Fall at McHenry County College marked by new classes, growing programs

On Monday afternoon at McHenry County College, students in the new specialty crops course learned how to separate the wheat from the chaff.

The course, which will teach students how to grow crops like mushrooms and cannabis for hemp, is part of an expanded entrepreneurial agriculture program at the college’s Center for Agrarian Learning. During the class Monday, taught by Richard Tobiasz, students were guided via lecture and video tutorial how to grow wheat for beer making.

Next week, the students will plant hops and grapes, Tobiasz said.

Both new crops and student enrollment numbers overall are growing this semester at McHenry County College, as students describe a busier, more lively campus experience.

Monday marked the start of twelve-week courses at the college; regular semester classes began on Aug. 15.

“Last semester, the mask mandate was still intact, but it’s definitely a lot more crowded this semester,” said Willa Broussard, who is pursuing dual associate degrees for a career in art education. Broussard said while the extra noise isn’t particularly welcome for her personally, she noticed teachers and staff made an effort to be more inclusive.

“Every teacher I’ve had has asked us for pronouns,” Broussard said. “They’ve been very helpful.”

Another student, freshman Victoria Wakeford, who is hoping to pursue journalism, said she loved the new crowds.

“I feel like it really enhances education to have more people here,” Wakeford said. “Education is a social thing.”

Other new programs at MCC include new certificates within the culinary program, including bar and beverage management, new courses for students to become registered Mercedes-Benz technicians and a cancer registry management certificate program that will begin in the spring.

The new coursework in specialty crops – funded in part through an Illinois Department of Agriculture grant – will include a significant amount of new planting on campus over the next two weeks at the student farm, including placing apple and pear trees and grape vines, Tobiasz said.

The expanded agriculture program is designed to allow students to pursue all sorts of careers, including in urban gardens or running a farm, Tobiasz said.

To that end, the specialty crops course is designed to teach students about newer crops beyond vegetables, a lot of which the students have never had first-hand experience with before, Tobiasz said.

“These are things that are unusual, but we can grow them here in McHenry County,” Tobiasz said, adding that demand has increased for crops like wheat and hops with the proliferation of microbreweries in McHenry County.

Hemp production is something that was of particular interest to Chris Roberts, a sophomore horticulture student who graduated from Cary-Grove High School. Roberts said he’s always been fascinated by plants and hopes to go into production of some kind after school.

“I love the variety and diversity of crops here,” Roberts said. “You can get so many different job experiences from working in the greenhouse to the farm to hydroponics. It’s amazing.”

Another student, junior Jennifer Schueller, said she was inspired by the classes on mushrooms to try to grow them on a log at home.

“Both my grandmothers had gardens, and I was inspired by it, but I had no idea how to do it,” Schueller said. “So now I’m taking classes to learn how to garden properly.”

The on-campus farm is only two years old, said production farm manager Kimberly Sowinski, who also runs the campus farm’s internship program. Crops grown by students and staff on campus are sold inside the student center every Monday. The Center for Agrarian Learning is also partnering with local farms so that students can learn about cattle and poultry.

“Students are interested in so many things: food, nutrition, the environment,” said Sheri Doyel, who runs the Center for Agrarian Learning. “We see a lot of reasons to move forward with these new crops. It’s a great opportunity for students to have classroom and hands-on learning.”

Freshman Glenda Mireles, who also works on campus for the agrarian center, said the agriculture entrepreneur program was a lot bigger than she was expecting.

“I was very involved at the agriculture program at Marengo,” Mireles said. “I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to attend a big college or not, so I wanted to start off here and look at what they had to offer. But now I’m involved here and it’s a great deal: I get a job and I get to be around plants that I love.”

The Center for Agrarian Learning will host three workshops Tuesday nights, taught by Tobiasz, beginning in October on berries, tree fruit and hops and grapes.

An open house about the Mercedes-Benz program will take place 12 to 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at the college.