CF receives USDA certification

Jacob Dorland, left, CF Vintage Farm campus manager, and Tavis Douglass, associate professor and program manager for agribusiness, launch an eBee X crop mapping drone. [Photo courtesy College of Central Florida]

The College of Central Florida recently was certified as a National Institute of Food and Agriculture Non-Land-Grant College of Agriculture. CF is one of only three Florida educational institutions with this designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with Florida State University and Florida International University, and is the only college in the Florida College System to earn the certification.

CF joins the ranks of 82 universities and only five other colleges nationwide with this designation, which makes the college eligible to apply for specific sources of federal funding to build capacity, enhance academic programs and strengthen partnerships with local businesses and organizations. CF is the only Florida state college that offers an associate in science degree in agribusiness management and CF’s Vintage Farm Campus is the only working farm campus within the Florida College System, according to college officials.

“The Vintage Farm Campus is quickly becoming one of the College of Central Florida’s most high-tech educational facilities,” said CF President Jim Henningsen in the media notification. “This certification shows the potential for Marion County to become a hub for cultivating cutting-edge agriculture and equine talent for the entire state of Florida. With our area producing nearly $400 million in agriculture exports each year and generating an economic impact of more than $4 billion through our equine industry, CF is positioned to be the top educational provider for agribusiness career training, talent development and applied research.”

The Non-Land-Grant College of Agriculture designation is a key aspect of the CF Vintage Farm Plan for the Future, a five-year strategic plan for 2025-2029. One of the plan’s priorities is to obtain funding to expand CF’s training space with a state-of-the-art simulation lab, vocational lab and additional classroom space to accommodate the growing numbers of students interested in agribusiness and equine careers.

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, a lifelong farmer, has recognized CF’s creative approach to expanding workforce education.

“CF has been ahead of the curve each time they have accommodated their local communities to make sure that they’re producing the workforce that is needed,” Simpson said in the news release. “You have this gem in Central Florida at CF that’s growing our talent for tomorrow’s jobs.”

For more information, visit cf.edu/agribusiness and cf.edu/vintagefarm

CF student JoAnn Regel works with plants in the greenhouse at the CF Vintage Farm Campus. [Photo courtesy College of Central Florida]