The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Every good teacher has a lesson plan of how to teach their students a new concept that will impact their future. It is time that we in agriculture start to develop a solid lesson plan because we are standing at the front of a classroom filled with ill-informed people who are directing the future of our children and it is our fault. We have taken it for granted that there will always be ag classes in a rural community. We have taken it for granted that everyone knows the important value agriculture has in our education system in applying classroom education to hands on practical life experiences. But we’re wrong and we need to stand up and speak out.
In a recent Yahoo Education article by Terrence Loose entitled “College Majors that are Useless”, three of the five majors highlighted were in the agricultural sciences: agriculture, animal sciences and horticulture.
This headline is being touted as a reason to step away from agricultural classes in our local schools.
Many feel there is no future in agriculture and they want to focus on preparing students to be college-bound.But as with most headlines, you need to dig a little deeper to discover the real story.
Agriculture is the biggest driver of our local economies in the Midwest. Billions of dollars worth of exports and thousands of jobs are directly related to agriculture. Only 2% of actual farmers make up the American work force, but people who work in related industries that depend upon what farmers do account for at least a quarter of the entire workforce.
Agriculture has been the one bright spot in the U.S. economy during this record-setting recession. It is profitable, its markets are growing, it is diversifying and it is hiring. A Bureau of Labor Statistics report predicts job growth should be faster than average for all occupations and JOB opportunities are expected to be good over the next decade particularly in food science, technology and agronomy...degrees under the umbrella of agriculture. Students will not only be earning a degree but graduating with a degree leading to a job!
A report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce found agriculture and natural resources to be among the fields with the lowest unemployment rates. Lower than business, engineering, law and several other careers.
A recent study conducted by the Battelle Institute, an independent research organization, found that agriculture and ag-biosciences are generating vital economic growth and job creation in the Midwest.
Our area is becoming the breeding ground for new “green” agriculture-related jobs as the agriculture-driven industry is poised to expand into new markets such as health, specialty crops, biofuels and bio-based products.
Agriculture is not just the daily chores on a working farm by a small percentage of the population. Agriculture is about food, clothing, shelter and energy, everyday items all people need. The study of agriculture is a broad term covering many different majors or degrees in the food, plant, soil and economic sciences.
In layman’s terms these sciences are best described as life sciences, the study of life. This is the hot catch phrase thrown around by administrations as the key to the future careers of their students. Agriculture puts life into life sciences.
Not all students learn by reading and memorizing facts from a book. Some students need to get their hands dirty and into the action in order for their brains to process the information into a user friendly format. They need to see and feel the science come to life. I have always felt our ag instructors were best suited to teach biology through animal science classes. Botany through horticulture classes. Economics and supply/demand through farm management and grain marketing classes. Physics through small engine classes.
Today there are more options for ag graduates than even 20 years ago and there will be more options in the future as our world’s population continues to grow. By 2050 our world will be supporting 9 Billion people. While our population grows, our resources such as land, water and energy will continue to decline significantly. All areas of agriculture will need to be more efficient and imaginative to supply the world’s basic demands.
Currently, the major ag campuses in the Midwest are at their highest enrollment in 30+ years and applications for entrance is climbing.
Most importantly, at the end of their undergraduate careers, the students are facing excellent job or graduate program opportunities. Placement rates are higher than 90% with 20% pursuing advanced degrees.
But as we look to a broader career opportunity for many in agriculture, we need pause to look in the mirror. As the average age of today’s farmer continues to gray, we will need new farmers to step in and keep the harvest going.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack recently cited that the United States will need “100,000 new farmers over the next few years.” In fact, he brought the National FFA Organization into the farm bill discussion, challenging its leaders to develop recommendations that would encourage more young people to pursue careers in farming.
The future of agriculture is standing right in front of us. They are the students involved in FFA.
This organization not only strengthens a student’s working knowledge in an area of interest, but also develops future school board members and community leaders. These students know how to conduct a proper meeting. They can analyze information, make decisions and defend their decisions with logic and reason. These students developed their life skills through an agricultural based program which is open to all students.
The National FFA organization dropped the words “Future Farmers of America” from their name several years ago for a very basic reason. They recognized the vast opportunities in agriculture outside of the daily chores.
All agricultural sectors need to build and nurture an understanding among future workers of all sectors. We need to broaden people’s awareness of agriculture’s vast and varied career opportunities not just today but in the future.
The future is standing in front of us, ready to make the changes necessary for the future growth and development of our communities.
We just need to stand up in front of the classroom and deliver a solid lesson plan to our administrations.
P.S. This article was triggered after "the administration at a high school recommended to not fill the ag position left by the retirement of the instructor. The board voted in favor of retaining the ag program.”
Keep talking to your teachers and administration about the positive and diverse future of agriculture.
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As their 4 children pursue dairy careers off the farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their Minnesota farm. (Natalie grew up in Stronghurst, the daughter of Becky and the late Larry Dowell.)
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