Department History

The department’s roots date back to 1960, when the agricultural business management program was created. It was the first business-related major at Cal Poly Pomona.

Among the faculty members responsible for developing the program were Professors Milo Lacy, Robert White, and Edison Cabacungan. White and Cabacungan both established endowments that continue to provide scholarships to students.

A notable alumnus is Mike Provenzano (’66, food marketing and agribusiness management). With the help of his three sons, Provenzano built a chain of Hispanic supermarkets (Pro’s Ranch Markets) in California and surrounding states. In 2003, he established the Provenzano Endowment for Faculty Development in honor of Lacy, the professor who recruited him to Cal Poly Pomona and inspired him to success. This endowment continues to provide support for faculty to attend conferences and engage in other professional growth activities.

The agricultural science program evolved from agricultural education, which trained students to be high school vocational agriculture teachers. The program started in 1977. Agricultural science was led for many years by Professor Flint Freeman.

In the 1990s, the college went through a consolidation of its departments and programs. Agricultural science was merged with the agribusiness and food industry management program to attain synergies in teaching, research, and service.

Today, the agribusiness program remains the only one of its kind in Southern California. The department has added service-learning classes among its core and general education courses. In addition, it offers students applied and authentic industry learning experiences through intercollegiate competitions related to our majors. Students have traveled from across the country to compete in various events, including:

• The National Agri-Marketing Association business plan competition
• The Food Distribution Research Society’s Food Marketing Challenge
• The National Grocers Association case study competition

The agricultural science program has expanded to serve students who are interested in a general agricultural degree that would give them versatility and the ability to work in a variety of industry sectors, while continuing to support students planning to teach high school agriculture.

Our graduates manage both agricultural and non-agricultural firms throughout the state, with an emphasis on the Imperial and San Joaquin valleys and the greater Los Angeles area.

We continue to adapt our curriculum as the needs of the agricultural industry evolve. We pledge to prepare our students to join the workforce and their eventual employers.