(KIWA Staff Photo)Sheldon, Iowa (Sioux County Radio) — Northwest Iowa Community College is expanding its agriculture offerings by bringing transferable agriculture courses to its Sheldon campus this fall.
The new face-to-face courses will complement NCC’s existing online Agriculture Associate of Applied Science degree and agriculture-related transfer options. The expansion allows students to begin working toward an agriculture-related bachelor’s degree close to home before transferring to a four-year college or university.
The first set of courses will include:
- Agricultural Finance
- Animal Health
- Introduction to Agricultural Markets
- Farm Business Management
Each course is three credits, and NCC says more agriculture classes are planned for the spring semester as on-campus offerings continue to grow.
McCarty to Lead On-Campus Courses
The courses will be taught by Michael McCarty, NCC’s new on-campus agriculture instructor.
McCarty grew up on a family farm near Sibley and has worked in agricultural equipment sales, lending, farming, small-business ownership, and education. He also served in the U.S. Navy as an aircraft crash-and-rescue firefighter and has volunteered as a firefighter for decades.
McCarty said the agriculture industry’s growing reliance on technology, precision agriculture, global markets, and data has changed what students need to succeed. He says his goal is to help students develop the knowledge and confidence they’ll need wherever their agriculture journey takes them.
He added that teaching at NCC gives him the chance to invest in the future of agriculture in the region where he grew up.
Pathway Toward Four-Year Degrees
Agriculture-related transfer majors available through NCC include agriculture business, agriculture education, agronomy, and animal science.
Students in NCC’s transfer majors earn an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree while completing general education and transferable coursework. They can then continue toward a bachelor’s degree at a four-year college or university.
NCC cites data from the Iowa Board of Regents and Iowa Department of Education showing that NCC transfer students:
- have a higher average first-term GPA,
- complete more credits during their first year, and
- have a higher three-year completion rate
than the statewide community-college average.
NCC President John Hartog said the new on-campus courses build upon the college’s existing agriculture options and increases opportunities for students pursuing agriculture careers or transfer degrees. He said it reflects NCC’s commitment to accessible, high-quality education that meets the needs of students, the agriculture industry, and local communities.
More information about NCC’s agriculture programs and transfer majors is available at nwicc.edu or by contacting Student Services at studentservices@nwicc.edu.
