The committee selecting the Stanislaus State recipient of the United States Department of Agriculture Career Ready Agriculture Food Safety (CRAFS) Fellowship, a $25,000 award for an upper-division student entering a Stan State master’s program, considered academic achievement and campus involvement.
The group found those qualities in senior agriculture major Flint McGrath, but it may not have delved into his soul.
What lies there is a passion for agriculture, borne from spending his senior year of high school at home in Mariposa during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Raising tomatoes, peppers, herbs, flowers and other crops on the expansive land around the home he shared with his sister and parents, who own a creative metalwork business, did more than pass the time. It inspired McGrath’s pursuit of agriculture.
“I started Merced College coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic with simple, general education classes, and the next semester I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll try this agriculture thing out,’” McGrath said. “It was time to choose a major and start thinking about something. I really enjoyed it. Everyone at Merced College was really welcoming. I joined the Ag Ambassadors. I still haven’t totally gotten involved with Ag Ambassadors at Stan, but I can tell they are really into building a community.”
What he has “gotten into” at Stan State is the sustainable garden, taking the Markets and Pricing class required him to participate in the StanFresh Market.
He loved it, and he initially thought his ag major would lead him to starting a small farm and becoming a truck farmer, selling his produce that way.
“I hadn’t thought much further than that,” McGrath said. “Now that I’m here, I have the opportunity to understand that agriculture businesses aren’t just farms. There’s agriculture lending, and every single input involved in agriculture is part of a business. They all work together in this big, interconnected agriculture industry. My horizons have broadened a lot, and now I’m at this place, especially with receiving this amazing grant, where there’s a lot to do, a lot more than I imagined when I first started studying agriculture.”
He focused on agriculture business and will graduate in December with his bachelor’s degree and a minor in economics, but he’s not sure that’s the direction he’s headed.
From the time he arrived with plans to farm, his interests were in the nutritional content of food, as well as soil and water issues.
That hasn’t changed, but he’s fascinated with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a computer software that organizes geospatial data, McGrath said.
“It’s about our world and the way different activities relate to one another,” he said. “There are a lot of layers, like pollution in farming areas. You can map air pollution and areas with a high amount of commuting. Those are two separate data sets, but they both happen in a place in the world.
“There are aspects that are less spatial but have spatial consequences. It’s cool that our University provides this for students, including those of us in the agriculture program. Our program recognizes that whatever you end up doing in ag, you’re going to need to know the basics. It’s cutting edge and important for that kind of work.
“I would love to use that and continue developing my skill set with whatever project I end up doing. I’m looking at land in the community that could be a future destination for more Stan State agriculture opportunities.”
One dream as he contemplates working toward a master’s – either a Master of Business Administration or a self-designed multidisciplinary studies degree since Stan State does not offer a master’s in agriculture – it to build Stan State’s agriculture department’s presence.
He has visited Fresno State, which has developed its own identity in agriculture, selling its own wine and other products produced on campus.
McGrath was impressed but opted for Stan State after Oluwarotimi Odeh, professor and Rolland Starn Endowed Chair of Agriculture, and Augustine Avwunudiogba, professor of geography, visited his Merced College ag business class.
"I thought they were nice and positive about the ag program and told us we’d get a lot of attention as students, because class sizes tend to be smaller,” McGrath said. “It’s true. Class sizes are smaller than at Fresno State.
“There's also this USDA-funded summer program they put on. I went two summers in a row because I was still a student at Merced College. It was a fun time. They gave us lunch, took us to businesses in the area and gave us an idea of what studying agriculture here would be like. Both times, I felt I connected with the teachers, enjoyed the small class size and got a taste of what it would be like to go here. I’m happy with my decision.”
Then came the news about the CRAFS Fellowship, part of a USDA grant awarded Stan State a few years ago to launch a food safety certificate program. That program has not yet begun, but part of the funding was designated for the fellowship, even if food safety wasn’t a student’s primary interest, according to Continuing and Professional Education Executive Director Aubrey Priest, whose area of focus is innovation and workforce development.
McGrath’s area of interest is not yet solidified. He’s still exploring the vast world of agriculture studies, and pursuing a master’s degree will enable him to continue that exploration.
“From the understanding I have of what CRAFS is all about, the best way to honor this fellowship would be to step out and take some courses in food safety and learn more about biology, pathogens and entomology. I want to continue to get a well-rounded appreciation of the field.”
McGrath was selected from a pool of candidates.
“Flint’s selection as the CRAFS Fellow is a testament to his academic achievement, campus and community involvement, as well as his commitment to service leadership,” said Priest, who oversaw the awarding of the fellowship.
