By Kaitlyn Parker, External Affairs Intern
Montgomery County is seeing tangible returns from the expansion of Montgomery Community College’s advanced agricultural training and Sustainable Agriculture programs.
In 2020, the Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded Montgomery Community College $375,000 to develop an agriculture program to train current and future growers with best practices in farming and business, advanced technologies, and sustainable techniques. Golden LEAF funding supported the construction of a greenhouse and high-tunnel, as well as the purchase of equipment and instructional supplies.
A total of 961 participants attended agricultural training, including field days and similar events. In addition, 1,093 students received meaningful exposure and opportunities to explore local career options. So far, the program has had eight program completers continue their studies at NC State University or NC A&T State University in an agriculture-related curriculum.
“The program brought a higher level of agricultural training opportunities to our county,” said Kimberly Johnson, Montgomery Community College Sustainable Agriculture Instructor. “Expanding the program at the college brought the idea to the forefront to our students that agriculture can lead to post-secondary education and careers. It’s all about how we can connect our community to the workforce.”
A new Career and Technical Education center, housed at the county’s sole consolidated high school, was constructed adjacent to the college. The location of the program to the high school helps increase the pipeline to community college programs and ultimately to careers.
“Students can walk directly from the high school to take classes in our CTE building,” said Johnson. “It’s truly an educational campus. Students with the high school CTE, at the early college, and taking community college classes all work out of the same facility. It’s very interesting and sort of unique, and other districts are thinking about using this same localized model.”
Montgomery Community College emphasizes hands-on experience across various industries and academic systems to prepare students and farmers for today’s agricultural challenges. Along with offerings related to traditional horticulture and animal husbandry, foundational plant sciences, micro propagation, and orchard floor biodiversity, the program teaches greenhouse production and high tunnel applications.
“We need to bring learning by experience to the forefront for our students,” said Johnson. “Building systems thinking – working through real-world challenges by considering all factors that contribute to a situation – is so important. Students might have thought about agriculture from a farming perspective, but then we show them all the possibilities and connections across the industry. If you know how to think with a systems approach, it will serve you well in any area of work.”
The greenhouse and high tunnel are community resources, used not only by Montgomery Community College’s agriculture training programs, but by High School students, community center members, and the Montgomery County Master Gardener volunteers, part of the Cooperative Extension program with North Carolina State University.
“Students are getting greenhouse hours and volunteer hours by working in the greenhouse each spring,” said Johnson. “We’ve used it as a community resource, needed as a hands-on space for both short-term and long-term classes in greenhouse basics and operations. There was a need for a sturdier high-tunnel as well because of its location right in the middle of campus. It gives students experience with crop season extension, sustainable growing, raised herb beds, soil science, and different seasonal crops.”
Such hands-on experiences count for more than just industry knowledge, but college transfer credit as well. Montgomery Community College has 1+3 and 2+2 transfer agreements with North Carolina State University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University which allow students to seamlessly transition into pursuit of a four-year degree.
“We want to make sure they’re actually getting as much credit possible for what they’re taking here,” said Johnson. “We are proud to say that we’ve had several transfers already. Many students have gone on to NC State in agricultural sciences and education. One student graduated in agriculture sciences from NC State is now working for a poultry contractor. Two young ladies are pre-vet. I’m so proud of them, because they’re starting a big journey.”
The most impactful part of Montgomery Community College’s mission is supporting the students who want to return to their rural hometowns.
“A strong part of our mission is facilitating the idea that people can take jobs in their local communities,” said Johnson. “More of our students move into roles like working in local farms, florists, and gardens. They work as technicians in the Sandhills Research Station, poultry farms, and open up businesses of their own.”
Just like their crops, agriculture programs take time to reach maturity.
“Programs do not grow overnight, they grow authentically,” said Johnson. “I love seeing how this project has spread from being a community college project to a community project.”