I was completely unprepared for any of them! I had always had a passion for agriculture and, after trying to major in something else at a four-year school, I wanted to do something I actually loved and didn’t want to start over to do it.”
That’s when he discovered that Blackhawk had a one-year technical diploma program in Agribusiness.
“It was in this course that I discovered the world of Nutrient Management planning and Precision/Digital Ag. I also got my pesticide applicator certification and learned everything I needed to know to take the CDL test as well,” Hahn said. “The thing about agriculture is that it is so broad, you could do almost anything.”
That gave Hahn what he needed for entry into the agribusiness workforce, and he got started in the nutrient management and precision sector.
“I chose nutrient management because it was a new and emerging field, required a competent computer background, which I had, and seemed like it was here to stay. On top of that, we have always tried to be good conservationists and responsible stewards on our farm. This program fit in with how I was brought up in that regard,” Hahn explained. “Fifteen years later, I’ve been able to work myself into a position where I now assess, support, and help develop new technologies for our internal and external customers, as well as train and support those technologies. In other words, Blackhawk launched my career by giving me every tool I needed to succeed–including the knowledge I needed to pass the CCA exams on the first attempt, something that very few people were doing at that time.”
Hahn said a Certified Crop Advisor, or CCA, can sign off on a nutrient management plan, and that certification allowed him to work as a nutrient management specialist as he kept building his career.
These days, most of Hahn’s work centers around a new digital platform that combines imagery, machine data, and AI to analyze and help agronomists and growers make decisions about future operations. He also has been working with soil compaction scanning technology to help farmers pinpoint compaction in their fields.
“I think if I was a high school student interested in agriculture, I wouldn’t look any further than Blackhawk. It gives you all the knowledge you need and puts you in the workforce faster than a four-year school,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to try to find a solution for a problem on your own and fail, especially on the digital ag side. I would have to credit trial and error with my biggest key to success.”
Hahn’s family farm in Clinton keeps him busy when he’s not at work. His eight children are involved in many activities, so they take up the rest of his time, he said.
“I am very much committed to running our family farm and maybe even trying to grow it or make it more economically sustainable for my boys, who are very interested in farming and agriculture as well.”
Find out more about Blackhawk’s Agribusiness program.