U.S. students learn ag from more than 11,000 teachers
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
People are thanking teachers for their work with students as part of National Teacher Appreciation Day.
American students learned from 3.2 million public school teachers in 2016, the National Center for Education Statistics said.
Only a select few, however, specialize in a agriculture.
U.S. middle and high school students receive ag education from about 11,000 teachers, the National Association of Agricultural Educators said.
Introducing students to agriculture at an early age can help them develop an association between farming and its daily impact, said Julia Recko, director of education outreach with the American Farm Bureau Federation.
“Students are natural curious about the world around them,” she told Farms.com in an email today. “Discovering agriculture makes a critical connection for these students to explain where their food, clothes, materials for shelter and fuel comes from.”
Developing an early student interest in the field can also strengthen the agricultural workforce.
Between 2015 and 2020, agriculture will have 57,900 annual job openings, but only 35,400 graduates will be available to fill those positions, Purdue University estimates.
If teachers can show students some of the job opportunities within ag, they may be more willing to continue pursuing ag education, said Will Fett, executive director of the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation.
“A huge segment of our workforce is related to agriculture,” he told Farms.com today. “There’s definitely a need to have more students purse ag as a career choice and that starts in the classrooms with our teachers.”
Placing a national spotlight specifically on ag education is a great way to ensure all students are aware of farming, said Recko.
“I grew up in a city and we did not have agricultural education classes,” she said. “Because of this, I missed learning about the many different career opportunities in agriculture. We want students to understand and appreciate agriculture and the world of opportunities it offers.”
Agricultural education receives its own special day later in the year. National Teach Ag Day will be celebrated on Sept. 20.
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