You don’t have to read the big letters above the door to know you’re walking into agriculture territory. Every department on campus has its own sense of style, and the Stark Agribusiness and Agriscience Center and its inhabitants are no different.
You’ll smell the earth tracked in from students’ boots and the summery scent of hay samples and you’ll know something’s different.
There’s something of farm life everywhere in the SAG: paintings of rural landscapes, livestock judging awards, dairy contest plaques and agriculture posters.
On any given day, agriculture students in worn jeans and brown Carhartt jackets head to class or chat in the hallway. It’s not unusual to see people sporting coveralls in class, and nearly everybody wears boots.
They’re practical, comfortable, and if you’re an ag student, the odds are good that you’ve either just come in from one of the farm labs or you’re heading out that way afterclass anyway.
What’s agriculture got to do with other college students? Agriculture is what your grandfather did for a living. But ask any one of the 441 agriculture students on campus if agriculture is important today, and you’ll find out pretty quick that it is.
“Well, agriculture’s all around you, whether people want to acknowledge that or not,” explains Luann Stinnett, a senior from Chapel Hill, Tenn. “You eat agriculture, you live agriculture. It’s a part of everyday life.”
Stinnett will graduate this December with a Bachelor of Science in animal science, just one of several degrees that the MTSU College of Agribusiness and Agriscience offers.
Students in the agricultural department today have a variety of educational options available to them. They can major in animal science, agribusiness, plant and soil science, pre-agricultural engineering or pre-forestry. Concentrations in pre-veterinary medicine, horse science and agricultural communication and certifications in agricultural education are also available for individuals who wish to specialize in those areas.
The most inspiring thing about the agricultural department, however, isn’t the variety of ways in which students can be involved, but the passion they put into that involvement.
Ag students love what they do. It’s just an added bonus that what they do is so important to everyday life in our country, whether the average American knows that or not.
Warren Gill, head of the ABAS department, thinks that people are beginning to see to the importance of agriculture.
“We’re in a time when people are more interested in what they’re eating,” Gill explains. “They’re interested in agriculture in general, too, and that’s being reflected in people selecting this as a major.”
In a time when the university itself is growing, the agriculture department is growing too.
“We’re essentially as big as we’ve ever been, but the exciting thing is how we’re increasing,” Gill says. “We have 141 freshmen and that’s a truly exciting number. I talk to my colleagues at other universities and most [other agriculture programs] seem to be increasing, too.
“So that tells me that not only are we doing a pretty good job at the ag program here at MTSU, but there’s an interest by young people in agriculture in general.”
But what do you do with an agricultural degree anyway?
When most people think of careers in agriculture, they think of farming. But the surprising thing is that most agricultural workers these days are not involved in farming.
“Less than two percent of the population are farmers,” Gill says. “Twenty percent of the population is involved in agriculture beyond farming: research, processing, marketing. One in five jobs is somehow related to getting people fed and clothed.
“There’s a vast array of jobs out there. We put a lot of people into sales, the dairy industry, education and agricultural businesses.”
Most college students have a plan for what they want to do after college. The students in the ag department are no different, and love for their work is a common theme.
Freshman Keith Boone, a Murfreesboro native, is working on a degree in pre-agricultural engineering so that he can design and build farm equipment after college.
“I chose agriculture because I love to work outside with my hands,” Boone explains. “I love being part of the farm life because it’s just a part of who I am.” He’d like to open his own shop someday to repair and restore agricultural machinery.
Josh Moses, a senior from Lebanon, Tenn., plans to graduate with a degree in animal science with a pre-veterinary medicine concentration. After vet school, he hopes to use his knowledge of animal health to open a large animal veterinary practice.
“What I look forward to most is being able to help people out,” Moses says.
Liz Brown, a junior from Mt. Pleasant, Tenn., is majoring in animal science with a minor in secondary education. She hopes to become a high school agriculture teacher.
“I have always loved kids and animals, so [this job] would fit right in the middle,” Brown says. “Without agriculture, people would be naked and hungry so giving the public more knowledge about it will hopefully prevent both of these alternatives.”
Ashley Lennington, a senior from Nolensville, Tenn., chose to major in animal science because of her love and concern for animals.
“I just want what’s best for them,” Lennington says. “I want to learn more about cows and horses and more about companion animals.”
Like her fellow agricultural students she feels strongly about the importance of agriculture to everyday life.
“Like the bumper sticker says: if you eat, you’re involved in agriculture,” Lennington declares. “Because without agriculture, there’s no milk, no crops, no beef on your table. You need agriculture to function. Every country has some form of agriculture.”
The take home message is that agriculture is more than just farming: it’s education, knowledge, growth and a service to the community. It’s a way of life.
Agriculture: beyond the barn
Published: Monday, November 23, 2009
Updated: Monday, November 23, 2009
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