Eastern Iowa Farmer Fall 2020

Ag education helps shape
college, career choices
By JENNA STEVENS
Ag in the Classroom
Coordinator
Clinton County Farm Bureau
EASTERN IOWA FARMER
Growing up on a farm my
experiences were typical of
most area farm kids. I showed
livestock at the fair, took ag
classes, and served as an FFA officer in
my chapter.
What made me less typical was the
fact that I did not want to be involved in
agriculture when I graduated high school.
Years of showing cattle competitively left
my relationship with my parents strained,
and I could not wait to get away from the
farm and out on my own.
Fast forward 17 years, and I now
spend my time working with those same
students I used to be…and I love every
minute of it. Time away from the industry
gave me the chance to reflect on what
is important, and now, instead of trying
to run away, I push my students toward
careers in agriculture every chance I get.
My favorite group of kids to work with
are my FFA members because I see the
impact agriculture has on their decisions
of where to go to college and what they
want their careers to look like. It is fun
to watch them try out different identities
when they are freshman and sophomores
and eventually get serious about their
futures their senior year.
Like me, some of them decide on a
different path, but most of them stick with
what they know, making plans for careers
in ag business, sales, or communications.
The best compliment I ever received was
from one of my students who originally
planned to go into medicine but changed
her mind in favor of agricultural communications
as a direct result of the work she
did for our Current Ag Concerns Media
Group. This shift represents her coming
into her own within the industry and
Eastern Iowa Farmer photo / Jenna Stevens
Central DeWitt Community High School students work in the greenhouse to learn more about
plant science. Here students Jordan Auliff, Levi Riedesel, and Jenevieve Schmidt propagate
succulents for horticulture class.
finding her voice through radio and print
media.
At the heart of a student’s decision
to go into a specific agricultural-related
career is often their high school agricultural
education courses. These courses
allow students to engage in hands-on
learning about plants, animals, business,
and more and give them the chance to
sample subjects, in some cases earning
free college credit. Throw FFA into the
mix with the endless career development
events (CDEs) and kids have a head start
down the path toward success.
In addition to the college credits offered,
the ag education programs at local
high schools connect students to business
professionals within the community. Students
have the chance to take field trips to
places like John Deere or listen to guest
speakers talk about their roles within area
companies. These opportunities allow for
question and answer sessions and often
come with action-based experiences such
as trying out a welding simulator or separating
out worm castings.
Sometimes these guest speakers or field
trip experiences turn into summer jobs or
internships within area businesses. Local
companies often contact ag education instructors
for recommendations of students
who might be interested in learning more
about a specific career and earning a little
extra cash.
No matter what path they eventually
choose, students who take agricultural education
courses in high school have a leg
up on others because ag ed is one of the
few programs that builds career exploration
directly into the curriculum.
In the world of rising college costs
and ever-changing job markets, gaining
skills in high school sets your child up for
future success and that success starts with
agricultural education. n
112 Eastern Iowa Farmer | fall 2020 eifarmer.com