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Ag college grads unemployment below average

June 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Do agriculture college degrees pay? A new study by Georgetown University shows that the unemployment rate of recent graduates in agriculture and natural resources is lower than average. At a six-percent unemployment rate, that is BELOW the national unemployment average for recent college graduates – which is 7.9%.

The study also looked at unemployment rates for experienced ag-related graduates. Those with general agriculture and plant science/agronomy degrees had lower unemployment rates (around 2-and-a-half percent) than those with animal science and natural resources/management degrees (around 4-and-a-half percent).

Filed Under: Human Interest, News Tagged With:

A face of farming sees lots of “Ah ha” moments

April 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

One of the four farmers chosen by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) to educate people about modern agriculture recently met with New York media folks. Katie Pratt, a row crop farmer in Illinois, tells Brownfield she was able to explain food terminology to them from an ag point of view.  She says she witnessed a lot of “ah ha” moments.

“Lots of moments where people are going — ‘Oh, well that makes sense.’  That makes sense that organic is a descriptor of HOW something is raised and not a commentary on the nutritional value of the food. Or, it makes sense that local would mean ‘this’ and then why maybe we should support local (food).”

Pratt, who points out that she, too, is a consumer as well as a farmer, says social media has been a great tool for the USFRA and Faces of Farming and Ranching to get their message out. But, she says she greatly values the face-to-face meetings she’s had with consumers and non-ag media to answer their questions in-depth, face to face.

AUDIO: Katie Pratt (7:00 mp3)

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, Human Interest, News Tagged With: , , , ,

Micki Zartman Scarlet and Gray Ag Day

April 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Scarlet and Gray Ag Day_webIn its 14th year, the Micki Zartman Scarlet and Gray Ag Day coming up on Friday on the Ohio State University campus will provide elementary students from Franklin and Delaware counties with a unique learning experience. Nicole Steinmetz, a senior in Agriscience Education, from Bellevue is one of the co-chairs of the planning committee.

“The overall goal is to get them, as young consumers thinking about agriculture and where their food comes from, where there clothes are coming from and how it relates to their everyday life,” said Steinmetz.

Leslie Risch, the OSU Ag Day Club advisor says while the goal of the event has remained pretty much the same, it has evolved over time and it goes beyond the campus event.

“We worked with the teachers prior to the event by hosting a teacher’s workshop and we’re providing them with agricultural curriculum, simple lessons, showing them how easy it is to incorporate agriculture into basic science studies in their classrooms,” Risch said. “Many of the teachers are using that curriculum here, probably this week particularly prior to the event to get their kids excited about the day.”

The hands-on, science based sessions will be taught by Ohio State students, staff and faculty and commodity leaders.

Audio: Leslie Risch and Nicole Steinmetz, Ohio State University (9:45 mp3)

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Pine Tree Elementary hosts Ag Day

April 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Students at Pine Tree learn about the new technologies farmers use.Pine Tree Elementary held their 4th annual Ag Day earlier this week.  Because not everyone has access to a farm – central Indiana farmers and agribusiness brought agricultural lessons to the grade school. 

Karie Mize is the Principal of Pine Tree. 

She says many of her students don’t know how food gets from the farm to their dinner plate.  “It’s important to expose the kids to all these different things regarding their food, where they get it, and the animals that may make it to their plate,” she says. 

AUDIO: Karie Mize, Pine Tree Elementary (2:50mp3) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, Human Interest, News Tagged With: , , ,

MO FFA President stresses ag education

February 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

It was Missouri FFA Day Wednesday at the State Capitol in Jefferson City. State FFA President Jaelyn Bergmann of Perry, Missouri, addressed the Missouri House – reminding them that Missouri is, in her words, “the true home” for the National FFA. The then-Future Farmers of America was started in Kansas City in 1928 by 33 farm boys.

She said, “Those 33 farm boys made our mission statement to read: ‘FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of its students by developing their potential for premiere leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.’ Our members stand solid behind this mission statement, just as you stand solid behind your mission to improve our state.”

Bergmann went on to explain the educational opportunities for FFA members.

Ag proponents say FFA programs are at risk of being cut if the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education moves forward on its proposal to de-emphasize career and technical education.

AUDIO: Jaelyn Bergmann (5:00 mp3)

~Missourinet contributed to this report~

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Missouri Cattlemen’s Association on priorities

February 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Animal health and well-being are among the priorities this year for the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association.  MCA’s Executive Vice President Mike Deering tells Brownfield they’ll be working with the state vet and the state director of agriculture on trichomoniasis, “To make sure that we have a trich rule in the state that makes sense and that we allow producers to have a retest option. Most other states have a retest option. Missouri does not.”

Further, the new federal animal disease traceability (ADT) rule has been published at the federal level. Deering says, “The enforcement is going to be up to the states. So, we want to make sure that we have a program that does not disrupt the marketplace in the state and does not bear a financial burden, I guess, for producers.”

The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and Missouri Farm Bureau are asking Ag Director Jon Hagler to re-establish the Missouri Animal Identification Advisory Committee for guidance on the new federal ADT system.

AUDIO: Mike Deering (6:00 mp3)

MCA Legislative Watch

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New animal science head chosen for SDSU

January 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The former director of the Beef Improvement Federation has been chosen to lead the South Dakota State University Animal Science Department. Dr. Joe Cassady, with the approval of the SDSU board of regents, is slated to start at SDSU in mid-June.

Cassady earned his undergraduate degree in animal science at Iowa State and his masters and Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Cassady previously taught animal science at North Carolina State University and worked at the USDA’s ARS meat animal research center in Nebraska.

SDSU – i Grow – Joe Cassady

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Nebraska Corn Board develops ag literacy program

December 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Nebraska Corn Board has developed an innovative new ag literacy project.

The board will provide free iPads to 20 schools across the state.  The iPads will be loaded with web sites and apps that will help teachers do a better job of educating students about agriculture.

But as Kim Clark of the Corn Board explains, it doesn’t end there.

“Twice a year, for any of the schools and classrooms that are the recipient of the iPad, we’ll go in and spend about a half-hour or 45 minutes, doing some teaching in the classroom with students,” Clark says, “and then we’ll use the iPad—the technology in the iPad, different web sites and apps—to do the teaching.”

Those schools or classrooms will also receive a monthly newsletter from the Corn Board updating them on agricultural education activities.

AUDIO: Kim Clark (3:47 MP3)

Funds to purchase the iPads come from a five-thousand dollar grant from DuPont Pioneer, which has been matched by the Corn Board.  Kerry Hoffschneider with DuPont Pioneer’s Western Business Unit says they’re proud to support ag literacy efforts like these.

“Students are on iPads, they’re on their phones, they’re on social networking—and so the iPad project is just one way that they can gain some information, not just about seed, but about all aspects of agriculture,” says Hoffschneider.

AUDIO: Kerry Hoffschneider (:46 MP3)

Nebraska schools will be able to apply to receive an iPad for their school or classroom starting January 1st.  More information on the project and the application process can be found on the Nebraska Corn Board web site.

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Missouri ag groups urge Ag Ed emphasis

November 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Leading Missouri ag groups are urging the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to keep requirements for career and technical education courses in high schools.  Mike Deering, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association executive Vice President, tells Brownfield Ag News that FFA programs are at risk of being cut if the department moves forward on its proposal to de-emphasize career and technical education.

“DESE proposes to list career education as a ‘content area’ that must be offered but has removed any specifics about minimum requirements, therefore, taking the emphasis away from these programs.”

Deering says the message from Missouri ag groups is it’s imperative to keep these opportunities available for students.   He tells Brownfield Ag News, “It’s really been a united front to make sure that we protect agriculture education and FFA in schools. It’s so vital to the future of the very small population that’s expected to feed a population expected to grow by nine to 10-Billion by the year 2050.”

Deering says they’re urging written comments in support of ag and all technical education be mailed to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Jefferson City. Letters must be postmarked by this Friday, November 30th, 2012.

AUDIO: Mike Deering (5:00 mp3)

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
PO Box 480
Jefferson City, MO 65102

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University of Missouri gets $1Million from ADM

October 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CAFNR) has received a gift of $1Million from Illinois-based ag processing firm Archer Daniels Midland (ADM).

Dr. Leon Schumacher, MU professor of ag systems management, tells Brownfield they are very thankful for the gift which will establish the ADM Center for Agricultural Development in the MU Ag Engineering building.

“It’s going to enable our students to do a number of different things – to be involved in a number of different kinds of activities in a much more dynamic way — in a way that helps make them to be better prepared to enter the workforce,” Leon tells Brownfield Ag News.

The emphasis will be on hands-on learning and collaborative research. Schumacher says an example of the type of projects is the recently created small-scale grain elevator put together by ag students, “It really turned out to be one of the very best learning tools that those students had encountered while they were here at Mizzou,” says Schumacher, “It allowed them to pull on all of their skills from the different classes they had taken and put that into a project – in this case here, it’s a really well developed teaching aide for the students in our grain handling class.”

Professor Schumacher says they agree with ADM officials that the gift will help toward preparing ag students for the future of a growing world population and the most pressing needs associated with that including an abundant food supply.

 

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