Local
THE DAVIS ENTERPRISE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2022 B5
Woodland Community College ag program continues growth By Jim Smith Special to The Enterprise Everyone has a seat at the table of Woodland Community College’s agriculture program its roll could expand even more as the nation combats food insecurity. Just recently, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited the Yolo Food Bank in Woodland to announce a $43 million purchase assistance cooperative agreement to support local growers supply food to those in need. The program was authorized through President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. It will allow the California Department of Social Services to seek, purchase and distribute locally grown produce and processed food from underserved producers. That could mean a growing interest in the Woodland College’s ag program, where students can take courses that span everything from backyard gardening, to soil and pest management, ag economics, even drone operations or integrated, vertical farming. As both Candice StaffordBanks, a professor of agriculture, and Brandi Asmus, the program’s director, reported the intent to give students “a taste” of what’s necessary to successfully cultivate plants or manage livestock. Asmus was hired in early 2008 as the school’s first full-time agriculture instructor, now serving as its director. She has watched the program grow in popularity, cultivating relationships with area
high schools and universities to attract students as well as offer advanced education. Stafford-Banks has a background in agricultural pests and has a bachelor of science and master of science degrees in entomology from UC Riverside, along with a Ph.D. in plant pathology from UC Davis. Asmus holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science ad received a master’s degree in animal science with an emphasis in physiology from UCD. After graduating she spent two years in private industry as a food technologist. She has been teaching since 2004 at both the college and university levels. Since Asmus was hired she has formed partnerships with area school districts to expand agriculture and natural resource-related programs focused on production and management. Asmus has also overseen the installation of two greenhouses along with a 1-acre “garden” that doubles as a classroom along with providing fresh food for the student pantry which caters to those who are food insecure. The greenhouses are critical because of the large number of seed companies in Yolo County, which use greenhouses for cultivation and research. Both Stafford-Banks and Asmus receive help from other instructors as well as the Yolo County Master Gardeners. Overall, the college now offers
To SUBSCRIBE to The Davis Enterprise, please visit davisenterprise.com/subscribe For LEGAL NOTICES, email legals@davisenterprise.net or call Shawn at 530-747-8061
Some people, Asmus explained, want to be veterinarians, but they need to understand the realities, which include high suicide rates. Others want more information on integrated farming, including hydroponics, which means experimenting with plant growth both indoors and in the fields. Some programs require mentorships so students can get reallife experience in the fields, specifically when it comes to a course like agricultural economics which looks at how a productive farming operation can make money while following a myriad of regulations. Jim Smith/Woodland Community College photo
Woodland Community College professor Candice Stafford-Banks shows how plants like corn have been modified over the years at the school’s garden and outdoor laboratory. degrees and certificates in not just agriculture, but environmental horticulture, animal science, ag business, plant science sustainable agriculture and plant protection. Basic courses include those in environmental science, general zoology, general botany, general biology and a variety of programs on chemistry, soils, water fertilizers and plant nutrition, weed science, economic entomology and pest management. Asmus says that today, there are around 400 students, although that has to be tempered somewhat due to the lingering effects of the coronavirus pan-
demic, which curtailed on-site learning. Asmus said she gets a great deal of satisfaction of being able to maintain connections and watching students advance. “I can tell you where my very first student is right now,” she said. “She’s at Pierce High School as an educator and she is sending students to us. Another went to UC Davis and now works for Bayer.” While Asmus’ focus is on animals, Stafford-Banks spends more times on plants and pest management. Together they work at offering students the information needed for them to make career choices.
Stafford-Banks endorses that idea, noting that California’s regulations in terms of pesticides and fertilizers are onerous but necessary. “It’s very hard on our farmers, but very good for our citizens. Our citizens are far more protected than in other states,” because of those regulations said Stafford-Banks while walking among squash, corn and other vegetable crops at the school’s 1-acre garden. “So, when you buy your produce, it’s always good to see where it comes from,” she continued. “Ideally, everyone would buy from a farmer’s market … And we talk about that a lot in my food system class where we start out with dirt and end up with transportation.” — Woodland Community College