Skip Navigation

Diego Campos-Atilano grew up witnessing his parents work endlessly in the fields of California. He was mesmerized by how much a citrus tree can yield and the various diseases and pests. Being a first-generation college student was challenging, he declared a psychology major but realized it was not for him. He met the project PI and discovered his passion for plant science. Diego was the first student to earn the new AST in Agricultural Plant Science and was accepted into the prestigious Agricultural & Environmental Plant Science program at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He plans to obtain his Pest Control Adviser and Certified Crop Adviser licenses to help citrus and berry growers.

“The Hancock agriculture department demonstrated a learn by doing motto, within its garden and vineyard. I enjoyed being able to go outside and put to use what I learned in the classroom.” – Diego Campos-Atilano

  • Establishment of the Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT): An enthusiastic and engaged Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) was established, with members from multiple sectors of the local agriculture industry involved such as: growers/producers, organic auditor, agriculture bankers, UC cooperative extension agent, USDA Natural Resources Conservation District biologist, Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner, Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau Executive Director, ag engineer, produce safety auditor, ag researcher, ag laboratory manager, pest control advisers, and department heads from every area high school FFA program.  This team meets once each semester to hear updates on the progress of program development and to give input, advice, and guidance for the program. Thanks to the many strong relationships established through the BILT, Allan Hancock College agriculture students have exposure to and offers from multiple industry partners seeking interns and entry-level permanent employees for their agricultural businesses.  New businesses are regularly reaching out to Hancock with job and internship offers for agriculture students.  These students are able to gain the invaluable lessons that can only be learned through work experience, and at the same time, they are making industry connections that will provide them with countless potential career opportunities.  Our industry partners offer extraordinarily valuable paid internship opportunities where students are exposed to current industry practices.
     
  • Development of Curriculum: Substantial progress has been made in the development of new curriculum.  At the urging of the executive board of the California Association of Pest Control Advisers (CAPCA), four new courses were created and launched: Agricultural Plant Pathology, Economic Entomology, Weed Science, and Qualified Applicator training.  These new courses became requirements for the two stackable certificates that were also created and launched: Crop Protection and Pest Control Adviser Preparation.  The project PI has worked closely with CAPCA, local pest control advisers and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to ensure that these new courses and certificates will adequately prepare students to enter fields such as pest control advising, crop protection, certified crop advising, research and development of crop protection materials, and agronomy. This is the only community college program in the region to offer this option to these hard-working individuals who will now be able to possess this incredibly valuable license, thus opening many more doors for their career advancement. The restructuring and revitalization of the A.S. and Certificate of Achievement in Agricultural Science along with the creation of two degrees with guaranteed transfer to a CSU, in Agricultural Business and Agricultural Plant Science, give students multiple options so that they can pursue the exact pathway in which their interest lies. 
     
  • Development of High School Collaborations: Extensive work has been done to build relationships with all area high school FFA teachers and students.  The AHC Agriculture program has hosted multiple high school student campus and student farm tours, hosted several collaborative meetings with the entire group of local FFA advisors and made presentations to various junior and senior high school FFA classes promoting the program. A total of 17 new concurrent enrollment agreements between AHC and area high school FFA programs have been established - these articulated courses are taught in the high schools by high school teachers who meet the AHC minimum qualifications for teaching each course and the students who successfully complete the concurrent courses earn the same college credit they would if they had taken the classes at AHC.  Additionally, we hosted the FFA State Finals Soil and Land Evaluation Contest in Spring 2021 with a commitment to continue hosting this and other FFA field day events on the Allan Hancock College campus.  This brought attention and collaboration to AHC agriculture from high school agriculture students, teachers, and program directors from around the entire state of California. In continued efforts to expose high school students to the valuable career pathways available at AHC, we hosted an Ag Showcase event for high school students where they were able to hear from and connect with a diverse industry panel and successful graduates of the AHC ag program. The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District has now opened its new CTE center, where high school students from the district’s 4 schools have access to cutting-edge equipment and technology to prepare for employment in integrated agriculture careers such as machining, manufacturing, and diesel mechanics.  AHC is working very closely with the director of this new CTE center to establish articulated courses and even host some mechanized AHC courses at that site in the evenings specifically for AHC students who may not have had the opportunity to take them while they were in high school.
     
  • Increase in Program Enrollment: The AHC Agriculture program has seen steady and significant increases in course and program enrollment.  Even during overall enrollment decreases attributed to Covid-19 restrictions, the agriculture program continued to enjoy robust and increasing enrollment.   
     
  • Creation of Robust University Partnerships: Multiple collaborations with university agriculture programs have been established, including co-hosting student agriculture industry tours, increasing articulation agreements, improving pathway identification for transfer students, and opening of the Cal Poly State University Summer Undergraduate Research Program to Allan Hancock students for paid research work with Cal Poly professors conducting industry-driven research. The collaborative relationship between AHC and Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo continues to strengthen.  Professional projects undertaken through a USDA Produce Safety Alliance grant in collaboration with Cal Poly Food Science, Agribusiness, and Agriculture Communications professors have had the additional benefit of helping to further establish working relationships between the two campuses and offering AHC agriculture students direct contact with these sought-after university programs.  AHC is also partnering with Fresno State University on a new program they are implementing to provide students with a certificate from AHC that awards students for their active participation in extracurricular agriculture projects, such as public speaking, community service, or legislative advocacy. This certificate translates into a higher-level certificate for those students who then transfer to Fresno State University and continue this important work. 
     
  • Revitalization of Student Farm: Several student workers have assisted in significant improvements to the "living laboratory" student garden and fruit orchard.  The production of fruit and vegetables has increased as this valuable area is tended, allowing for student learning to occur when these crops are used for classroom learning with garden research trials and business ventures through the on-campus farm stand.  Permaculture and no-till farming demonstration plots have been established to provide students with an understanding of these modern, sustainable farming practices along with revitalizing the culinary herb garden for use in the AHC Culinary Arts and Food Science/Nutrition programs.  Repair and restoration of the student greenhouse have allowed an increase in productivity and an expanded range of crops grown year-round.  With in-person agriculture lab meetings approved and supported by the AHC administration, maintenance to this living laboratory was a critical support for hands-on learning activities and in-person labs during the Covid-19 campus shutdown.
     
  • Formation of Interdisciplinary Programs:  Our AHC agriculture program has partnered with the AHC Viticulture & Enology, Culinary Arts & Management, and Food Science & Nutrition programs to develop a collaborative Field to Table learning experience for students in each of these interconnected disciplines. This Field to Table team established a Field to Table Week of Welcome event for incoming students in any of these integrated disciplines every fall, where students are introduced to program coordinators, discipline faculty, current students, and successful program graduates.  Another collaborative project established by the Field to Table team is realized during the Friday afternoon AHC Winery wine tasting events.  During these events, open to the public, produce from the student farm is grown by the agriculture program, prepared for wine and food pairing by the culinary arts program, and served at the on-campus winery by food science, nutrition, culinary arts, agriculture, and viticulture/enology students.  Student-grown produce is also sold during these events.
     
  • Formation of Community Outreach Activities: Community outreach has been extensive.  In a community where agriculture is the number one employer and yet where the local community college has heretofore lacked an agriculture program, the responses to this outreach have been overwhelming.  Newspaper editors are regularly reaching out to the Allan Hancock College agriculture coordinator seeking stories about the students in Young Farmers and Ranchers Club, seeking advocacy on behalf of our agricultural community, and proclaiming the advantages of enrolling in this new and rapidly expanding educational program. The program has received much local and statewide press attention, showcasing emerging curriculum, current and former successful students, and agriculture student clubs - Young Farmers & Ranchers and Rodeo Team. Outreach to the community at large, to agriculture industry partners and to high school FFA programs has been extremely well received and has given a level of enthusiasm and support to this burgeoning program that is palatable. The outreach has connected the college with hundreds of community and industry partners who are eager to participate in the expansion of the program.  Thousands of local FFA students are choosing Allan Hancock agriculture as their first choice for college. The incoming and current students have been highlighted by the media in many ways and this exposure has informed many students of this local option, when previously they would have had to leave the Santa Maria Valley to attain quality agriculture education. Community outreach continues to be a top priority for the grant PI.  The Allan Hancock College agriculture program is a host site for the annual Santa Barbara County Farm Day – a tour for the public to visit local agricultural operations.  Many student volunteers lead tours of the student vineyard, fruit orchard, vegetable farm, and greenhouse.  During the first year of this event, the tours, students, visitors, and PI were featured in a television news story aimed at increasing the public’s awareness of and appreciation for local agriculture.  The PI continues to serve on multiple boards and committees to improve the community’s awareness of the increasingly popular and diverse agriculture study opportunities now available at AHC. 
     
  • Creation of Student Clubs: Student engagement, leadership, and outreach have also been a significant result of the work thus far.  The creation of a Young Farmers and Ranchers Club in collaboration with the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau has attracted many agriculture students and provided them with incredible leadership, advocacy, policy, communication, and outreach experience.  This club allows AHC agriculture students to travel to Sacramento for an agriculture legislative tour and meeting with the Secretary of CDFA, Karen Ross and the entire legislative team from California Farm Bureau.  Industry relationships such as this one with our devoted BILT member, the Executive Director of Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau, deliver unique learning and industry engagement opportunities to AHC students. In response to a suggestion from a BILT partner as a means to attract additional students to the AHC Agriculture program, the PI also created a Rodeo Team and Club.  The team is an official member of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) and has students now competing in the West Coast Region in various collegiate rodeo events.  This club and team have helped to attract those students with a passion for animal agriculture.