Bill Stanczykiewicz is President & CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute. His column appears in Indiana newspapers.
Growing more food to feed the world will require growing more kids to work in agriculture.
According to Future Farmers of America, we need to produce as much food in the next 40 years as we produced in the previous 8,000 years due to the projected growth in the world’s population.
Indiana remains central to meeting this need. Indiana is the ninth most productive ag state in the nation, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture ranking the Hoosier State among the nation’s top five states in producing tomatoes, corn, soybeans, cantaloupe, ducks, chickens, hogs and eggs. At snack time, Indiana ranks second in growing popcorn and making ice cream.
The Indiana Business Research Center reports that agriculture contributes at least $25 billion to the state’s economy, and the data add up to career opportunities for young people.
"There are more than 300 careers in agriculture,” said Josh Bledsoe, FFA’s chief operations officer. “It starts with the farm and ranch in production agriculture, but then all the way to the plate there are tons of career opportunities once the product has left the farm.”
Bledsoe said the academic pathways leading to these careers range from a high school diploma to a doctoral degree. “We need folks who will be plant geneticists, folks who will go into agricultural research. We need folks who will understand processing and food science. We also need people in marketing and communications as well as folks in ag law.
“When you think about any career that a student may be interested in, think about applying that in the agricultural setting.”
Including skills in computer technology. Beck's Hybrids, headquartered in Indiana, is the nation’s largest family-owned seed company. Director of Public Relations Bruce Kettler explained that technology – from robotics to satellites to computer imaging – is essential to the company’s expanding operations.
"The technology in agriculture is incredible, and the amount of change is phenomenal,” Kettler declared. “A lot of people might think you jump on the tractor and turn the key. But the technology requires people who have the ability to use electronics and computers.”
For example, computer technology on tractors and combines allows farmers to follow the exact same pathway across the farm field throughout the season, from planting to harvesting and all steps in between. This allows farmers to precisely measure an acre’s yield by the square foot, pinpointing exact locations that need more fertilizer or less, more water or less, or even where a big rock is blocking plant growth. Similarly, computer technology is used to properly dry harvested seeds and then stack and load packaged seeds for delivery.
“A lot of people probably don’t think about computer programmers and our industry, but we need people with that background,” Kettler said.
And more people from many backgrounds. Kettler described how hiring at Beck’s has increased by 400 percent over the last five years. “As the industry grows and expands, the need for people with varying talents is incredible due to the amount of growth we’re experiencing,” said Kettler, who stated that his own job did not exist three years ago.
The most direct pathway into agribusiness is available to students who have agricultural classes and agricultural topics integrated into other classes in high school. For students in schools without that curriculum, Bledsoe recommends gaining a solid education in science, math and technology.
“Make sure you’re getting that well-rounded education that will allow you to further your education in agriculture,” Bledsoe said. “Whether you’re interested in going into the workforce right out of high school or going to school for two or four or even more years, there are opportunities for you.”
Indiana is enjoying a record harvest season, and even larger harvests will be needed in the future to satisfy the world’s increasing need for food. The amount of land utilized for farming has decreased by at least 25 percent since 1950. Therefore, growing more food will require more technology and more people.
As Bledsoe emphasized, "You are going into the global workforce when you go into agriculture, and the opportunities are endless."