“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” —Epictetus, Greek philosopher
As my daughter was planning her strategy for college in terms of what to study, I reflected on the whole secondary education practice.
Not only is it becoming more apparent that a bachelor’s degree is necessary gear for young people to exist in today’s disorderly world but a higher level of education or training is fast becoming essential.
Topping that notion is the concern for knowledgeable experts in topics such as energy, national security, human health and global climate changes.
These issues have become some of the major challenges in our country today. In addition, these challenges have some obvious ties to agriculture in the way of global food production and enterprise.
Enticing students, educational institutions that offer programs in agriculture may be best prepared if their programs are enhanced with leadership training for our next generation of leaders and professionals.
Keeping pace with the changing atmosphere surrounding agriculture, educational institutes may need to adjust their antiquated instruction to realize the modern day demands being placed on the family farm.
It is now a business and takes an enterprising mindset to succeed in the industry by way of professional education in agriculture.
In a new report by the National Research Council of the National Academies, a committee consisting of the USDA, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Farm Foundation and the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, they focused on the idea for updating education in agriculture.
“We examined ways to effect change in undergraduate agricultural education to attract top students and prepare them for the challenges of tomorrow.”
Since 1991 the report states that “undergraduate education in agriculture has changed dramatically. The university and food and agriculture are different and have greater scope and scale.”
Because students are from different backgrounds and demographics with differing interests and values the teaching methods need revamped. The committee recognized that improvements in teaching and learning in terms of agriculture have been on going there is a need to speed it up.
Educational institutions must look at agriculture students as a prime investment. They are the future of America and the leaders who will carry on the role in sustaining our heartland. Let’s not forget that we were once considered the bread-basket of the world.