Through a partnership with the Oregon State University Experiment Station, Blue Mountain Community College agriculture students gained an educational experience as well as helped their community.
BMCC students on Thursday donated 1,580 pounds of potatoes to CAPECO in Pendleton to distribute to the needy.
Through the partnership with OSU, the BMCC agriculture department receives potatoes harvested at the Experiment Station in Hermiston, and students process them on campus in Pendleton. The students then deliver the spuds to CAPECO. Forty BMCC agriculture students participated in the activity.
“Our ag students really get a lot out of this project,” said Agriculture Department Chair and Instructor Preston Winn. “First, they learn how to process potatoes and how processing changes the value of an agricultural commodity. Second, they see the value of community service and how rewarding it can be to help others.”
This is the third year OSU has grown potatoes that BMCC students have processed and then donated.
