Merced College’s new almond orchard will give students hands-on learning
It’s one thing to read about growing almonds and the science behind it. It’s another to get your hands in the dirt and work in an actual orchard.
Students at Merced College now have their chance to work on a real almond farm.
The college celebrated its new partnership with the Almond Board of California and the development of a 10-acre almond orchard at an event on Wednesday.
The orchard will give students in the college’s agricultural technology programs a hands-on learning experience, the college said in a story on its website.
The new orchard is part of the college’s agricultural “living laboratory.”
“What we’re building here is a true living classroom,” said Cody Jacobsen, Merced College’s dean of agriculture and industrial technology. “Students won’t just study agriculture in theory — they’ll be out here in the field, growing crops, working with industry partners and seeing how the entire system connects from soil to consumer.”
The orchard is closely tied to Merced College’s AgTEC initiative, for which Merced College won the prestigious 2026 Bellwether Award in the Workforce Development category last month.
The 10 acres of almond trees will make up part of the 60-acre Merced College Farm.
“This farm is becoming a place where education, research and industry come together,” Merced College President Chris Vitelli said. “When our students graduate from Merced College, they will have worked alongside the people and technologies shaping the future of agriculture.”
