WE GET NO RESPECT

We, as AG ED majors get no respect when it comes to learning outside the classroom here at Auburn University. First, at Auburn, there was the college of Argiculture. Then The was Ag Education And after that came the College of Education. I am glad to know that AG ED is what started the top notch college of education at Auburn University, but it's time we were let out. The Ag ED majors are finding it increasingly difficult to find University funded jobs on or off campus. For ex. The beef teaching unit employs several students each semester to perform a variety of jobs that revolves around cattle but those jobs are limited to just the Anamal Science Majors. Since handleing Cattle and Show calves is a big part of Ag programs across the state its hard to get the experience one would need to teach show calves and livestock to future high school students. These jobs do pay minimum wage, usually just enough to pay the gas, but they offer that one little thing we all need, EXPERIENCE.
Aside from not being Entitiled to many of these on campus jobs, we simply don't hear about many university Ag programs because our major has us in buildings that are mainly Industrial Design or education. I didn't even know about the colligeate FFA until my 3rd semester here at Auburn. Thats pretty sad for a University who's base is Agriculture. Only a few of our classes are even on Ag Hill. I do agree with the Curriculum for my major but i think we should be allowed to participate more in the universities job programs. At least in the areas that we will teach. It seems that some of the dept. heads will not allow for education majors to participate in there job programs even if they are Ag Ed.

The Farmers Market

With all the new food contamination's and hormones being used in meat production, the world may be in for a big awakening. but who am i kidding its easier to produce a full grown chicken from an egg in 2 weeks. That doesn't sound natural but that doesn't matter because it's all about supply and demand and making a profit. The biggest problem is with chicken. The hormone levels that are injected in chicken are unhealthy. But, who is gonna start a farm with their busy schedules just to make a few meals a year a little healthier. NOT ME. But, there is an alternative solution. The farmers Market. There are not as many of them as their used to be and their not as convenient as a grocery store(some are) but the provide a plethora of healthy options. usually the Farmers market is a large produce stand but in large cities Like Birmingham or Mobile, Alabama. they are acre's upon acre's of produce, meats, and even other Agricultural materials like sod, flowers and other things and many times the price is almost half of the large scale grocery store. All farmers market products, for the most part, are farmed and raised by the person you will be buying from and shipped from less the 150 miles away and much fresher than grocery stores. The produce is normally less the 1-2 days old when purchased at a farmers market. So if you know where a farmers market is consider yourself lucky and try to support your local farmer.

Hunting Alabama: for you to know.

As many of us know, Alabama has one of the most liberal hunting seasons in the United States when it comes to white-tailed deer, and Georgia was a close second. Today's hunter is completely different than the hunters of the past. Today, there are nowhere near the number of hunters that there were 10, 20, 30, even 50 years ago. The hunter is a decreasing population but, the hunters that are around spend more money, travel longer distances, are are more involved in wildlife conservation than ever before. Alabama is a state that has allowed deer to flourish to an almost exaggerated over-population. I myself have hit 9(NINE) deer in the last 5 years while driving. One night i even hit 2 deer with in 5 minutes of each other. So I wonder, with the liberal hunting laws, why people don't hunt anymore. you can take 2 deer a day in the state of Alabama(2 does or a Buck and a doe). But this year there is a 3 buck limit for the season and each buck must be tagged and this is a law i do agree with since the doe-buck ratio is thwarted over the entire state. There are too many does for every buck with the exception of Conecuh and Escambia counties where there are to many bucks per doe.

So let me know what you think.

SMALL FARMER

I'm not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to Agriculture, although i grew up on a cotton farm in small town Alabama. My dad, now there's an Ag man. he knows it all. from cotton to vegetables and a good bit about livestock and how to work on his own equipment. A few of today's farmers didn't grow up on farms but have learned a bit about what it takes to make a living in farming and let today's high tech equipment do the figuring. They spent thousands and even millions of dollars a year on the Agricultural machines that make a large scale farm work, like 200 hp tractors and 40 row sprayers. it doesn't take a college degree to work, own or run a farm, although as much or more learned knowledge is required. But farming is not a profession to jump straight into. the price of equipment is high and the profits are many times a deep negative. when my father was growing up a farmer that is seldom seen today could be found anywhere. That would be the small farmer. The small farmer was the man that could do it all on his own or with minimal help. he would have to mix all chemicals for each specific crop(if he could afford them) or organically prevent weeds and pests. He had to do the mechanic work on his own equipment. He usually had enough food for his family to eat but then had to sell the rest for a minimal profit that sometimes barley paid for the years expenses. These men were truly Americas all around businessman. Dealing with changing food prices of the day with out a blackberry while today's farmer can have all of the above mentioned problems answered in real time by some guy 2000 miles away that has never even seen a farm. The small farmer is a dying breed but, a new kind of farmer is taking his place. The Hobby Farmer. this is a man that works his regular time at the office but comes home to the back yard farm. normally a hobby farm is a tax write off for some people or just an enjoyable type of work for others who may feel a tie to the land or specific area of their hobby farm. The majority of these farmers are successful in their 9-5 jobs and can support a farming operation that just would cut if it were a life line or lively hood for someone. As an Ag teacher at the high school level i will probably have a small plot of land in which i can farm to some extent, but i don't think it will be for an income that will sufficiently support a family.
I feel humbled to have grown up on a small 100 acre cotton farm and i do understand that farming will never be the same as when i grew up those few years ago. but i do see great things in store for the future of agriculture. Just remember the humble beginnings of the industry we know as Agriculture and it's father, The SMALL FARMER.

The Alabama Course of Study for Career/Technical Education and its Affect on Students with Limited Options after High School

The Alabama Course of Study(ACS) is what guides us teachers in our classrooms. There is a specific Course of Study for each area of specialization ie. math or english. The course of study for Career/Technical Education is what guides Agricultural Educators. As an Agricultural educator i will be bound to teach this course of study. As we all know our school systems are in pro-ration EVERY year, most likely the cause of mishandled funds at the state and federal level. with pro-rations tight budget come the choice's of school officials to cut unnecessary programs. These programs usually include band, agriscience and even in some cases football. When Ag is chosen to be cut from a system it is usually because of the increasing cost of materials that are needed to conduct the program and the lack of teachers. Such materials include lumber, greenhouse supplies, aquaculture, animal science forestry supplies as well as supplies for the plethora of other categories that are in the ACS. As you can see from the above listed materials, the Ag classroom is a costly investment for the schools. In most systems there are willing company's and citizens close by that donate time and materials to these programs and in many cases the products that come from the work of students can be sold for fund raisers, such as flowers from the greenhouse or wooden toy cars built by the woodworking class. Although it is costly to run an Ag program the ACS that governs the program calls for a wide variety of career and technical trades to be taught. These Ag classes open the doors for many students who do not have other opportunities especially in low socio-economic areas where training after high school may not be an option for students. Simply put, the skills learned and attained in the Ag classroom prepare student to enter the work force after high school if college is not an option.

Post your comments, thoughts or ideas.

The purpose of the Agriculture Classroom

The purpose of Ag in our schools has often been questioned for several reasons. Agriculture is the largest classification of business in the not only the U.S. but the world. despite the over whelming majority in the business side of only 2% of Americans consider themselves to be knowledgeable about any of the fields under the agriculture classification. That's a heavy burden for so few farmers. Despite the need for men and women in the workforce with a basic knowledge of agriculture, Agriscience programs in high schools are closing. one reason is the increasing difficulty in finding qualified teacher in the Ag profession. For ex. I am 1 of only 30 students at Auburn University that are in the Ag Ed program even though Ag teacher are among the highest paid teacher in education. Some parent have mentioned that Ag as a class is just an easy A+ and that the students are not being challenged enough wich is simply not true. Most Ag programs today are self-supporting, especially whenthe students participate in programs that include the greenhouse, fisheries, woodworking, and vegitable production that also allow students to sell their products for profit to support the F.F.A. or the Agri-science program as a whole. The state of Alabama needs more Ag teachers and needs to re-open any Ag programs that have been shut down.

LIVE POOR, DIE RICH

When the price of something as important as fuel, seed or feed goes up the first line of americans that feel it are those in the production side of the market. The largest community of Americans that are in production are those in Agriculture. It seems that farmers, whether they be in livestock or row cropping, are hit the hardest. It take a rare man ,or women, to become a farmer. The work ethic a man needs to become a farmer is to risk everything with the gain of little or the loss of it all. He must work all day and sometimes all night with no overtime pay. he might not even get more than one paycheck per year. It seems that farming has changed little over its history. the only things that have changed are the number of farmers and the technology used today. There is an old saying about the way a farmer or rancher lives. "LIVE POOR and DIE RICH"

please comment on your ideas or thoughts