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.