Federal grant to help establish ag careers at Hartnell and CSUMB

SALINAS >> The Food Safety Modernization Act requires all fresh food facilities to have food safety inspectors with the proper education and credentials.

And thanks to a grant just awarded to Hartnell College and CSU Monterey Bay, Monterey County students will soon be able to get skills needed to get into those careers.

Hartnell and CSUMB will establish two new agricultural programs: food safety management and plant and soil science degrees. The bachelor degrees will be jumpstarted with a grant close to $290,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"The ideas is for students to earn an (associate of arts) diploma here and when they finish they can obtain a bachelor's" said Susan Pheasant, director of the Agricultural, Business and Technology Institute at Hartnell. "We have one in agribusiness now and this is to expand it in areas needed by the industry and wanted by the students."

An existing partnership between Hartnell and CSUMB allows for students to complete their agribusiness degree with studies in both institutions. The degree started in 2016, and the two new majors would follow a similar path.

The food safety major would likely start in 2018 and plant soil the year after, Pheasant said.

"The vibrant agriculture industry of the Central Coast is reliant upon the work of qualified agricultural scientists," said Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, in a prepared statement announcing the funds. "This USDA-funded grant will provide CSUMB with the resources necessary to establish an effective partnership with Hartnell College that not only benefits this region's agriculture industry, but also provides opportunities to students in our local community."