If we don’t tell our
story, who’s going to?
As agriculture
advocates it is our responsibility to spread the TRUTH about how agriculture
really works, to share our passion with an increasingly unfamiliar population,
and to revolutionize the negative image the general public generates of us.
Every second we choose to live in silence, organizations like PETA and HSUS
take advantage of our idleness and falsely exploit agriculture as a “useless” profession.
In a recent Yahoo article, Agriculture was deemed the “No. 1 Useless College Degree”,
followed by Animal Science at No. 4, and Horticulture at No. 5. As the future
face of American agriculture, we should all find it particularly discomforting
to realize just how unaware and uninformed billions of people are when it comes
to knowing the importance of what being an agriculturalist really means.
The College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences encompasses an enormously diverse group of
people, extending far past the stereotypical farmers and ranchers. We have
modernized and grown into a profession that develops economists, scientists,
pharmacists, researchers, veterinarians, biologists, nutritionists, geneticists,
and the list goes on and on; so why is agriculture still being plagued by a bad
reputation? Articles and other public service announcements like the one recently
printed on Yahoo haunt our industry all too often and frequently express the
single opinion of an author with no connection to agriculture and statistical
resources that are misinterpreted. For instance, the Yahoo article states that
“when schools such as the University of Idaho cut their ag programs, you know
times are tough for this degree”, when in reality the College of Ag and Life
Sciences is the second largest college in the entire University!
The agriculture industry
as a whole is continuously striving to become more efficient and consolidate in
order to increase productivity, and in doing so has cut down not only on the
costs of production and natural resources but admittedly on the number of jobs
as well. Despite this however are an increasing number of jobs available for
small-scale farmers that have the opportunity to deal directly with consumers
and marketing cooperations, an advantageous strategy that gives farmers a
larger share of their consumer’s dollars. In addition to the numerous jobs
created in these developing niche markets, over half of the existing farmers in
the US will retire within the next decade and need to be replaced in order to
sustain a demanding world population that will triple by the year 2050, requiring
100% more food and 70% more technology. Managerial jobs in farming, ranching,
and agriculture are expected to continue rising by approximately 6% within the
next seven years and while they may endure “getting up with the sun and working
till it sets”, they enjoy being their own boss and take pride in providing the
shirt on your back and the food on your table.
Animal Science comes in
next as the “No. 4 Useless College Degree because it is so specific that you
cannot transfer any useful skills to jobs outside of animal science”. On the
contrary, the science background required for animal science students is extremely
extensive and often leads to graduate or professional school where they further
facilitate the study of animals to fulfill their primary goal: meeting human
needs, whether it be consumption or companionship. Animal scientists are
trained to work not only in livestock production but also in numerous professional
environments and can be found in the “medical, pharmaceutical, financial, public
health, business, nutrition, research, education, and genetic career fields,
just to name a few”. The U.S. Department of Labor expects a “13% increase in
employment within the next six years” coupled with “an unemployment rate well
below the national average”, according to the 2009-2012 American Community
Survey. Overall, animal scientists are represented in many different forms and
fashions in the work force yet it is evident that future employment remains
optimistic for animal science students who are seeking a career opportunity in
agriculture.
Horticulture is the last
of the trio rated at No. 5. As with all aspects of agriculture, a degree within
this field can range considerably but a few common careers may encompass crop
production, biochemistry, genetic engineering, soil preservation, crop yields, or
plant physiology. Horticulturists study the most effective uses of our natural
resources and aim to protect and preserve our soil, water, and ecosystems for
future generations. While some work to improve our food’s nutritional value and
improve crop yields others are embarking on different ways to stop soil erosion
and maintain its mineral value between harvests. They are the leaders on the
forefront of the “Going Green” movement, striving to consolidate and minimize
harmful environmental effects and engineering new ways to successfully convert
organic material into usable energy sources. Many emerging forms of agriculture
in areas like organic farming, food safety, diet and nutrition, landscaping, biofuel
and other niche markets are becoming progressively popular and are creating additional
jobs for thousands of agriculturalists. The employment rate for soil and plant
scientists has remained steady even throughout the current economic recession
and remarkably is projected to “grow by over 16% between 2008 and 2018, faster
than the average for all other occupations”, stated by the US Department of
Labor. The opportunities within the horticulture industry are growing exponentially
larger each year, and without them we would find ourselves rapidly approaching
the day that there isn’t enough food or resources to go around, and what’s left
most families couldn’t afford.
As of today, one in
five people in the United States go without food; and hunger kills more than
AIDS, war, malaria, and tuberculosis combined throughout the world.
Agriculturalists live to serve the people of the world yet they are repeatedly cut
down and underappreciated by the billions of individuals they support. What most people don’t realize is that
American agriculture is continuously diversifying and employs over 23 million
people, over 17% of the entire work force! Students that choose an agriculture
degree know that they are doing work that matters and have hundreds of career
opportunities available to them upon graduation. They are feeding and clothing
the world, protecting our natural resources, and creating jobs to support our
future generations. What’s useless about that? Speak up, reach out, and tell
your story! It’s time for a revolution.
References:
Bureau
of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook
Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Agricultural and Food Scientists, on the
Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos046.htm .
"About
CALS." University of Idaho-Moscow, Boise, Coeur D'Alene, and Idaho Falls.
Web. 02 Feb. 2012. <http://www.uidaho.edu/cals/about>.
American
Society of Animal Science Board of Directors, "Animal Scientists
Respond to Yahoo's "College Majors that are Useless"." American
Society of Animal Science 20 Jan 2012. 2 Feb 2012 <http://www.asas.org/takingstock/?p=2356>.
