Blog post on 'useless' majors names three in agriculture

When a recent on-line article named three ag-related college courses of study among the top five "useless" majors, it created a tidal wave of comments from people defending careers in agriculture.

Blogs and Twitter feeds lit up with responses from agriculturalists defending their choice of career. One woman set up a Facebook page called "I Studied Agriculture and I have a Job" and it already has thousands of friends.

The Yahoo report, written by Terrence Loose, named five college majors that were deemed useless. At the top of his list was agriculture. At number four was animal science, and number five was horticulture.

Loose based his article on a National Association of College and Employers 2012 Job Outlook study and some other data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor.

Maria McGinnis in the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Science's career office, in an on-line response to the article, said the college was "taking it very seriously" but also "with a grain of salt" calling Looses' sources "not exactly the most newsworthy."

The sources of data Loose used in coming to his conclusions count jobs in agriculture differently. Department of Labor statistics count only people who are farming in a sole proprietorship as having a "job" in agriculture, McGinnis said.

Those in agriculture understand that jobs in the ag sector cover much more than that.

Many of those responding said they don't consider feeding the world useless.

Blogger Brandi Buzzard, an animal science graduate from Kansas State asks, "how useless would agriculture be if you went hungry?

"Let's not forget that if it weren't for agriculture, animal science and horticulture there would not be a food supply," she adds.

Farm Bureau organizations and Land Grant institutions all over the country quickly responded to the article.

John Shutske, Associate Dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Madison, said the article pinpointed "basically five majors to avoid if you want a job" and that "hit a nerve" for those in agriculture.

Shutske, who is also program director for Agriculture and Natural Resources in UW Extension, told Wisconsin State Farmer that he was impressed with the positive response from those involved in agriculture.

"There wasn't a sense of defensiveness in a lot of it, but rather a positive focus on how many areas there are related to agriculture where there are great jobs."

A recent Purdue study shows that there is actually a shortage of people to work in many agricultural fields, he added.



Wisconsin Agribusiness Council comments

Ferron Haves, president and chief executive officer of the Wisconsin Agribusiness Council, agrees. "My members are telling me the need is there for qualified, well-trained future employees with experience," he said in a telephone interview. "That's the issue. That's what my members are telling me."

It's increasingly difficult for the agriculture-related businesses that make up his membership to find qualified, educated people with experience to fill specialized jobs, he added.

"Whoever wrote that report had no understanding of agriculture or the career possibilities in agriculture," Havens added. "There are a ton of opportunities from the standpoint of agribusinesses."

He was especially critical of the rap on horticulture. "The green industry is rapidly expanding."

As the world population grows and relative affluence allows people worldwide to improve their diet, there is a need for a range of foods - proteins like meat, milk and eggs - that will have to be met.

Shutske cited a recent study by 12 of the Land Grant universities in the Midwest that documented the world's population will grow from 7 billion people in 2010 to 9.3 billion in 2030 - the equivalent of doubling the current population of China and India in less than two decades.

Despite the 33 percent projected growth in population, the need for food is likely to double because developing countries are also improving their standards of living and the foods they eat. Keeping all those people fed has an impact on world peace.

Because the land mass available to grow food continues to shrink there is also a future in careers for protecting soil and water resources, Shutske said.

Many of those who responded to the article objected to the idea that "we don't need as many farmers so don't go into agriculture," he said. "Overlooked is the importance of so many interconnected areas that hinge on agriculture, like energy from biological systems."

Shutske said he was at a meeting at the college only two hours after the story had been "tweeted" and was happy to see that some very well-written responses came quickly from his colleagues in Wisconsin.

Another came from the dean of the University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Sciences.

Academics and pro-ag bloggers all talked about the rich, connected fields that exist in the agricultural areas.

While he said the Loose article was probably a "tempest in a teapot" he is kind of glad that the piece generated a lot of passion in those who are involved in agriculture.

It provided them with an opportunity they otherwise may not have had to defend agriculture and the people who make their careers in it.

Shutske said the piece took him back to his youth. When someone would diss agriculture his dad would respond with - "don't say that with your mouth full."