Carol Campodonica: Don't underestimate agriculture education's impact

Why do we need to keep educational agriculture flourishing in our high schools nationwide? Our future agriculture students need a hands-on approach to learning about animals in the science and biology areas.

Corrals for the animals are needed to provide experience with livestock that is not attained in a textbook. Students learn the complexity of animal behavior. They study the nutritional aspects of feeding and caring for animals, plus the techniques are taught along with the marketing of their animals and the animal products it produces.

A well-rounded high school offers computer programs with business standards in agriculture to teach the economics of farming.

Another aspect of farming is agronomy and horticulture. The study of plants, trees and the pruning of trees will benefit the students in the real world.

Some students may desire to attain a degree in agriculture from a university while others may decide to work in farming immediately after graduating from high school. Many applications are on file for working on farms and in machinery associated with agriculture.

There are 300 careers related in agriculture and 22 million people work indirectly off of agriculture.

CAROL CAMPODONICA

Merced