Hendry County CTE leaders announced a $1.7 million grant to expand agricultural technology training, saying the funds will buy drones, analytics tools and unmanned-tractor systems for local high schools.

CTE director Ms. Goff told the board the district was one of seven school districts in Florida awarded funds through the state’s CAC workforce development grant. “This is a $1.7 million opportunity to increase AI and advanced technology in our agriculture programs,” she said, and added the award follows local stakeholder conversations with farmers and producers about the technology they expect to use in the next three to five years.

Ms. Goff described equipment that will be purchased for LaBelle and Clouston high school programs: pesticide-application drones, drone-based analytics, worker- and equipment-tracking tools, and — as the technology matures — unmanned tractors that can be driven by tablet. She said the grant will also fund facility upgrades and some Wi-Fi infrastructure improvements so students can use and troubleshoot the systems on-site.

Board members asked whether the grant covers Wi‑Fi upgrades; Ms. Goff said it does and that district IT will be involved. Several board members praised the program’s high certification rates; Ms. Goff noted the district ranks in the state’s top five for industry certifications and reported a 75% pass rate for credentials.

Ms. Goff said the district plans to put equipment on-site and to use it as a hands-on teaching lab so students can analyze, maintain and troubleshoot advanced agricultural systems prior to workforce entry. The district intends to publicize opportunities to students and the community once equipment arrives.