Mission Statement: • Provide students with career skills in agriculture business management. Emphasis is placed on the development of skills in accounting, marketing, economics, business management, and human relations. • Provide required support courses for students majoring in Environmental Horticulture, Heavy Equipment Operation, Agriculture Science, Welding, Natural Resources, and Sustainable Studies. • Provide CSU and UC articulated transfer courses in the field of agriculture.
Program Description: The following six Agriculture Business (AB) courses are offered each year and are required for the Agriculture Business Associates Degree. AB 20 Orientation to Agriculture and Natural Resources (f) AB 22 Agricultural Economics (f) AB 25 Computer Applications in Agriculture (f) AB 50 Agricultural Accounting (f) AB 26 Introduction to Agriculture Business (s) AB 54 Elements of Supervision (s) F= fall semesters S=spring semesters Required Support Courses of the Agriculture Business Associates Degree: AGR 10 World Food and Hunger Issues AET 30 Tractors and Crawlers AGS 50 Soils AGR 99 Work Experience PLS 20 Plant Science or ANS 20 Animal Science or EH 33 Environmental Plants Science The students enrolled in the Agriculture Business classes do so for several purposes; 1) They are agriculture business majors, 2) it is required for a major other than agriculture business, 3) skill enhancement. All agriculture business courses are offered on the main campus. We have tried offerings at the Glenn Center but enrollment was low and the classes had to be canceled. Classes at the Glenn Center may be a viable option given higher levels of promotion. Nearly all agriculture business students enroll in general education classes in addition to their major course work. AB classes have shifted to block scheduling. Block scheduling makes enrollment in the AB program more practical for working students. Nearly all of our students work as least part-time. In addition, most general education courses are also block scheduled, so this change has made it easier for students to construct an efficient schedule. A general education course was added by Bruce Hicks: AGR 10 World Food and Hunger Issues. The target audience is all CSU & UC transferring students. It has become very popular with students from across campus and has been included as a required class for the Sustainable Studies certificate. Enrollment has been steady at between 32-35 students in all AB sections. Wait lists fill early and many instances there is not enough room for all students wishing to enroll. Retention is above 90%. Over half the students come from outside the region covered by the twelve nearest high schools with vocational agriculture programs. Most (over 90%) agriculture business majors at Butte College express the intent to transfer to a four year institution. Chico State and Cal Poly are the most popular destinations. The average age is 20 years. Most students work as least part-time during the school year.
The two primary program SLOs for AB reflect learning outcome objectives in both core AB classes, AB 22 Ag Econ and AB 50 Ag Accounting. Hands-on and interactive group projects have been utilized in Ag Econ in order to enhance student success in understanding agricultural markets so that they possess the necessary skills to analyze economic conditions. In Ag Accounting, students work with agricultural specific problem sets so that they learn to accumulate, record, and analyze agricultural financial data. Ultimately, AB faculty are working on teaching strategies and methodologies to incorporate more engaged lessons and problem sets in the classroom to facilitate greater student achievement in all AB classes.
Fall 2014, using first mid-term assessment to identify students that have not acquired foundation knowledge necessary for successful course and program outcomes. In order to accomplish this more time will be spent on subject areas that are identified as needing more attention based on student performance on quizzes, exams, and practice sets. This will be achieved by hands-on and interactive class activities that address student deficiencies as identified through the quizzes, exams, and practice sets.
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College |
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Program |
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Indicator |
Source |
2013-2014 Performance |
Standard |
Five Year Goal |
Fall 2014 Performance |
Standard |
Five Year Goal |
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Course Success |
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- Overall |
PDR |
71.1% |
70% |
73% |
80.5% |
70% |
83% |
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- Transfer/GE |
PDR |
71.5% |
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73% |
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- CTE |
PDR |
75% |
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77% |
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- Basic Skills |
PDR |
51.7% |
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55% |
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- Distance Ed (all) |
PDR |
62.5% |
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64% |
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Persistence (Focused). Note: The Persistence (Focused) that is included in the PDR is a different indicator than the three-primary term persistence indicator, from the state Student Success Scorecard, that is used to measure institutional persistence. The Focused Persistence indicator measures the percentage of students that took a second course in a discipline within one year. There is no relationship between the college and program standards in this area. |
PDR |
72.6% (Three-Term) Scorecard |
67% (Three-Term) Scorecard |
75% (Three-Term) Scorecard |
36.4% |
30% |
45% |
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Degrees |
PDR |
1,455 |
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1,600 |
6 |
5 |
15 |
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Certificates |
PDR |
366 |
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475 |
7 |
3 |
10 |
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Developmental Strand Completion |
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- English |
State |
42% |
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45% |
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- Math |
State |
30.7% |
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33% |
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- ESL |
State |
25% |
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28% |
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Licensure Pass Rates |
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- Registered Nursing |
SC |
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- Licensed Vocational Nursing |
SC |
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- Respiratory Therapy |
SC |
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- Paramedic |
SC |
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- Cosmetology |
SC |
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- Welding |
SC |
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Job Placement Rates |
PIV |
65% |
60% |
70% |
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N/A
The AB Program has directly supported the College's Strategic Direction Priorities by the following:
1) Connection - Placing students appropriately, advising them effectively, and ensuring that they have educational plans. We actively advise AB students in order to achieve optimal success.
2) Entry - Collaborating effectively with K - 12 to set appropriate student expectations, align curriculum, and prepare students for college success. We are active as a dept. in recruitment, curriculum alignment and student success at the K-12 level by working closely with K-12 institutions active in our CATA region.
3) Student engagement - Providing effective electronically mediated communication (e.g. website, social media, marketing materials, wifi access). We have developed program brochures and updated the program webpages with faculty profiles and current course listings.
Our new hire Robert Landry has taken the lead in the AB Program which includes an advisory role. After having reviewed the last Ag Dept. Program review, Robert has identified the following recommendations that are most relevant to the AB program:
1. Maintain the strong foundations and practices they are currently providing students, through core agricultural standards, while embracing change in technology and practices. Innovation is needed to keep current with industry demands.
Response: AB faculty continue to update curriculum to meet the program review recommendations and industry needs by attending conferences and workshops and by obtaining and maintaining industry certifications. Additionally, classroom facilities have been improved with various instructional related upgrades and technologies. Collaboration with CSU Chico AB program for recruitment and transfer goals is ongoing and a priority. We feel through this collaborative approach with our 4 year partner, we can keep visible while continuing to meet the needs of the industry.
2. We recommend that the department continues to prioritize projects, look at data (labor market, industry need) to support the development of projects to pursue. Develop degrees and certificates to support career pathways. Develop a tracking system to help evaluate programs including student employment and skill sets.
Response: We are working in combination with our Ag Advisory Committee to identify career pathways that are currently underserved by our AB Program offerings. At our fall 2015 Ag Advisory meeting, we identified the potential for a Real Estate Appraisal Certificate in the AB program. We are currently looking into this option as well as others as they are identified.
With enrollment in the AB program strong, department goals are to continue to strengthen ties to the ag industry for direction and job placement and the CSU Ag Business Program in order to both maintain curriculum alignment and to meet our transfer goals. In order to accomplish these goals, the dept. established an AB/AGS advisory committee which met during Fall 2015 semester for the first time. The meeting proved very constructive and provided our faculty with valuable direction while strengthening our ties to the industry.
Ultimately, we feel by prioritizing industry, the dept is supporting the college's strategic direction goal of increasing resources available to the district. Furthermore, ongoing collaboration with CSU Chico Ag Bus dept will work towards the college's strategic direction of improving student access, equity, success and completion. More specific strategies to meet these goals are outlined in the section below.
Strategy 1 - Recruitment and Outreach
Recruitment: Bruce Hicks has revised and updated the agriculture departments web site to reflect the needs of perspective and continuing students. It now includes faculty profiles.
Practical means of communicating with broad geographic audience.
Strategy 2 - Articulation
Articulation: This continues to be a challenge. Most students majoring in agriculture business intend to transfer to a university to complete their studies. So of course most will enroll in agriculture business classes at Butte College that articulate with those at their intended university. Diligence must continue to be practiced to maintain up to date articulation agreements.
Lower division classes should be available to Butte College students. Brings important job skills.
Strategy 3 - Facility & Infrastucture Maintenance & Modernization
Our facilities: buildings, greenhouses, roadways, and wildlife refuge are in need of maintenance and upgrades. Much of this work is over due.
Some of our facilities are in need of attention. They are now roughly 30+ years old.
Certain classes in the AB program, specifically AB 50 and AB 25, will benefit from additional use of computer labs on campus.
None
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Agriculture | Equipment | $3,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Laboratory supplies for the Soils lab: buckets, glassware, nematode traps. | Soils is a core class in our curriculum. Equipment/supplies like those listed above are necessary periodically. |
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| 2 | Agriculture | Facilities | $9,106.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Student classroom chairs for LS 127 | the student chairs in LS 127 are a mish mash of old chairs. Some chairs have bolts in the back upright that catch hair. Chairs are uncomfortable... Request is for the standard BC student chair, Torsion Back Sled Base, armless, prices and specs are from K Jones in facilities. |
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| 3 | Agriculture | Personnel | $75,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Return Ag Staff positions to 100% (farm manager, nursery technician, mechanics) | During an economic downturn several years agao these positions were reduced to less than 100%, resulting in less hours worked. Since the cutbacks, enrollments in most of our programs have grown, necessitating the need for more hours of support. |
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| 4 | Agriculture | Operating Expenses | $2,500.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Professional Development: Conference and Industry Meetings | The new Agriculture Business faculty is in his second year at BC. This is an ideal juncture for him to broaden his knowledge and skill base by attending conferences in his subject area. These conferences are also an ideal time to recruit students and build bridges to our industry partners. |
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| 5 | Agriculture | Facilities | $40,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Replace Perimeter field fence | Perimeter field fence, consisting of about 3 miles of "barb wire" fence was installed about 40years ago. Over the years we have repaired it but at this point replacement should be a priority. |
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