Notes on Agricultural Education, Field Practice, and Industry Engagement

City upbringing: "City boy who, got interested in farming."
Education: earned a PhD in molecular biology and plant breeding in Illinois.
Career move: took a job at Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State University).
Day-to-day variation: responsibilities depend on the year; during the school year focus on undergraduate education and teaching.

Primary enjoyment: watching students grow and learn; time with students is highly valued.
Real-world exposure: loves experiencing California agriculture, getting to know people in the field, and being part of the agricultural system even if not directly involved.

Major challenge: helping people understand what agricultural work actually entails.
Misconception issue: agriculture is often misunderstood, which is frustrating to him.
Outreach to non-majors: teaches classes for non-major students to illuminate food origins.
Concrete outreach examples: brings non-majors to the vegetable field; takes them out to milk a cow to foster appreciation; aims to counter the perception that food just appears without context.
Message to students: emphasize understanding where food comes from rather than taking it for granted.

Activities include field visits to the vegetable field.
Hands-on experiences: milking a cow to demonstrate dairy production.
Objective: cultivate appreciation and context so students don’t wonder, “how did this get here?”
Additional note: he emphasizes not liking the idea that food transportation and production happen without awareness.

Fresh student cohorts: every year he works with completely new students, which he finds awesome and rewarding.

Close proximity to premier agricultural lands.
Field experiences: spends time walking with managers, farmers, and ranchers to observe practices.
Learning goal: understand how the agricultural system works and then teach others about that system.

Technology as a daily-changing element: one of the hardest aspects to manage.
Educational response: classes are constantly rewritten and reworked to maintain the newest and greatest content.
Teaching objective: ensure students understand how the system works despite rapid technological change.

Proximity to production enables direct inquiry: asks producers what they are using, how they do it, and why.
Willingness to share: most producers are willing to share information and practices.

First job: worked for a cement contractor.
Hands-on experience: ran a 90-pound jackhammer.
Insight gained: immediately realized he wasn’t going to pursue that work long-term or alone; the experience highlighted the value of collaboration and choosing a more sustainable career path.

Ethically, education serves to bridge the gap between production and the public, fostering trust and informed consumption.
Philosophically, the work emphasizes experiential learning, systems thinking, and the interconnectedness of science, farming, and society.
Practically, the role demonstrates the need for ongoing curriculum updates, field-based learning, and direct industry engagement to stay relevant.

Ties to experiential learning: learning by doing (field visits, milking a cow, managing on-campus farming).
Systems thinking: understanding how producers, researchers, educators, and students interact within the agricultural system.
Relevance to public education: addressing misconceptions and demonstrating the origin of food to non-majors.

The value of close, hands-on exposure to production for both teaching and learning.
The importance of adapting curricula to keep up with rapidly changing agricultural technologies.
The role of educators in demystifying agriculture and connecting classroom concepts to real-world practices.
The benefits of mentorship and ongoing student engagement across different cohorts each year.

"Do you know where your food comes from?" (used to challenge non-majors’ assumptions)
"I bring them to the vegetable field. I take them out and milk a cow." (hands-on outreach example)
"Every year I get to work with completely new students, and I think that's awesome."
"Technology changes on a day-to-day basis, and classes are constantly being rewritten and reworked"

A field-based, student-centered educator balancing teaching, research supervision, and farm operations while navigating public misconceptions, rapid technological change, and industry dynamics. This role blends science, education, and real-world practice to prepare students for modern agriculture and to inform the broader public about food systems.