Agriculture programs at institutions of higher education nationwide conduct research and educate students in the areas of horticulture, agronomy, animal science, ag economics, ag policy, and agribusiness. Programs such as these are vital to ensuring that agriculture professionals have the knowledge and skills necessary to produce and market agricultural products across an ever-changing world. Within Illinois alone, there are four public universities with agriculture programs - the University of Illinois, Illinois State University, Western Illinois University, and Southern Illinois University. Illinois College, a private liberal arts college in Jacksonville, has developed an agribusiness program which draws on the diverse agricultural resources across west central Illinois. With so many options available for prospective agriculture students in the state alone, it can be overwhelming to select the right one. Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) has recently bolstered its agriculture program in order to provide quality agriculture education right here in Springfield and to compete with the larger universities for students.
Bill Harmon, a professor of agricultural sciences at LLCC, is the coordinator for the entire agriculture department and has been instrumental in its recent transformation. A graduate of LLCC himself, Bill followed up with a bachelor’s and master's degree from the University of Illinois. Bill knows firsthand the value that community college can provide a student searching for their field of interest, as well as looking to make a smooth transition into higher education. Aside from the low cost associated with two years of community college, class sizes are relatively small (around 14 students) allowing for more personalization. These are two important selling points for the college to recruit local students. Recently LLCC formed a team of student ambassadors to assist the full time ag department recruiter, and recruitment is taking place in both the LLCC district and the Lewis and Clark Community College district. According to Harmon, one of the next things they are working on is getting agriculture classes in high schools like those in Springfield District 186 to work hand in hand with the LLCC agriculture program. With a decline in rural populations, Springfield and suburbs such as Chatham, Rochester, and Pleasant Plains will remain vital recruitment areas for the LLCC agriculture program.
A key component allowing LLCC to remain competitive with larger institutions came in 2018 when the school was designated to be the recipient of annual earnings from the Kreher Farm Charitable Trust from the estate of the late Charles and Irene Kreher. The annual income generated from the $18.3 million trust allows LLCC to maintain access to cutting edge technology, fund scholarships, and give students the opportunity to participate in a revolving international trip to learn about farming elsewhere. Ireland has been a location for the industry trip in the past, with Italy being the country for the May 2025 trip. In 2021, the modern and high tech Kreher Center was constructed on LLCC’s main Springfield campus to use for teaching, events within the program, and other agriculture program activities. The building has its own greenhouse on the backside to provide students with hands on experience in horticulture and plant science. The Krehers’ generosity will certainly have a long term positive impact on students, farmers, and the entire Central Illinois community. Their gift is one of a variety of things that has allowed the ag program at LLCC to continue to prosper and to maintain or grow in size in recent years, providing a solid educational foundation for a new generation of agricultural professionals.
