Career & Technical Education - Horticulture

Right to Left: Sage Elder from Odessa Washington, Shelby Schmidt from Minot ND, Janie Vandal from Bottineau ND, Amy Koehler Instructor Audrey Gilbraith from Glenburn, ND

February is proclaimed as Career and Technical Education (CTE) month. Dakota College at Bottineau is taking this opportunity during CTE month to showcase their Horticulture programs. There is a level of academic content and skill that is required for success in today’s career and technical careers.

Horticulture programs at Dakota College prepare students for the career and technical career with Specialty Crop Production, Aquaponics, Floral Design-Greenhouse Technology and the newest offering of Hemp Production. All of these programs have the AAS and Certification options. Growing plants is an art and a science. All programs focus on the science of growing, production and distribution within their own specialty.

The Hemp Production program is unique to North Dakota and prepares students for careers in hemp farming, production, greenhouse management or assistance in Hemp Cannabinoid production, processing technician for oils, CBD and fiber products as well as inspector of private, state and federal agencies. Industrial hemp is a variety of Cannabis sativa which has no more than 0.3% THC and is used in a multitude of consumer products ranging from fiber and oil to medicinal productions. The curriculum for this program has a focus on commercial propagation, cultivation and processing of hemp. It also has a state and federal compliance component relating to regulations of hemp production.

Students develop employability skills specific to the job and can enter the workforce in one or two years after earning a certificate or technical degree. In addition, some CTE-bound students decide to further their education by transferring to a four-year university.