Targeted education and training at Merced College are intended to meet emerging needs of California’s agriculture industry. While advances in agricultural technology have made some jobs in the ag sector obsolete, they have also created new demand for employees with specific skills who can operate and maintain the electronics and computer driven machinery now used by many agriculture processing plants. On the farm, remote sensors for irrigation valves, autonomous sprayers and robotic weeders also present employment opportunities for people who can install, operate, monitor or repair them.

This unique 12-unit Ag Systems certificate program at Merced College was launched with funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce along with state funding. Several Central Valley agriculture companies including Harris Woolf and Blue Diamond are supporting this program and providing input.

Their input centered around “what we wish our employees knew.”

Cody Jacobsen, director of Merced College’s AgTEC Innovation Center, said the school’s unique competency-based curriculum is poised to prepare students for these 21st century jobs, many of which are vital in the tree nut industry.

Jacobsen said it makes sense for prospective employers to want employees who have mastered important skills. Earning an Ag Systems Certificate will mean a new employee will require less time to adapt to new and emerging technologies and be able to fill important niches as agriculture technology becomes mainstream.

Jacobsen said the makeup of students currently in the program is unique.

“We have formerly incarcerated students, we have UC research students, current farm laborers and disabled older students,” Jacobsen said. The program is designed so the students can work while participating in the program.

There are 14 different core competencies that must be mastered to receive an Ag Systems certificate at Merced College. They range from setting up electrical and mechanical equipment for agriculture tasks, troubleshooting basic electrical, mechanical and software systems and communicating identified issues to basic hand and power tool use. Communication with coworkers and basic safety are also covered.

When a student is ready, they are assessed on each core skill. Jacobsen said performance standards are high and students with average or below-average performance are not passed along. Students can progress at their own pace, but to gain a certificate they must show mastery in each skill. Jacobsen said the goal for students is to finish the assessments then move on to more specific training.

AgTEC Innovation Center
When completed, Merced College’s AgTEC Innovation Center will have 22,000 square feet with 2,400 being dedicated to tree nut processing and packaging. It will also house a fruit and vegetable processing facility, a retail farm market, industry-aligned sanitation rooms and a meat processing facility. There will also be a commercial kitchen for research and product development. The Center will offer hands-on experience with advanced equipment in agriculture food systems, technology and production. For the tree nut industry, this means that graduates of the program will be able to step into processing facilities and immediately contribute to their operation. Ground was broken for this unique project in April and completion is expected in December 2025.

“Students who learn these operations will be able to go anywhere in a food systems operation and be a valuable employee,” Jacobsen said. Machine operation and maintenance will be part of the curriculum. Food safety will also be a focus for students with guidance from the Food Safety Alliance.

Chandler Automation, a top industrial robotics company, is the lead contributor to the tree nut production line that will be installed in the AgTec Innovation Center. Ashley Hollis with Chandler Automation said the production line will be the same as those installed in tree nut processing facilities in California. The lines will take incoming product all the way to packaged product for the consumer. Optical sorters, metal detectors and scales for packaging are all part of the system intended to introduce prospective employees to operating and maintaining all aspects of the production lines.

“We saw the need for employees with skills to operate and maintain these new technologies, and instead of training these employees, they come with experience and foundational knowledge,” Hollis said.

Need for Skilled Workers
Blue Diamond engineer Darrell Nelson said he is excited to see programs like Merced College’s certificate program take root in the Central Valley where manufacturing jobs are plentiful but experienced employees are not. Nelson said it takes five years to train a new employee to operate the high-tech machinery used in food processing. The Merced program will produce employees who can become proficient in machine operation and maintenance in significantly less time, he said.

New technology in food processing is game-changing, Nelson said, as companies struggle to hire employees with specific skills. Manufacturing jobs are so much different today than years ago, Nelson said. They are safer, cleaner and more focused on sustainability.

“The new technology in food processing is game-changing. The quality and the throughput are right the first time. There is less re-work. It’s one time and done 99% of the time.”

That means machine operators and maintenance personnel must be trained on how to optimize the machinery. Skilled employees can see maintenance needs early, create corrective work orders and prevent costly down time, Nelson said.

He compared the Merced College program to the well-known College of the Ozarks program where students learn a range of food processing skills including sanitation and quality control.

Jacobsen said Merced College will collaborate with researchers to develop and disseminate new technologies as they emerge, including those needed in the tree nut industry. The equipment to be installed at the AgTEC Innovation Center will meet current industry standards to make sure that student skills are aligned with expectations and requirements of employers. The equipment for tree nut processing includes roasters and seasoners, mills and coaters for creating nut butters and coated nut products and packaging equipment for efficient and attractive packaging of consumer products.

Jacobsen said the long-term plan is for Merced College to offer a Bachelor of Science in food processing, a rare program in California.

For more information, visit https://www.mccd.edu/schools-programs/areas-of-study/agriculture/agtec/.