Iowa Farmer Today
09-02-06
Ag studies not just for farm kids
By Hannah Fletcher, Iowa Farmer Today
Clark Richardson is an accidental ag major. The Iowa State University senior
was interested in pursuing law or medicine after completing his undergraduate
education. He was advised to stick to science-related majors, to prepare him for
medical school.
At ISU, he could major in bio-chemistry through the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences or the College of Agriculture. He chose ag.
As many college students have done, he changed his mind and major. But, he
stuck with agriculture and is majoring in ag business and political science.
“I’m interested in rural policy,” he says.
But, Richardson is not the typical Iowa farm kid who went on to pursue ag
education. He was born in Georgia, lived six years in Denver, Colo., and six
years in Sioux City.
Even when he moved to Iowa, Richardson still had little understanding of
agriculture because he lived in the city. He says he “definitely did not,” think he
would pursue a career in agriculture.
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Then, he realized ag majors and careers entail more than farming.
“It’s extremely diverse,” he says. “Before, even when I was living in Iowa, I didn’t
think I understood (agriculture) because I was unfamiliar with farm life.
“Even in Sioux City, you find students come from the city, not the farm.”
Doug Kenealy has been teaching animal science at ISU for 30 years. He has
watched the demographics of his students shift to include more urban students.
“It’s been changing dramatically over time,” he says.
Kenealy takes a fall survey of the number of urban students enrolled. He
estimated this year would be about 20 percent urban students and has about 20
students from the Chicago area in an animal science introductory course.
“We thought with declining population in rural areas, enrollment would decline.
But, in fact enrollment has continued to increase, and that’s because of interest
from urban students.”
He says some interest from urban students comes from their interest in working
with animals. But, some decide to pursue other areas of agriculture when they
understand it better.
“Sometimes they get turned on by other classes,” he says. “That’s one of our
goals — we hope they have a better understanding of agriculture.”
Levon Esters began researching trends in non-traditional students choosing ag
majors and careers at Penn State University and continues similar research as
an ag education professor at ISU.
Esters is not your traditional ag-researcher. The African American grew up in
Chicago but always enjoyed helping on his father’s blueberry “hobby farm” in the
summers, he says.
Esters taught ag science classes at a high school at Chicago’s south side.
Large metropolitan areas such as Chicago and Philadelphia have thriving ag
programs, Esters says. Many parents and students recognized the opportunities
in ag-related fields.
Many students with interests in science realize there are many ag-related careers
that fit the science interests, Esters says.
“My roots are in Chicago, I have seen the results of people going through this
program,” he says. “A lot of people still laugh at teaching ag in places like New
York or Chicago.”
Some students end up choosing ag majors and careers as a result of the urban
programs that open their eyes to agriculture before they enter post-secondary
schools, he says.
“You have these programs about agriculture, they just happen to be in large
metropolitan areas,” Esters says. “(Students) are saying, ‘Hey, I’m from the city,
but I can still participate in agriculture.’ ”
Esters found some students in these programs have an advantage over other
cities because they have ag education programs. They are more likely to pursue
ag majors.
When urban students find themselves in ISU’s ag college or ag careers, they
sometimes attempt to prove they belong there, Esters says.
Kenealy says this mindset can lead to good grades and performance in classes.
“Often, the ones who come from a farm think they know a lot and the ones from
the city think they don’t know anything,” he says.
“But, they work hard and never cut classes. Often, the urban students do quite
well.”
This could lead to a change in ag career structure that reflects a larger view of
society, Esters says.
“Let’s face it, society is becoming more and more diverse,” he says.