Sowing the seeds of agriculture’s future
Every great idea starts with the planting of one metaphorical seed. Over time, that tiny speck grows into something more complex and intricate, until one day it’s ripe enough to sample.
What happens when what develops from that metaphorical seed has to do with actual seeds? Today we are experiencing a revolution in the field of agriculture!
Consider your last trip to the grocery store. Did you think about where the lettuce and corn came from? How about how the grade of beef or pork was determined? The answer is probably no, but for those majoring in agriculture, finding answers to those questions is part of the curriculum for both undergraduate and graduate students.
The interaction between humans, natural resources and livestock is at the program’s core, but that doesn’t mean all agriculture majors are destined to work on farms. Required classes often include chemistry, biology and economics and, depending on the concentration selected, plant pathology, agricultural engineering and community and economic development are a few of the myriad career opportunities awaiting those majoring in agriculture after graduation.
Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association has funded scholarships for Imperial Valley high school graduates who are majoring in the field of agriculture and are attending a four-year university. It is our hope that these scholarship recipients return to the Valley to continue the tradition of farming.
Paula McConnell Pangle, was one such scholarship recipient, and based on our records, the first recipient. She attended Cal-Poly Pomona and returned to the Imperial Valley as a pest control advisor for the Prue Gro operation. Prue Gro was sold to Western Farms Service and now operates as Crop Protection Services.
Today, she farms organically on her family’s acreage in the Holtville area.
“While the dollars provided by the scholarship certainly helped, the faith to award me a scholarship was equally beneficial,” Pangle said. “It was the boost that a young girl needed to go to college.”
Her parents, Jack and Pauline McConnell, were strong advocates for agriculture education. Following their untimely deaths in 2012, the Imperial County Farm Bureau established a scholarship to honor their contribution to Imperial Valley agricultural. Their daughter is a member of Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers, a board member of the Imperial County Farm Bureau, a board member and secretary of IVH20 and a member of the IID’s Water Conservation Advisory Board. The IVVGA scholarship to her has paid off for agriculture here.
Another recipient of an IVVGA scholarship is Kelly Bishop. Bishop was the first recipient of the prestigious Ed McGrew Scholarship in 2006. This scholarship funded by IVVGA is to honor one of IVVGA’s founding members who continues to serve on the board as an advisory member. McGrew attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he served as the Associated Student Body president.
Bishop also received IVVGA’s Produce Scholarship. After graduating from Cal Poly, Bishop worked in marketing in Oxnard for San Miguel Produce. When she returned to the Imperial Valley, she worked on her family’s farm, Bishop Ranches, and for a local biological company. She now works at the Imperial Irrigation District, just recently joining the On-Farm Efficiency Conservation team.
Prior to that, she was an Environmental Specialist biologist with the Environmental Mitigation Unit group responsible for water transfer mitigation, air and water quality at the Salton Sea. She is immediate past president of the Imperial County’s Young Farmers and Ranches.
“The scholarships allowed me to focus on a quality education and worry less about the financial aspect of college,” Bishop said.
One of our most recent scholarship recipients using her agricultural education to benefit the Valley is Brea Haller Mohamed. Mohamed also attended Cal Poly SLO. After graduating, she joined IID in the On-Farm Efficiency Conservation group. In January, she became the Executive Director for Imperial County Farm Bureau.
“I was honored to receive a scholarship,” Mohamed said. “It means a lot to me that I am now able to work directly with the farmers who funded a portion of my education.”
Last year, IVVGA funded 17 scholarships. The impressive students who received those scholarships left the Valley to attend universities in California, like Cal Poly SLO, Cal Poly Pomona and UCLA. Some ventured farther away to the University of Arizona, Oklahoma State and Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
We will be announcing the 2018 scholarship recipients in the next couple of weeks. In the next several years, we hope to see the return on our investment in the future of agriculture.