Growing the Next Generation: Free Ag Training Videos Now Streaming

With the average age of California farmers nearing 60 and fewer new workers entering the field with ag backgrounds, there’s growing urgency to train the next generation and upskill current employees. That’s why a coalition of California universities and community colleges is producing a free YouTube video series focused on specialty crop production.

Educators from UC Davis, Fresno State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Chico State, and five community colleges are behind the effort, funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

The 25-part video curriculum covers timely topics like crop breeding, postharvest technology, microgreens, integrated weed management, soil health, and labor-saving machinery. Educators say these videos bring textbook lessons to life with real-world demonstrations of disease diagnosis, fieldwork, and advanced farm practices.

Here in California, producers may find the videos helpful in training new hires or introducing fresh perspectives to their teams. New videos are added weekly at youtube.com/@jeffreymitchell759/playlists. The first, “Contemporary and future approaches to plant breeding,” is already live.