Agriculture
Jessica Hutchison encourages her students at Alfred State to get their hands dirty and explore the various areas of agriculture.
“We have so many things for them to get into. If they want to practice something we have hundreds of acres of farm labs, if they want to test something we have greenhouses and lab equipment. We have flexibility that allows our students to explore.”
Hutchison, a lecturer in the Agriculture and Veterinary Technology department for more than a dozen years, began her education as a pre-vet major at North Carolina State University. A job in the soil science lab led her to pivot and earn a degree in environmental soil science and pursue her master’s degree in agronomy. Her teaching career began by teaching biology before coming to Alfred State and getting back to her roots.
Hutchison loves the opportunities her students have in the program. “Our programs are built to accommodate someone with no experience on the farm all the way up to finding something new for students coming from farms. We expose students to different ideas. You never know what you are going to learn and absolutely fall in love with. The more knowledge you have the better.”
"Our agriculture students are exposed to a wide range of topics. Students learn the basics about soils, plants, animals and business practices to help ensure they have multiple career pathways open to them."
Smaller sized classes and caring faulty differentiate Alfred State. “I went to larger schools and was lost in the crowd. No one knew me personally. Our size allows me the chance to get to know my students and learn what excites them.”
Taking education outside the classroom is key to Hutchison’s teaching style as well. “We are digging in the ground from week one. We do projects for local farms. We are developing a plan for an ancient apple orchard in one of my classes. Our students are doing real things. They get excited knowing that they are helping others.”
Alfred State’s facilities aid in the learning process for the students. “We have a working farm, organic dairy, and a large working garden. We also have greenhouses and functional laboratories. We work with sheep, goats, pigs, chicken, horses, and cows. We also have a huge amount of farmland that we grow the organic crops for the dairy.”
Opportunities for growth exist outside the classroom as well. Students can join the Vet Tech, the Collegiate Agriculture Leaders (CAL), or the Collegiate FFA clubs. The western equestrian club team is an option as well.
Smaller class sizes, caring faculty and staff, great facilities, and unlimited opportunities make Alfred State a wonderful place to learn an industry that is never going away.
"People have to eat. Agriculture jobs aren't going anywhere."
