Farm Bureau Foundation Works To Attract Young People To Ag Careers

Dec 15, 2017

Introducing students to potential careers in agriculture is the goal of two major projects made possible by the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation’s Fisher Fund for Lifelong Learning. The goal is to introduce students to and prepare them for careers in agriculture, food and natural resources.

The Fisher Fund was created last year to honor John C. “Jack” Fisher, who retired after serving 20 years as Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s executive vice president. The fund’s goal is to support educational projects and programs that build a greater awareness of food production and knowledge of the interconnected food system.

The Fisher Fund’s signature project is the ExploreAg program, which will be launched this summer. Fifty high school freshmen and sophomores will be chosen through a competitive process to spend two weeks on a college campus for an introduction to agriculture as well as hands-on learning. Internationally known teachers, scientists and researchers will expose them to food science, precision agriculture, animal science, natural resources, management skills, technology and agricultural business. Along with classroom experience, the students will participate in field experiences that highlight cutting-edge research and will interact with industry partners to learn about possible careers in related fields.

The first year of the program will take place on Ohio State University’s main campus and at its Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster and is completely free for students. The foundation has committed $125,000 for the first two years of the program.

The second program, Youth Pathways to Careers in Agriculture, supports projects that introduce and train students for high-demand jobs in the food, agricultural or natural resources industries. The program is open to nonprofit organizations or those with a fiscal sponsor. The foundation is accepting applications for the program Jan. 1 to March 20. The foundation has committed $100,000 in funding in 2018.

“We believe Farm Bureau can serve as a significant catalyst to attract young people to careers in our industry. These projects will also result in county Farm Bureaus, agribusinesses, higher education and youth-serving education institutions to better share the story of modern agriculture. Working together we can inspire the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to become problem solvers and leaders in agriculture,” said Ohio Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Adam Sharp, who announced these new programs during Farm Bureau’s 99th annual meeting in December.

Source: Ohio Farm Bureau

Video: A Farm Song (Busy) | Parody of A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey

Lyrics:

My days begin with workin’, Alarm’s at 5 o’clock,
I Fill 5 gallon buckets, The feeders and the troughs,
This five to nine ain’t workin’, why the heck do I work so hard?,
I can’t worry ‘bout health problems, I can sleep in when I’m gone,

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

I’ve been working pretty stressed but,
I ain’t changing for some cash,
Lord knows that I’m very blessed (More chores),
But I gotta say it’s hard,
Workin’ outside gettin’ charred,
Living out here on the farm, (more chores)

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history
There’s another 20 chickens that still need feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm getting’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Fun, here on ranch that’s what you can’t ignore,
Might be pretty hard but I love it to its core,
Flannel’s gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores (Tell ‘em sing with me)

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
Watching cattle in the dark, don’t miss me,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
(Yeeeeeehaw)
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
It’s the best bro, go get yourself a farm