Best Local Ag Educator (2015)

Hartnell College, Ag Business and Technology Institute

1752 E. Alisal St., Salinas

(831) 755-6960, www.hartnell.edu

No need to debate whether studying dead philosophers is relevant. About 2,500 students at Hartnell’s Alisal campus study practical agricultural skills, from welding to diesel tractor engines to greenhouse horticulture. There’s a tight relationship between the school and local industry, so students learn real-world skills that business are hiring for; Hartnell offers the country’s only undergrad-level certificate in food safety, for example, with classes entirely at night. It’s this relationship that Dr. Susan Pheasant, director of the ag institute, credits with Hartnell’s leadership: “Business and industry members work diligently to keep the programs and curriculum relevant.”