U.S. official urges growth in agriculture programs

By James Patrick Schmidt

Published Oct. 24, 2006

In an age of increasing industrialization, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is urging universities to attract more students to agriculture programs.

"We must find new ways to inspire students to seek agriculture as a lifelong profession and help them recognize that this industry is filled with opportunity and reward and fulfillment," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in a speech on Oct. 4 at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

MU works to attract a variety of students to the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

"We have a director of recruitment, CeCe Leslie, who visits communities around Missouri, for example St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, St. Joseph, and other cities and towns," said Thomas Payne, vice chancellor and dean of CAFNR.

CAFNR also operates a program called "Mizzou to You."

"With faculty, staff and current students, we travel in a bus to locations around the state where we hold a gathering to visit with prospective students and parents," Payne said. "We invite local area alums to the event as well."

The event is used to allow prospective students and their parents to visit with individuals who are already involved in the college, and to learn about the multitude of opportunities offered through CAFNR. For many people, agriculture is only cows and plows, but it is much, much more.

The secretary highlighted the development of agricultural science since the last national conference dealing with agriculture in higher education, which was held in 1991. The USDA has worked with American colleges and universities to broaden the approach of studying agriculture to deal with rangeland, human development, and communications.

Johanns spoke of the importance of education in agriculture, and he said there are not enough students studying agricultural science, in part because students are unaware of the possibilities offered through such programs.

"We need greater focus on hands-on, real-world experiences to give our students an opportunity to see for themselves the tremendous opportunities that await them in agriculture," Johanns said in the speech.

Johanns discussed opportunities including work on the Food Guide Pyramid and the development of alternative fuels.

In order to address the increasing need of scientists in agriculture fields, Johanns said that the U.S. should emphasize the importance of these fields at all levels of education.

"We need to expand to be more innovative, up-to-date, and assertive through agricultural educational programs, right from K through 12," Johanns said. "Then we must turn to our institutions of higher learning and convey to them the enormous responsibility they bear when it comes to preparing students for careers in such a dynamic, changing industry."

Besides traditional plant and animal sciences, CAFNR also has undergraduate degree programs in plant genomics, animal reproductive physiology, biochemistry, agricultural journalism, hotel and restaurant management, and parks, recreation and tourism.

CAFNR is working to draw in more students for agriculture.

"We increase recruitment efforts each year," Payne said. "We're focusing on reaching out to people to understand everything that agriculture involves."