Bearing this newfound knowledge, he formed a general agricultural-consulting company to advise a variety of organizations including food processors, utility and farming companies, and the Argentinean government. Then, almost 20 years after graduating from UC Davis, Rumsey was lured back to town by a teaching job he learned about from his twin brother, Tom, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering. I suspect the reason I was hired is that I enjoy teaching very applied, practical, hands-on courses. I teach courses in farm equipment, farm-machinery economics, welding, engines and a course for teachers of vocational agriculture. After 16 years of teaching, Rumsey has made the class widely known.
Many students consider farming classes a rite of passage during their four-year track.
He said other students are out for the suntan. Sally Steinhoff, a student majoring in agricultural systems and environment, believes no other teacher would set a group of students loose on tractors on the first day of class. Rumsey's teaching assistant for three years, Steinhoff was raised on a farm and desires a career in agriculture. She has taken all of his classes. She is now one of five assistants in a class where women comprise half the students.