Latino students changing the face of agriculture from their family history

Michelle Pérez’ grandparents, who still farm in Caruthers, were a big influence on getting her bachelor’s degree in agriculture. Now, she is an undergraduate student recruitment counselor for the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State.

Artemisa De la Cruz was influenced to pursue a degree in agriculture at Fresno State by her father and grandfather who have been involved in the farming industry her entire life. She wants to become a teacher.

Sonia Pérez, who will be graduating in May with her bachelor’s in agriculture education with an emphasis in plant science from Fresno State, wanted to honor her immigrant farmworker parents by giving back and dedicating her career to agriculture.

Pérez, De la Cruz and Pérez represent a wave of children and grandchildren of farmworkers who are looking to return to the fields in far different capacities than picking crops.

The are changing the face of agriculture from their family history of working in the fields to becoming the manager of the farm or taking the next step of doing research for plans or cattle by continuing a trajectory of being in higher education.

“And going on and get maybe a master’s degree or even coming back and being a professor and teach agriculture and show the younger generation like, ‘Hey, this is where I came from. I was maybe a first-generation student, and now here I am with my Ph. D.,” said Michelle Pérez, adding that a high percentage of the students at the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences are Latino.

Michelle Pérez said getting an ag degree can lead to teaching high school agriculture, going into plant science and becoming a pest control adviser, and having “these great jobs in agriculture.”

“And to build that legacy of going to college and be the first one in your family to attend college and be successful, you know, teaching ag or being a pest control adviser,” said Michelle Pérez, adding that their local service area for Fresno State is the Modesto area to Bakersfield.

“We see a variety of high school students, as well as transfer students that are from those farming communities that want to apply to Fresno State and particularly go into the Jordan College of Agriculture,” said Michelle Pérez.

Their love for agriculture

Michelle Pérez said her grandparents, who are in their 90s, still farm raisin grapes in Fresno County with her father helping them with the labor in their vineyard.

“That’s where I got my interest in agriculture, from them and being on the farm with my grandparents. They were a big influence in getting my degree in agriculture,” Michelle Pérez said.

“Both my parents are immigrants. They came here at a young age, and they were working in the fields for a long time,” said Sonia Pérez, who is from Los Baños. “So that really motivated me into like dedicating my career and giving back to agriculture. And they motivated me while working in the fields.”

“I plan to apply to the credential program this upcoming fall so that I could become an ag teacher for high school students,” said Sonia Pérez, who is also considering teaching in middle school.

As a first-generation college student, Sonia Pérez is “trying to give back to my parents in some way because they work very hard for me to get to where I am now, which is at a university level.”

De la Cruz, who is also a first-generation Mexican American, is in her third year at Fresno State majoring in agriculture education and has been an ag ambassador since her freshman year.

Having her father and grandparents already being involved in agriculture influenced her to pursue a degree in agriculture, De la Cruz said, adding that her grandfather who immigrated from Jalisco, México to the Central Valley, worked in the fields his whole life until retirement. Her father helped at dairies and manure places.

“And I personally liked the concept of like farming and going from like farm to fork, which is like growing your food, so eating it in your kitchen type of yield. So, I like that whole process,” said De la Cruz who was born and raised in Farmersville. “And then in high school, I did some activities, and I just knew that was something I wanted to teach and help the next generation of kids like understand, you know, where their food comes from and everything like that.”

De la Cruz said she plans to go into the credential program to become a high school teacher teaching sciences and animal sciences in the Valley.

Latino students expand their horizons at World Ag Expo

The World Ag Expo returned Feb. 8-10 in person for its 55th show at the International Agri-Center in Tulare and it was a great place for Latino students to expand their horizons when it comes to careers and education in the agriculture field.

Some of those who walked around the Ag Career and Education tent were Latino high school students from throughout the Central Valley who arrived with their school’s Future Farmers of America program.

Mendota High School students Jesús Figueroa, Tomas Pérez, and Edgar Larreynaga walked around the Ag Career and Education tent on Tuesday.

The 15-year-old sophomores did not waste their time and hit as many booths as possible, stopping at different colleges including California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and Stanislaus State and filling their bags with educational materials and other goodies.

Tomas Pérez said not only he comes from a family of farmworkers with his dad and grandfather, but himself is one too ever since he was 7.

“Even myself, I’m a I’m a farmworker as well. During the summers and the weekends,” Tomas Pérez said. “We do pistachios, almonds, cantaloupes, watermelons, grapes, tomatoes. I’ve done a couple of peppers as well, but it’s mainly pistachios.”

Tomas Pérez said he wanted to be part of his school FFA program because “I’ve seen the impact that agriculture does to the community, and I want to help out more. I want to learn more about what we can do to improve agriculture,”

“I want to find better ways to help other people that are working in fields and all that so we can lighten up the work that they do,” said Tomas Pérez, who as a high school student is unsure what he wants to do as a career in the agriculture field.

“I definitely do want to stay in the agriculture,” he said.

Although Larreynaga hasn’t worked in the fields before, he has seen his parents do that work, and they have told him what it’s like to work in the fields.

“Most of my family actually worked in the fields. They mostly worked in lettuce or cantaloupe,” said Larreynaga, who has been in FFA for two years.

“And it kind of interests me because I like how agriculture is and how like different ways, they make food and crops and stuff. I really find it fascinating,” Larreynaga said, adding that even though he hasn’t thought what he would like to do in the ag industry for the future he likes being in FFA.

“What I do like about FFA is about the various opportunities like this one, like going to the World Expo to learn about different careers in the ag industry.,” Larreynaga said.

Figueroa said his grandfather used to work in agriculture and even though he is unsure of what he wants to do when he is older, he does see a career pathway in agriculture for him and was looking forward to the Ag Expo.

“Finding something new, learning more about it and new technology. It really interests me,” Figueroa said.

Making a difference as Ag Ambassadors

As Fresno State Ag Ambassadors, Sonia Pérez and Artemisa De la Cruz, spent their morning on Feb. 8 at the info booth for the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology in the Ag Career and Education tent at the World Ag Expo providing education about the many options in the agricultural field.

Michelle Pérez said ag ambassadors help support the college and the university at events like the World Ag Expo, Farm Shows or, FFA Conferences.

Part of their job was talking and educating people about not only what the university’s college department has to offer but possible careers in the agricultural field.

For Sonia Pérez, being an ag ambassador is very rewarding since allows her to connect with the community, giving out her time and dedication to help other people, especially first-generation students like herself.

De la Cruz said that as an ag ambassador she wants to show students like that that it is possible to go to college and get the support to graduate with a degree.

“And like instead of just always having to work in the fields, you could be the one who manages the whole operation. You can go and get that higher degree,” De la Cruz said. “I just want to show them that it’s something possible and achievable you can do.”

Chowchilla High School freshmen Kathrine Bugarin, Karina Sánchez, and Gabriela Vásquez – all 14 years of age – stopped at different college booths, including Fresno State, to get information about different careers and options in the agricultural field.

Sánchez said being part of the FFA program is not only interesting but also provides opportunities like attending the world’s largest agricultural expo which also expose them to different universities in California and out of state with strong ag programs.

Vásquez said she joined FFA because, she “wanted to learn more about it and how FFA works. How it improves the environment, how agriculture provides our world with food and how it just helps our environment and everything that goes on around us.”

Vásquez said she signed up to attend the school’s field trip to the Ag Expo to learn more about how Agriculture works.

“And all the opportunities that can give you,” said Vásquez, who wants to work in animal science. Her grandfather, who is retired now, used to manage almond farms in Chowchilla and picked crops too when he was younger.

Vásquez said she is already thinking about colleges and universities and is considering Fresno State and its animal science department.

Besides Fresno State, College of Sequoias, Kansas State University, Advanced Career Institute, Cal Poly College of Agricultura, Food and Environmental Sciences in San Luis Obispo, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Stanislaus State, California FFA Association, Dordt University, Oregon State University College of Agricultural Science, Chico State College of Agriculture, Universal Technical Institute, Center for Land-Based Learning, University of Arizona College of Ag & Life Sciences and Reedley College of Ag & Natural Resources had booths.