New agricultural programs announced at Kennebec Valley Community College

FAIRFIELD — Kennebec Valley Community College will launch two agricultural programs this year with the help of a $2.5 million federal grant, the college announced Monday.

The programs in sustainable agriculture and culinary arts will begin during the fall semester at the Harold Alfond Campus in Hinckley, according to a news release from college spokesman Jonathan Humphrey.

The two programs will be followed by two others in fall 2014, college President Barbara Woodlee said in the release.

The other two programs slated for what is being described as the KVCC Agriculture Cluster at the Alfond campus farm are food technology and quality control technician.

The sustainable agriculture program will focus on the skills for running a small farm or agriculture business. Classes will include crop production, pest management, farm infrastructure and sustainable livestock management, as well as soil, plant and animal science.

The culinary arts program will emphasize the use of the farm-to-table movement while providing instruction in cooking. Classes will include basic and advanced food preparation techniques, nutrition, menu planning, kitchen sanitation and safety, and food purchase and storage.

One-year certificate options for these programs are also planned.

The two-year programs are supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.

The college acquired the part of the former Good Will-Hinckley school in 2012 and renamed it for major benefactor Harold Alfond. The new campus is being developed to serve an additional 1,500 to 2,000 students as well as other programs. The Alfond campus is seven miles from the school’s Fairfield campus.

Good Will-Hinckley, founded in 1889, was a residential school that closed in 2009 because of financial problems. It opened the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences in September 2011 on part of the campus.

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