Sustainable Local Food Certificate

Program Description

This Sustainable Local Food Certificate provides students with a broad knowledge of growing and marketing fresh fruits and vegetables near the area in which they were grown. Courses are designed to provide knowledge of common vegetable and fruit production practices in the upper Midwest, with an emphasis on growing those products in environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable manner. This knowledge includes best practices used in the production, harvesting, and storage of the produce that is most in demand in the local foods movement.

Program Outcomes

By completing this program, students will achieve the following learning outcomes:

• Identify and practice safe use of tools, equipment and supplies used in horticulture careers;
• Identify regional and Minnesota fruits, vegetables and nuts used for human consumption by common name, genus and species;
• Propagate, grow, and maintain plants in horticultural production systems;
• Identify and prescribe sustainable options in horticulture which benefit the environment while maintaining productivity and economic viability;
• Analyze and design food production systems for use in growing vegetable, fruit and nut species for the Upper Midwest; and
• Apply effective communication and interpersonal skills with co-workers, supervisors, suppliers and customers.

Career Opportunities

Local indoor and outdoor food production is on the rise due to the increased demand by consumers who want to know the origins of the food they eat in addition to the knowledge of how those plants were grown. Vegetable and fruit growing is a specialized occupation that requires knowledge of a variety of requirements for every individual plant. Companies are now recognizing that they need to hire people who have been well-trained in the details of plant growth needs. In addition, many people are finding opportunities to start their own business in fruit and vegetable production. Job opportunities are available as managers, growers, marketers, and sales in the companies that produce local food.

Transfer Opportunities

Many horticulture courses can be transferred to a variety of four-year colleges and universities. Because each college has its own requirements, always check with an advisor or counselor about transfer-ability of specific courses to other colleges.

Graduation Requirements

In addition to the program requirements, students must meet the following conditions in order to graduate:

1. College Cumulative GPA Requirement: cumulative grade point average (GPA) of credits attempted and completed at CLC must be at least 2.0;
2. College Technical Core GPA Requirement: cumulative GPA of credits attempted and completed towards the technical core of the diploma or degree must be at least 2.0;
3. Residency Requirement: students must complete 25% of their credits at Central Lakes College.

Employment Statistics

For more information regarding employment statistics, career salary information and estimated job growth, follow the resource links below:

https://apps.deed.state.mn.us/lmi/ces/
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm
Salary information from indeed.com