The nonprofit supporting Fresno State’s ag specialty college unveiled its first corporate sponsor Thursday supporting students and teachers of the renowned program.

The commitment from Fresno Equipment Company comes as the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences expands its farm operations and the majors offered there — including its award-winning winemaking program.

The Ag One Foundation provides scholarships and student and program support for the Jordan College, said Shannon Birkner, executive director of the foundation. She said the partnership with Fresno Equipment Company speaks its commitment to ag in the Central Valley.

Fresno Equipment gave $20,000 to the college.

“We’re all trying to meet the same goals,” Birkner said. “We want to produce the next generation of agricultural leaders to take their companies into the future, for our students to have career paths and opportunities. So really, it’s about aligning all of our goals together to meet the same needs, and that’s supporting agriculture in California.”

Fresno Equipment Company the First Corporate Sponsor

Marsha Vucovich, owner and president of Fresno Equipment Company, has long been a supporter of Ag One as a volunteer and past board president.

“Students that are here, they bring so much to our community and to the future of agriculture,” Vucovich said. “They’re really an essential part of our community. We hope to inspire other businesses to likewise partner with Ag One.”

Ag One began in 1979 with the sole mission of supporting the Jordan College. It currently has a $33 million endowment and will provide more than $1 million in scholarships this coming school year, Bikner said.

Birkner said outside funding becomes more important as the state faces a growing deficit. Colleges in the California State University system often face unique funding challenges, Fresno State President Saul Jimenez Sandoval previously told GV Wire. Community colleges can present bond measures to the community and the University of California system gets research grants and funding.

CSU colleges rely on state funding. Running a 1,000-acre farm requires significant investment, Birkner said. They face the same rising costs that other farms do.

Birkner said they plan on announcing more corporate partners.

“Stay tuned, we want today to be very special for Fresno Equipment Company. We’ll start to unroll other corporate partners as they join us,” Birkner said.

Wine Business Major on the Way for 2025-26: St. Hilaire

Fresno State will be launching two new majors this fall, said Rolston St. Hilaire, dean of the Jordan College.

The college will offer its first wine business major. The college has long offered viticulture and enology as a major, but students wanted to go beyond what it takes to make good wine, St. Hilaire said.

The Fresno State winery was the first to be bonded on a university campus.

“We do produce a lot of quality wines, and we’ve won about 300 medals,” St. Hilaire said. “But we are also looking at the emerging trends in that beverage industry. Our students are telling us ‘we know how to make wines, we do this really well, but what about the other things that we need to know about?’ ”

They will also soon offer beer-brewing and distillation courses.

An agricultural systems management minor also will be available as a major. That major helps students look beyond singular systems and to the farm as a whole, St. Hilaire said.

They recently finished major improvements to their greenhouses and plan other upgrades to the farm.

St. Hilaire said the Jordan College is helping fill the growing need for farm management. Many programs at the Jordan College see 100% of their graduates go straight into jobs in their field.

“All students will get exposure to those modern agricultural technology things and equipment before they go out into the industry,” St. Hilaire said. “That’s one of the ways in which we are addressing things here in the Valley’s agriculture. Most students are being trained right here on our campus so by the time they get to the industry, they’re ready to go.”