SALEM, Ore. — AgWest Farm Credit has given a major boost to Sweet Home High School’s career and technical education program and Corban University’s agriculture program in the form of $100,000 grants to each.

Both are in the Willamette Valley, a hotbed of agriculture in Oregon.

AgWest Farm Credit — a $32 billion agricultural lending institution operating in Western states — donated the funds as part of the company’s $3 million in donations to rural community organizations.

Fifty-two organizations in seven states received funds, though $100,000 was on the high end of what most received, according to Bryan Brock, president of AgWest Oregon.

The organizations were selected by groups of AgWest customers working with board members and local branches.

Both Sweet Home and Corban have indicated the grants will help bolster agricultural education and ties with the community.

Corban plans soil lab

On July 24, Corban administrators and instructors were presented with the $100,000 grant to create a major soil testing lab. It’s a major advancement for Corban’s agricultural sciences program, which instructor Susie Nelson began in 2022.

“It validates what we’re doing with the whole start-up of the agriculture program here,” Nelson said. “It helps us shape where our niche is in the community, education-wise, as well as service to what some of our farmers and other stakeholders need.”

Sweet Home’s plans

Five days earlier, at the Linn County Fair, students in Sweet Home High School’s FFA chapter were also presented with a $100,000 grant investing in the school’s career and technical education department, which includes FFA and serves roughly 400 to 500 students.

Scott Jacobson, a CTE instructor at the school who started Sweet Home’s FFA chapter, said he was “amazed” by the news. Jacobson said the funds would also be used to purchase a vehicle for the department.

“Honestly, I was shocked, because we are a second-year chapter,” said Caden Foley, a Sweet Home sophomore and FFA member. “To get a check this massive is amazing, and it will be extremely nice to have our own CTE vehicle that we can use all throughout the year.”

Engaging with community

Jacobson said engaging with the Sweet Home community is a growing priority for the FFA chapter in coming years.

“We want to be more involved in the community. I’ve been talking with more community members about outreach we can do,” Jacobson said.

Lab will be second of its kind

Corban’s soil testing lab, when completed, would be the second of its kind in the state after Oregon State University. Nelson said that over time she hopes the new lab can serve the community by meeting high demand for soil testing across the Willamette Valley.

Clinton Knaus, an assistant professor of chemistry at Corban, said the university would work with industry partners and local farmers to assess their needs as the lab develops.

“We’re excited at the possibilities we have here,” Knaus said. “We’re starting small and we’re going to build our capabilities.”