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2026 Best Value Agricultural Production Operations Schools in the Far Western Region

[Agricultural Production Operations](/majors/agriculture-ag-operations/agricultural-production/agricultural-production-operations-general/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools to find the best return on investment for agricultural production operations students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Agricultural Production Operations Schools in the Far Western Region

2026 Best Value Agricultural Production Operations Schools in the Far Western Region

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in agricultural production operations, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Agricultural Production Operations Schools

1

Hartnell College
Salinas, CA

$1,404 In-State Tuition & Fees

$6,000 Avg Student Debt

$44,316 Median Earnings (10yr)

Hartnell College earned the #1 spot for value among agricultural production operations schools in the Far Western Region. Set in the city of Salinas, Hartnell College is a large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,404, with out-of-state students paying around $10,398. Typical student debt for agricultural production operations graduates is $6,000. Soon after graduation, agricultural production operations degree recipients from Hartnell College generally make around $35,080. That is a strong return on a $6,000 median debt.

2

Washington State University
Pullman, WA

$13,391 In-State Tuition & Fees

$17,395 Avg Student Debt

$68,905 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in agricultural production operations will find it at Washington State University, which ranked #2. Washington State University is a very large public school located in the town of Pullman. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,391, compared with $29,950 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $17,395 to complete the agricultural production operations program here. Agricultural Production Operations graduates of Washington State University earn a median of $56,743 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 87%.

View All Agricultural Production Operations Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 8 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.