Nestled conveniently an hour between both Huntsville and Birmingham, Wallace State Community College in Hanceville offers a handful of degree programs rarely found elsewhere in the state.

One of those is Wallace State’s Agribusiness program, preparing students for a variety of careers, including in agricultural management, aquaculture operation, conservation, farming, greenhouse management, landscaping and sustainable agriculture.

Walk into the program’s facility one morning and it’s common to see students getting their hands dirty with plants, preparing vegetation for placement in the multiple greenhouses on campus, or working outside with landscape projects.

“We’re one of the most hands-on agricultural programs you’ll find, and I believe that’s one thing that sets us apart. Our entire campus is a lab for our landscaping efforts, and that’s very beneficial,” said Wallace State Agribusiness program chair Jason Bynum, who has been employed at the college since 2001.

Wallace State’s Agribusiness program attracts individuals from all walks of life and ages. Most students seek an associate degree or certificate in the program or to transfer to a four-year university or college, while others, for example, make the drive to Hanceville to specifically learn how to improve their farming or gardening skills.

“We draw interest from all over the state. It’s common to have people drive more than hour, or even more, every day to take courses here,” said Bynum, who has been program chair since 2021. “After the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve had a higher volume of people interested on how to do a better job of growing their own food or how to manage greenhouses more effectively.”

Wallace State’s Agribusiness program offers an associate in applied science degree and certificate and short-term certificates in the following concentrations: nursery technician, greenhouse technician, turf technician and landscape technician.

Along the way, students dabble into hydroponics, which is growing plants in water instead of soil; aquaponics, which is a sustainable agriculture farming strategy; and much more.

Partnerships with four-year colleges or universities are important for Alabama’s community colleges, and Wallace State’s Agribusiness has a longstanding agreement with Auburn University. Poultry science majors can enroll in the “2+2” program, taking specific core classes at Wallace State before transferring to Auburn. Partnerships also exist in the agriscience and horticulture pathways. Auburn and Mississippi State are the most common transfer destinations for the program’s students, according to Bynum.

Wallace State Agribusiness graduates are spread throughout the state. Blackjack Horticulture in Birmingham has become a popular destination for recent program completers, in addition to some students working for Stonehedge Horticultural Alliance in the Decatur-Priceville area.

Community outreach is a priority for Wallace State Agribusiness. Each holiday season, the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) building and the State Capitol in Montgomery are adorned with poinsettias produced by Wallace State’s Agribusiness program. Poinsettias are sold to the public, in addition to Easter lilies during a popular spring plant sale. The program partners with local extension offices for agriculture demonstration days and hosts community education courses.

One of the newer outreaches includes participating each year in the National Collegiate Landscape Competition, hosted by the National Association of Landscape Professionals. This year’s event is at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo.

“The landscape competition is one of the best things this program has ever done. Our students love it. We’ve had success in the competitions, and it’s a great networking opportunity. People get to learn more about Wallace State on a national level. We had a student last year who had two job interviews while we were at the competition. It’s a great event,” Bynum said.

For more information about Wallace State’s Agribusiness program, visit https://www.wallacestate.edu/programs/technical-division/agricultural-production/index.html