07/30/2026
Spartanburg Community College Sustainable Agriculture is humbled by this honor of the 2026 Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Program of the year by the South Carolina Association of Agriculture Educators (SCAAE).
When "we" (Jason Bagwell included) set out to build our program, we knew it needed to be different. We knew the cost of large tracts of land in the upstate makes it almost impossible to break into the commodities markets of agricultural production. So, we decided to look more at the small-scale intensive model of production as something to implement. Since the beginning of our program in 2018, we have continued to build our 2-acre site into a productive learning environment that allows students to take part in the complete agricultural process. From cover crops to food preservation and all the growing of crops in between, students get true firsthand experiences. We grow a large variety of hybrid and heirloom varieties to allow students to see the strengths and weaknesses of each. Students will experience the management of an orchard in the upstate, which can be challenging. If students want to try their hand at beekeeping, they are more than welcome to take part in that endeavor as well. We are even growing within a greenhouse setting with aquaponics, hydroponics, and microgreens systems. We try to cover as many facets as possible so students can choose what avenue of agriculture is right for them.
Our students are prepared when they leave with the ability to produce crops for self-preservation and/or a small business endeavor. We analyzed the market we serve, and we believe that we are offering the best agricultural education product for that market. We constantly strive to take relative research-based material and put it in a useable and understandable form for our students. If you want to come see what we do, the door is always open.
