A new program offered to MBA students lets them have first-hand experiences in a growing industry by incorporating sustainable agriculture as a minor in the College of Business MBA program.

“This is a one-of-a-kind program in the U.S. There is a growing demand for graduates of this program in industry and government,” said Kay Palan, associate dean of the College of Business. “Graduates of this program are uniquely qualified to combine solid business knowledge and management capabilities with knowledge of sustainable agriculture issues.”

Palan said the College of Business partners with the College of Agriculture in providing funding for graduate assistantships in the sustainable agriculture minor.

Currently, two half-time graduate assistantships are available to students interested in the program. The recipients of these receive a 50 percent discount on in-state tuition, a monthly stipend of $1,400, health insurance and an office in which to do research.

Students are then required to work 20 hours per week on real-world projects relating to the bioeconomy, alternative crops, organic and natural foods, niche food markets or natural fibers.

“The students we’ve had in the program so far have all been good students,” Palan said. “Having an interest in sustainable agriculture allows them to apply the business knowledge the MBA program gives them directly to their activities in the sustainable ag field.”

Andy Larson, graduate student in business administration, is in the assistantship program. Although he has been involved in sustainable agriculture for a long time, the business component has proved to be a learning experience and an asset to his education.

“I came into the program with no private business experience. The things I found most beneficial were the accounting and finance classes,” Larson said. “Just being able to navigate a balance sheet and income statement [were helpful] because all of those things are essential tools in finding out the health of one’s business.”

During his time in the program, Larson has had many opportunities to learn about the field through projects, speakers and real-world experiences.

Students had the opportunity to visit with teams of entrepreneurs during their classes and then ask them questions about their business. From that information, the students developed whatever it was the entrepreneur was looking for, such as a marketing or financial plan, and later presented it to them.

Another opportunity students had was to participate in a two-week field class in which they traveled around the state of Iowa to see a variety of agricultural operations.

“We saw many different interesting agricultural operations, which gave us the chance to see some of the ideas and ideals that we have to put into practice, and whether or not we really think it is a truly sustainable way of doing things,” Larson said.

He believes business and sustainable agriculture are an important combination in today’s society.

“There are a lot of people in sustainable ag, not just farmers, but people who are activists and consumers, who don’t necessarily have the business background that the MBA provides,” Larson said. “The opposite is also true; only a handful of corporate types are familiar with sustainable ag.

“In my opinion, people in the sustainable ag world who have an understanding of how the corporate side of things function are going to be at a major advantage,” he said. “Being able to speak both of those languages is something unique. It’s really essential. If we are going to fuse the efforts of green corporations with green people, green farmers, you have to be able to speak with both.”

The program, which has been offered for three years, works to advance students’ knowledge in both fields and gives them the opportunity to improve the fields through their research.

“It’s going to allow to bridge a major gap between the corporate world and the sustainable agriculture world, which are much more separate than they should be,” Larson said.