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Iowa schools fail to meet agricultural industry's needsIowa Iowa schools are not doing enough to help students learn about and become involved in careers in agricultural and life sciences, according to a review of educational programs by the Governor's Council on Agricultural Education. "Most middle school and high school students have no knowledge of the food, fiber and natural resource industry in this state, let alone the huge number of careers available," said Robert Martin, chair of the council who is a professor and chair of the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies at Iowa State University. "This is shameful for a state that is the breadbasket of the nation." According to Jim Gillespie, bureau chief at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and a representative on the council, Iowa has more of its land mass devoted to production agriculture than any other state. Consequently, Iowa has a vast infrastructure and human resource base that support the production, processing, distribution and management of these products from the agricultural industry. Martin said that career opportunities presented by this industry appear to be ignored by many educational institutions across the state. The Governor's Council on Agricultural Education recently drafted a recommendation that all school districts provide at least one middle school or high school course on the food, fiber and natural resource industry and its more than 200 career areas that are directly related to the applied sciences of agriculture--namely biology, physics, chemistry and economics. According to the council, more than 16,000 high school students in Iowa are involved in high school agriculture and FFA programs, but this number represents a small fraction of the potential audience. "All middle school and high school students in Iowa should have at least a basic knowledge of this industry, its career opportunities and its impact on the economy of the state," Martin said. The Governor's Council on Agricultural Education is an advisory group and "think tank," appointed by Gov. Chet Culver to make recommendations for educational programs and activities that could be used to enhance agricultural education in Iowa. The Council seeks to make recommendations that can be used by a variety of groups to enhance education in and about agriculture in Iowa. According to the council, the seven major career pathways in agriculture are: food products and processing systems, plant systems, animal systems, natural resource systems, power, structural and technical systems, environmental service systems, and agribusiness systems.
Date: 7/11/08 Advertisement
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