CLASSROOM/LABORATORY INSTRUCTION
Overview
Since 1917 with the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act, federal and state legislation has provided leadership for the implementation and improvement of agricultural education programs. The foundation of any successful Agricultural Education program is based on three inseparable, equal, and interdependent components that include: Classroom Instruction, FFA leadership activities, and Supervised Agricultural Experience projects.
Minnesota Agricultural Education offers seven pathways:
Agriculture, food, and natural resource education provides students with opportunities for leadership, personal growth and career success. Instruction is delivered through:
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Classroom/laboratory instruction (contextual learning).
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Supervised agricultural experience programs (work-based learning).
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Student leadership organizations (national FFA organization).
Career Finder
National FFA and Discovery Education have joined forces to create a robust, comprehensive career resource to help you explore the broad range of careers within the industry of agriculture. Agriculture has a variety and abundance of careers that fit within nine exciting career focus areas.
Resources
How to Start an Agriculture Program
Agricultural Education programs are preparing the next generation of problem-solvers, leaders, and agriculturalists through relevant, engaging curriculum and real-life experiences. It includes the science, business, and technology of plant and animal production and may include environmental and natural resources systems.
Did you know:
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Minnesota’s agricultural industry is the second largest employer and economic sector in Minnesota.
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Every agricultural production job supports an additional 1.5 jobs in all economic sectors.
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More than 80 percent of all agriculture jobs are off the farm.
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From 2010-2015, the U.S. economy generated 54,400 agriculture-related jobs for students with baccalaureate or higher degrees in food, renewable energy, and environmental specialties. Only 53,500 graduates will be available to fill these positions.
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Today, less than 2 percent of the U.S. population is engaged in production agriculture, providing food for the entire world. The world population is expected to double by 2050, and the same amount of land used today will need to supply food for this growing number of people.
Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Frameworks
The agriculture, food and natural resources (AFNR) Career Cluster Content Standards provide agricultural educators with a high-quality, rigorous set of standards to guide what students should know and be able to do after completing a program of study in each of the AFNR career pathways. Strong, relevant AFNR Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs that are informed by industry and education stakeholders are one way we can meet workforce needs now and in the future.