Horticulture students from the Mequon campus program did very well in this year’s PLANET competition – not the solar system one – but rather the Professional Landcare Network.
It is a well respected national trade organization that seeks “to advance opportunity and professionalism for the green industry” as stated on its website.
For 38 years MATC students have been participating in unique categories such as Turf and Weed Identification and Irrigation Assembly; just a few among 25 total categories.
Seventeen students attended the competition in Fort Collins, Colo., from March 21-23 which includes both two-year and four- year institutions.
According to Carol Bangs, instructor in the program, MATC placed 29th out of 65 schools overall; not an easy task with competition from such schools as Kansas State, Virginia Tech, and Brigham Young University.
Nick Weber placed fourth in the compact excavator operation event out of 48 other contenders from different schools; and Dave Witt took the 10th place spot out of  99 for woody ornamental plant identification. Congratulations to all 17 students who represented MATC!
The Landscape Horticulture program has three tracks including: design, construction, and maintenance/arboriculture; it leads to an Associate in Applied Science degree.
For information on the program contact Mequon Student Services at 262-238-2300.