Rising costs, long hours, and limited career appeal are among the top concerns students point to when asked about the future of agriculture. As they look toward entering the workforce, many see the job market as one of the biggest challenges facing the agriculture industry, says Anna Serven, vice president of the Abingdon-Avon FFA chapter.
“We have a lot of loss for certain jobs in the industry, and I feel like we need to get our numbers up,” says Serven. “Kids are not exactly using ag business majors or communication majors — things like that — to actually go and work in the ag industry. They have other opportunities that they want to take advantage of, but I feel like we definitely need more workers, like ag teachers and actual farmers.”
Some of the challenges employers face when recruiting for agriculture jobs come from the public’s perception of the industry, explains Rubi Bernal, vice president of the Monmouth-Roseville FFA chapter.
“I think people don’t have that much appreciation for ag as a career or a job,” says Bernal. “I think most people just think, ‘Oh, it’s ag — who cares about it?’ So that’s why they don’t choose to get a career or something related to it.”
Despite these challenges, students like Serven and Bernal remain hopeful that with greater awareness and education, more young people will recognize the value and opportunity in agriculture.
