HISTORY
Agriculture is a major industry in the United States and is a net exporter of food. California has been America's number one agriculture state since the end of World War II. Pierce College opened its doors in 1947 as the Clarence W. Pierce School of Agriculture. Two hundred and twelve WWII veterans entered the first classes. By the early 1970's the college had 2,000 students taking classes in agriculture. Four hundred and fifty head of cattle (114 dairy cattle), 250 head of sheep, 250 of swine and 6,000 poultry made up the livestock portion of the college farm. A fifteen acre orchard, green houses and fields of alfalfa, oats, pumpkins, melons and various other field crops were used to educate our students. In 1947, Los Angeles County was the leading agriculture county in the United States.
Present Day
Today, Agriculture is still California's number one industry. With 88,000 farms and ranches, California agriculture is nearly a $36.6 billion dollar industry that generates $100 billion in related economic activity. In 2006, the total value of crops produced in Los Angeles County exceeded $250 million.
Pierce College's Agriculture Department is still achieving all three of Dr. Pierce's original goals:
- Educate future farmers and ranchers, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, florists, equestrians, horticulturists and others involved with our vast industry
- Educate "city folk" on where their food and fiber comes from
- Prepare students to transfer to a four year institution or graduate school
In addition, many of our students believe in "life-long learning." They study at Pierce College to increase their knowledge and skills in something they have passion for. Our college and our teaching farm belong to the community and we are dedicated to providing our community members the ability to continue to learn and use our facilities as a teaching laboratory.