A collaboration between South Central College in North Mankato and Minnesota State University, Mankato, aims to keep the next generation studying agriculture in southern Minnesota.
In early October, the two institutions announced an agreement called 2+2 that will allow SCC students to take courses on the North Mankato campus for up to three years while working toward a bachelor’s degree to be completed at MSUM, in the newly formed School of Applied Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. It is unique in that it also provides for MSUM students to take courses at SCC.
That new development suits Kaden Ernst and Brian Larsen just fine, they say. Both are in their third year at SCC, and are two of the first students to take advantage of the 2+2 program. If not for this bachelor’s degree opportunity, their academic career may have been over, they say.
Ernst of Northfield, Minn., started growing sweet corn and pumpkins as a freshman in high school, and enrolled at SCC in fall 2022 for an agribusiness production degree. SCC offers Associates of Applied Science degrees and prior to the 2+2 program, Ernst and like-minded students would have to transfer to a college out of the area to complete an agronomy bachelor’s degree.
“About a year ago our teacher [T.J. Brown at SCC] came to a couple students and said that the 2+2 program was going to happen over at MSU,” Ernst says.
INK THE DEAL: Annette Parker, president of South Central College, and Edward Inch, president of Minnesota State University, Mankato, officially sign an agreement making it possible for students earning their Associate of Applied Science in Agribusiness degree from SCC to seamlessly transfer into MSUM’s new Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Agronomy program.
Though he would like to expand his sweet corn and pumpkin business — selling over 2,000 pumpkins and 6,000 dozen ears of sweet corn a year — Ernst also sees potential of working in industry, “being an agronomist or working somewhere in the ag field.”
Larsen stayed close to home in North Mankato, but his grandfather had a farm in the East Chain area that his father now runs. Admitting he came to SCC with limited ag knowledge, he knew enough about the industry that he wanted to find a home in it.
“I went the route of working with an industry partner, which revolves into the 2+2 program. Then, I’ll have that bachelor’s degree under my belt for my resume,” Larsen says.
He plans to work in industry, with an eye on acquiring a piece of land to call his own in the future — “which I know is really hard,” he says, “but I hope to work toward that.”
Rooted in southern Minnesota
Before the SCC-MSUM agronomy degree partnership, SCC students would have to transfer to another university, taking them outside of the southern Minnesota area. In state, an agronomy degree is achievable at the University of Minnesota campuses in St. Paul and Crookston, or a lot of southern Minnesota students are lured to South Dakota State University, University of Wisconsin-River Falls or Iowa State University.
SIGNS OF CHANGE: The newly formed School of Applied Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources is an endeavor by Minnesota State University, Mankato, to strengthen secondary education offerings in agriculture for southern Minnesota.
“I’m hopeful that this partnership will allow a graduate from SCC with an Associate of Applied Science in agribusiness to seamlessly transfer to the bachelor of applied science and agronomy at Minnesota State, Mankato,” says Amy Durand, SCC dean of agriculture.
Durand credits T.J Brown at SCC and Ryan Wersal at MSUM for a lot of the leg work over the past few years to get this partnership into reality.
Recognizing the strength of agriculture in southern Minnesota, Aaron Budge says this SCC-MSUM partnership works to support the industry.
“Our organizations need to evolve to meet the needs of the ag industry and the students,” says Budge, interim executive director of the School of Applied Ag at MSUM, “so we are taking a proactive approach by joining forces through our new strategic collaboration.”
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