Shasta College offers much-needed agriculture program

REDDING, Calif. -

An agriculture program at Shasta College is seeing a need and addressing it.

It is called the Pest Control Adviser Preparation Program and it is giving students a direct line into the field.

Agriculture is a billion dollar industry in California, said the programs lead instructor Leimone Waite.

If farmers do not own the land, and many of them do not, they have a Pest Control Adviser write them what Waite called a prescription to treat any pest problems on the crop. Only licensed Pest Control Advisers can perform this task. They also will offer recommendations regarding things like pest management materials, land preparation, fertilization, cultivating and harvesting.

Shasta College launched the program in the spring to get students licensed for the job.

Waite said the field used to require a bachelors or doctorate degree in a specific plant science area. Those requirements changed when the state was seeing fewer people entering the field of work.

"California continually puts more regulations on farming and just pesticide use in general. So it keeps increasing the need for PCAs, Waite said. So it's sort of not only where you having an increased need, we're also having a decrease in actual people that employed in the field."

Even the students involved in the program are seeing these results.

It is in need, because a lot of elder gentlemen are currently in the field for PCAs, said student Lindee Jones. It's an in demand job."

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Shasta College offers much-needed agriculture program