July 08, 2026

LLCC ag students tour California’s Central Valley

By AgriNews Staff
Lincoln Land Community College agriculture students who participated in a weeklong agricultural industry tour of California’s San Joaquin Valley are: Scout Tschantz (front row, from left), Morgan Cowdrey, Octavia Smith, Whittney Williams, Jalen Dolen and Abby Jones; and Eli Eyman (back row, from left), Nick Huls, Michael Matesa, Sawyer Smith and Carter Lampe, with Ranger Hans from the Army Corps of Engineers.

Lincoln Land Community College agriculture students who participated in a weeklong agricultural industry tour of California’s San Joaquin Valley are: Scout Tschantz (front row, from left), Morgan Cowdrey, Octavia Smith, Whittney Williams, Jalen Dolen and Abby Jones; and Eli Eyman (back row, from left), Nick Huls, Michael Matesa, Sawyer Smith and Carter Lampe, with Ranger Hans from the Army Corps of Engineers. (Provided photo/LLCC)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Eleven Lincoln Land Community College agriculture students participated in a weeklong agricultural industry tour of California’s San Joaquin Valley.

Students toured agriculture facilities at California Polytechnic State University and met with local fruit, nut and livestock producers.

Tour stops included Bakersfield, Fresno and San Luis Obispo. The region produces almost half of the fruits, vegetables and nuts raised in the United States each year.

Business owners emphasized the importance of irrigation, as the Central Valley receives about 5 inches of rain annually.

The students learned about growers’ concerns regarding the future of farming due to increasing demands for limited water resources and new groundwater regulations that will reduce their water allotments by two-thirds by 2030.

They also got a behind-the-scenes look at agritourism businesses at local farmers markets and visited iconic California destinations including Avila Beach and Yosemite National Park.

This is the fifth year the LLCC Agriculture program has offered industry travel opportunities.

Previous trips have included Texas, Ireland, Oregon and Italy, alternating between domestic and international locations each year. Plans are already underway for the 2027 international trip.

The LLCC Agriculture study-abroad experience May 23-29 was made possible by the Kreher Farm Perpetual Charitable Trust with industry supporters Brandt Consolidated and Farm Credit Illinois.

LLCC faculty and staff leading the trip included Bill Harmon and Rich Teeter.

Participating students were Morgan Cowdrey, Farmersville; Jaylen Dolen, Jacksonville; Eli Eyman, Hillsboro; Nick Huls, Carthage; Abby Jones, Mount Pulaski; Carter Lampe, Bowling Green, Ohio; Michael Matesa, Staunton; Octavia Smith, Springfield; Sawyer Smith, Divernon; Scout Tschantz, Mount Pulaski; and Whittney Williams, New Berlin.

LLCC offers degrees and certificates in the areas of agriculture, agribusiness, precision agronomy and custom application.

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AgriNews Staff

AgriNews Staff

The Illinois AgriNews and Indiana AgriNews staff is in the field each week, covering topics that affect local farm families and their businesses. We give readers information they can’t get elsewhere to help them make better farming decisions.