From Jessica Schmitz, Buchanan County Taralan Crop Consultant

New post on From Field to Field 
 Reaction to Yahoo’s Claim that Agriculture is a ‘Useless’ Degree
by servitechinc


A recently published article at Yahoo has gotten quite a bit of attention from the agriculture community.
The article, titled 'College Majors That Are Useless' lists agriculture as the No. 1 useless degree, with animal science and horticulture also on the list.
The American Society of Agronomy, of which Fred Vocasek is a member, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America are partners in the Coalition for a Sustainable Agricultural Workforce (CSAW), sent a strong message to Washington, DC: help prevent the spread of misconceptions about agriculture by supporting increasing agricultural research and education funding to meet the challenge of feeding the world.
A letter to U.S. Senate and House members of the Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture outlines the issues and strategic answers. This direct communication with Congress follows misleading information about career opportunities in agriculture-related programs in a recent article posted on Yahoo.
The letter has appeared in several highly-regarded publications and newspapers in an effort to inform the public about the critical need for graduates with agriculture-related degrees and highlights the latest food contamination scare as one example.

Here's the letter:
January 31, 2012
CSAW Letter Sent to Individual Members of the
U.S. Senate and House Committee on Appropriations,
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development & Related Agencies

Dear Senator/Representative:
On behalf of the Coalition for a Sustainable Agricultural Workforce (CSAW), a novel partnership of more than 10 professional scientific societies and 20 agricultural companies formed to promote the education and training of future generations of the agricultural workforce, we want to thank you for your ongoing support and leadership of agricultural research funding and bring to your attention the increasing need for agricultural science investments and the importance of clear messages about agriculture.
CSAW was formed in response to the growing body of data that documents a significant demand for relevantly trained students to enter the workforce in agricultural and food-related jobs over the next decade. Retirements alone are anticipated to necessitate replacement of more than 50% of the agricultural scientific workforce in government and industry in the next decade. The documentation came from not only government studies and commissions, such as the National Academies, but also from the government agencies and industries needing the workers.
As our global population is projected to exceed nine billion by 2050, we face unprecedented challenges to produce sufficient food, feed, and fiber. Over the next 40 years, we must produce more food than has been produced over the past 10,000 years combined. Failure to meet this goal will cause food insecurity in many parts of the world, leading to instability in the global, geopolitical landscape. Agriculture is essential for human health and wellness.
To create a more sustainable future, we must prepare new scientists with international perspectives to bring novel and revolutionary approaches to agro-ecosystem management. However, we face mounting obstacles in attracting the best and brightest students into scientific fields of study to assure a plentiful and safe supply of food, fuel, and fiber. The National Academies’ report, “Rising above the Gathering Storm,” stresses that “the scientific and technological building blocks critical to our economic leadership are eroding.” This erosion is especially prominent among the scientific disciplines that generate the fundamental information underpinning the advances required from our agricultural enterprise.
Misconceptions and an increasingly narrow view of agriculture, as referenced in the recent post by Yahoo regarding “useless degrees in agriculture, horticulture, and animal science” (http://education.yahoo.net/articles/most_useless_degrees.htm), are the type of misleading messages negatively impacting agriculture and steering students away from careers in the agricultural sciences.
At a time when the grand challenges have never been greater and the need for investment is critical, budget constraints have resulted in the steady decline of agricultural research and education at land-grant universities. This is of even greater concern given that all disciplines report a decline in the number of highly qualified students entering their fields. Students with high intellectual capacity and interest in the fundamental sciences need to be made aware of the opportunities to work with food and environmental issues. Once recruited, these students need to have the opportunities to engage in experiential learning to develop a working knowledge applicable to related industries. Educational programs must prepare students to be the leaders and strategic thinkers in the development and implementation of sustainable agro-ecosystems to meet the grand challenges facing society, and in doing so, enhance global security and the quality of life for all global citizens.
We strongly urge you to ensure that the FY2013 appropriations bill increases funding for agricultural research and education, and broadens the opportunities for students.
With federal support, we can develop new partnerships to attract students and educate them in the agricultural sciences for a career path as highly skilled food scientists, nutritionists and dieticians, agronomists, entomologists, plant pathologists, plant breeders, soil scientists, and weed scientists. This is necessary to make the scientific advances essential to meet future production and sustainability challenges, while controlling new and emerging invasive pathogens and weed and insect species that will continue to threaten the world food supply.
Sincerely,
Coalition for a Sustainable Agricultural Workforce
AACC International
The American Phytopathological Society
American Society of Agronomy
American Society of Farm Managers and
Rural Appraisers
Agrotain International LLC
BASF Corporation
Bayer CropScience
Crop Science Society of America
Cargill, Incorporated
CID Bio-Science, Inc.
Deere and Company
Dole Fresh Vegetables
Dow AgroSciences LLC
DuPont
Entomological Society of America
General Mills
GROWMARK, Inc.
Gylling Data Management, Inc.
International Plant Nutrition Institute
J. R. Simplot Company
Kellogg Company
Monsanto Company
National Council for Agricultural Education
National FFA Organization
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business
PotashCorp
Rural Sociological Society
Soil Science Society of America
Syngenta
Weed Science Society of America
Winfield Solutions, LLC, a Land O’Lakes Co.