Opinion: An Ag Education “Useless”? I Think Not
February 27, 2012 
What do agriculture, fashion design, theater, animal science, and horticulture have in common? According to Yahoo! Education, the aforementioned fields represent the top “College Majors That Are Useless.” Terence Loose, a blogger for the search engine stalwart’s news division, and author of this “worst list” roast, bases his blog on the “National Association of Colleges and Employers’ 2012 Job Outlook” study. For “Aggies,” it’s bad enough to have what this yahoo (pun intended) considers the No. 1 “useless degree,” but also insult to injury to have horticulture bookend the dubious list. I’m sure it goes without saying the folks who receive and read this publication would vehemently disagree and take exception. There are plenty beyond Florida Grower’s readership who also feel opposed to such a label and have supplied the bravado behind the kind of backlash that is expected when such a piece gets published.
According to the article, of the 1,000 employers surveyed about their future hiring plans, 83% said they planned to recruit business majors. Computer and information science majors fared well, too, snaring 60% of the vote. There is certainly nothing terribly controversial about those metrics. However, after noting the high achievers, the next sentence spews: “At the other end of the spectrum are degrees that are either so specific they can’t be applied in a variety of fields, or those linked to careers with virtually little to no projected job growth.” I guess ag and hort are lumped in the “non-growth” category. How ironic.
Matters Of Fact
Agriculture is the nation’s largest employer with more than 23 million jobs, according to the National FFA Organization (aka Future Farmers of America). Granted, not all of these individuals have degrees, but it does illustrate how many hands it takes to keep the engine of our industry driving forward. The Yahoo! article takes points away from agriculture because “farms are becoming more efficient, so there is less need for farm managers.” You’d figure with emerging technologies that more managerial minds would be needed to train and implement the methods.
Horticulture takes its hits because “the number of jobs in the field itself is not growing.” Pests and disease, as well as other related challenges, continue to mount for growers. Research scientists’ work is vital to finding solutions as it has been and will be far in the future.
Relevant Reasoning
None of us want to feel the career path we chose was the wrong one. And how could it be if it pays the bills and — better yet — stirs your passion. Of course, the concern is in the next generations, which could bolt the other way given enough overhyped headlines to read.
Agriculture and its related fields are a smart investment. Unless the need for food, clothing, and fuel should cease to exist. And that doesn’t sound feasible for any society I know of. Perhaps I should Google it to be sure.