In the past week I have seen not one, but two articles stating that agriculture has no future and questioning if the industry is appealing to today’s youth. I would officially set everyone straight by saying, “YES! Agriculture is booming and no fears, the future is in good hands”.
First, I would like to address Buzzfeed. First of all, they refer to the degree as “agriculture”. What I doubt they know is “agriculture” is not one degree. In fact, most universities have a whole college designated to agriculture, with thousands of students that have different majors that all fall under the term of “agriculture”. Also, most agriculture colleges are GROWING in numbers, fast. If you talk to a staff member from Iowa State University in the college of Agriculture and Life Sciences, they will tell you class sizes are getting larger and they do not see this stopping any time soon. Next mistake, their reason that agriculture is one of the worst careers to be involved in is that, and I quote, “farm manager opportunities are expected to drop by 5% and continue to do so until 2018”. Yes, farms are consolidating and there are not as many farms as there has been. But is the world population not growing? And people like to eat? And we need more food? And we need to do more than just grow the food, but we need to figure out how to get the food to people, keep it at a good price, and keep it healthy and safe? Trust me, jobs are there. As the population grows, so will careers in agriculture.
First, I would like to address Buzzfeed. First of all, they refer to the degree as “agriculture”. What I doubt they know is “agriculture” is not one degree. In fact, most universities have a whole college designated to agriculture, with thousands of students that have different majors that all fall under the term of “agriculture”. Also, most agriculture colleges are GROWING in numbers, fast. If you talk to a staff member from Iowa State University in the college of Agriculture and Life Sciences, they will tell you class sizes are getting larger and they do not see this stopping any time soon. Next mistake, their reason that agriculture is one of the worst careers to be involved in is that, and I quote, “farm manager opportunities are expected to drop by 5% and continue to do so until 2018”. Yes, farms are consolidating and there are not as many farms as there has been. But is the world population not growing? And people like to eat? And we need more food? And we need to do more than just grow the food, but we need to figure out how to get the food to people, keep it at a good price, and keep it healthy and safe? Trust me, jobs are there. As the population grows, so will careers in agriculture.
The term farm manager is not at all accurate. Yes farm managers are very important in agriculture, but there are many other career choices for an agriculture student. They forgot about vets, agronomists (they deal with plants incase you didn't know), ag journalists, farm reporters, grain merchandisers, livestock herdsmen, seed salesmen, pharmaceutical reps, loan officers, stock brokers, accountants, photographers, and the list goes on and on. I am attending a university and my major is not "farm manager", that doesn't mean I don't want a career in agriculture.
Now, Morning Ag Clips wrote an article July 10th, 2014 asking, “Can agriculture appeal to today’s youth?” I want to reassure them that there are no worries. Like I mentioned before, agriculture is a popular field of study for college students. This summer I spent a week with almost 1,000 kids in Louisville, Kentucky who were all showing pigs. Families drove hundreds to thousands of miles, staying multiple nights in hotel rooms, and gave up a holiday weekend to take their kids to a livestock show. This is passion and dedication, which is what the livestock industry is all about. These kids meet life long friends, they compete in contests that will prepare them for the future, and they create memories that are unmatched. These kids are leaders, public speakers, competitors, and overall amazing kids who spend their childhood preparing themselves for the real world. If you have any doubt in the future of agriculture, attend a livestock show. You will see how much youth are invested in this great industry and know that the future is in great hands.
Now, Morning Ag Clips wrote an article July 10th, 2014 asking, “Can agriculture appeal to today’s youth?” I want to reassure them that there are no worries. Like I mentioned before, agriculture is a popular field of study for college students. This summer I spent a week with almost 1,000 kids in Louisville, Kentucky who were all showing pigs. Families drove hundreds to thousands of miles, staying multiple nights in hotel rooms, and gave up a holiday weekend to take their kids to a livestock show. This is passion and dedication, which is what the livestock industry is all about. These kids meet life long friends, they compete in contests that will prepare them for the future, and they create memories that are unmatched. These kids are leaders, public speakers, competitors, and overall amazing kids who spend their childhood preparing themselves for the real world. If you have any doubt in the future of agriculture, attend a livestock show. You will see how much youth are invested in this great industry and know that the future is in great hands.
So the next time someone tells you there is no future in agriculture, first ask them if they like to eat. Bottom line, not only are the people involved in agriculture going to feed the world, I believe they have the skills to run the world. Watch out people, the future is bright and there is no telling what amazing things the agriculture industry is going to accomplish.