Every day I go to work as the agronomy department manager of a large cooperative here in Wisconsin. I spend many hours working with my team of managers and agronomists to provide the best advice, products and services we can bring to the table. Much of my time in my personal and professional life is spent talking to student groups and the public about opportunities in agriculture. Opportunities of which I feel are endless for those with a passion to work in ag and to help others.
Throughout those conversations, many people talk about how ag cannot be for them because “I didn’t come from a farm.” Many also ask questions about how Science Technology Engineering and Math, also known as STEM curriculum, is incorporated within ag classes today. The main driver of this conversation is the focus on STEM because those concepts are perceived as critical competencies required to be successful in the future. I agree 100 percent that STEM courses and curriculum are highly important to our future, but cringe when people making educational decisions for all ages do not understand how STEM principles are weaved into the very fabric of agriculture.
Today, it’s widely known that less than 2 percent of our population does work in or support production agriculture, and many are multiple generations removed from their agricultural roots. That gap has led to the misconception that agriculture jobs are only for those who have come from ag and the lack of understanding about the complex science of farming today. The complexity, sophistication and expectations of farmers and consumers today require farmers and ag professionals to be more specialized than ever before. I wanted to take an opportunity to outline a few examples of how STEM concepts are at the core of agriculture in hopes of shedding light on the opportunities within agriculture for people from all walks of life.
Science is the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. Everyday farmers and ag professionals practice scientific principles on their farms and businesses. Science and research play a huge role in decision making today. Over the last 15 years, advances in technology have allowed what were once small-scale research plots to be replicated across many farms and acres, all to shorten the learning curve of new management practices and accelerate return on investment. Technology is defined as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry. In my 11 years in the ag industry I have seen startup companies become household names and have seen companies spend millions on technology that sound like Star Wars science fiction. Fifteen years ago, autosteer was a novel concept, and today that technology has tremendous adoption. Today, we are on the doorstep of self-driving tractors and are using technology to be more environmentally responsible than ever before. With the pace of technology development today there are endless opportunities for ag and non-ag people to carve out a living inside this dynamic and ever-changing space.
Engineering has a wide definition and can arguably be one of the most advanced areas within STEM curriculum. However, did you know that multiple engineers are required to design and build each part on a tractor or design an electrical system on a planter, or build out the plans for a manure storage site? The principles of engineering are applied in multiple areas of agriculture from product design to chemical formulation to the farmer trying to make a part out of spare metal to save time and money.
Math. Many of us cringe at this word. I can remember sitting in algebra classes in school thinking “when in life will I ever use this stuff?” Fast forward 15 years, and the answer is: every day! Each day, farmers, agronomists, nutritionists and many others use the basic principles learned in algebra, statistics and accounting classes to conduct daily business. Just because you’ve never milked a cow or plowed a field doesn’t mean you can’t use mathematic principles to help someone make buying and lending decisions, or use those principles to offer advice on everything from balancing a ration to selling a corn crop. I know there are times I take being raised on a farm and around agriculture for granted. I am proud to be in the 2 percent of our nation committed to agriculture and connected to farmers. In my travels throughout Illinois and Wisconsin I talk about how principles of STEM apply to our industry and hope this has given some insight as to why agriculture fits in any STEM curriculum at any school across the country. Agriculture is no longer plows, cows and sows, but rather is a sophisticated industry that requires individuals who specialize in key areas of STEM to help our industry provide the best milk, meat, food and fiber for the consumers of today and to meet the demands of those tomorrow.
— Ben Huber is the agronomy department manager at Insight FS and the president of Green County Farm Bureau.
