Matteo Tosoni  is ready to revitalize the college’s crops program 

LIBERAL — The peach trees at the Seward County Community College agriculture department are blooming, and that brings a smile to agronomy instructor Matteo Tosoni’s face.   

After all, he grew up helping tend his father’s peach and pear orchards in Valeggio, Italy, in the northern part of the country. The family farm also grows cool-weather crops (chicory, broccoli, cabbage, and other cruciferous vegetables) and summertime vegetables like eggplant and zucchini. The farm processes its yield on site. During peak season, Tosoni said, “we ship out two truckloads a day.”  

Halfway around the globe, Tosoni says he’s settled into life in Liberal, Kansas. It’s a similar size to Valeggio, and “I’m not a metropolitan person,” he said. “I like the smaller community.”   

At SCCC, Tosoni plans to revitalize the agronomy program with a focus on sustainable crop production, pest management, plant pathology, and hydroponics. Long-range goals include a deeper dive into precision agriculture, and soil biochemistry and microbiology labs, where students can understand and isolate microbes in the soil.   

As long-time farmers know, good crops begin with good soil, and Tosoni will offer a soil science class in the fall 2026 semester. He also looks forward to creating a plant physiology class, offering detailed learning on how plants work.   

Enrollment for summer and fall classes at SCCC opens over the next two weeks, and Tosoni is already in preparation mode. He has visited high schools in the region to introduce himself and recruit students. Careers in agriculture and agronomy are plentiful, Tosoni noted, reaching far beyond small family farms like the one where he grew up.   

“Students can work in corporate and international settings, as agronomy bioengineers and researchers, or in many different capacities,” he said. “It starts here, but the opportunities are so great.”  

Tosoni’s own educational journey is proof of the concept. He completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biotechnology and agricultural biotechnology at university in Verona, Italy. After graduation, Tosoni spent roughly two years at his father’s farm, working full time as the world waited for the COVID pandemic to end. Observing the seasonal cycles helped put his formal education to practical use.   

“Agriculture went so good during the COVID time. Prices were good, and my dad needed the help,” he said. “In Italy, the job market was heavily disrupted.” As life gradually returned to normal, Tosoni’s college advisor encouraged him to continue his education at Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. He won a scholarship and moved to the United States where he earned a doctorate in plant science over four years’ time. 

“I think it’s very good for me to get teaching experience outside my country,” he said. “It shapes your brain different. It’s easy to think in my own language. It’s easy to learn in my own language, but every time I interact with people from a different cultural background, it challenges me to be better every day. I love the challenge.”   

“We are excited to have Matteo on campus.  We look forward to getting our Agronomy program up a running again,” said Melissa Hardman, chair of the Agriculture, Business, Computer and Personal Services division.

In his first two weeks on campus, Tosoni pruned trees in the program’s dormant orchard, discovered a hidden growth of blackberry canes, and started a batch of cuttings to expand the plants. He has tackled maintenance and cleanup in the two large greenhouses, and plans to give the hydroponics equipment attention. Amid it all, he is absorbing his first spring in Southwest Kansas.  

Just as plants move into a period of rapid and visible growth after dormancy, Tosoni is excited to see the agronomy program come to life. He looks forward to meeting a new batch of students.   

“There is of course a core of information that needs to be taught in class, but then from this foundation, you go into the lab and the hands-on work helps them connect the concept with the reality,” he said. “They’re young, their brains and neurons are still plastic, they learn so fast. It’s exciting.”  

To learn more about the SCCC agronomy program and other agricultural studies, contact Tosoni at 620-417-1354, or email matteo.tosoni@sccc.edu. For enrollment questions or to catch up on college events, visit sccc.edu. This news release was reported and written by human beings in the SCCC Marketing & PR Department, 620-655-4077.   

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Categories: Agriculture, Business & Personal Services Division, ANNOUNCEMENTS, Enrollment