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:

AGS 10 World Food and Hunger Issues
AET 30 Tractors and Crawlers
AGS 50 Soils
AGR 99 Work Experience
AGS 20 Plant Science or AGS 30 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. 

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.

Student Learning/Administrative Unit Outcomes

The SLOs for AB 20 were assessed through students’ submission of multiple documents, including careers plans, resumes, cover letters, and interview answers. The shift to online learning provided challenges in having discussions with students about opportunities for improvement, especially pertaining to resumes and cover letters. Yet, students performed well overall in meeting course objectives, with nearly all students earning an “A” or “B” for their final grade. This data might be skewed as many students took the opportunity to drop the course due to the shift to online learning. However, the students who remained performed well.   
The SLOs for AB 54 were assessed by a variety of measures, including quizzes, exams, a legislative analysis, and a presentation. Unfortunately, due to the quick shift to online learning, some of the assessments were limited in scope compared to their original intentions. For example, a presentation on labor issues was limited as students were not able to present in-class to their classmates. Yet, with all the challenges, students performed well overall for the course, as demonstrated by an average final exam score of 88%. 

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (Instruction Departments)

The FTES rates for the AB department have actually grown since 2015, agriculture in the College service area is a leading industry. As agriculture in our area continues to grow our department and offerings should continue to grow as well.

I think that our high rate of retention speaks to the strong relationship that we have with our students. We tend to see our students in more than one class so it is easier to form a relationship and notice if a student is struggling or absent.
 

Having Jacob Vazquez as our new full time AB department instructor and champion will help to modernize the program. He has already taken steps with curriculum to modernize the program so that it articulates better with the UC and CSU system which will greatly benefit our students.

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (All Other Departments)

The AB department has begun to aggressively market what they have to offer for students to succeed in the field of agriculture.
We are looking at all of our pathways in certificates and degrees to make sure that they provide our students with the best learning outcomes and therefore the best opportunity at success. While doing this we have to be mindful of not making the pathway too convoluted or redundant for the student to work their way through.

Strategic Direction

The Ag Business Department supports the college in meeting its Strategic Direction and Priority Themes by:
Enhancing a Culture of Completion and Goal Achievement
Supporting Student, Faculty, and Staff Success
Maximizing Resources to Support Student Learning

Program Review

Our only full-time faculty for both the AGS and AB programs, 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 continues to address 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 2016 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.

Department Goals

The AB Department first and foremost wants to continue to provide an excellent education on our subject matter.
Our next biggest project to tackle is recruitment, with the college experiencing such low enrollment we think that we can bolster ours to record levels. Jacob and the Ag Ambassadors Club have been working hard to come up with ideas and actions that will help to rectuit students into our programs.

Future Development Strategies

Requested Non-Financial Resources

Current Financial Resources

Augmentation Requests