The Importance of Future Agriculturalists

I was born on a family farm in a small community named Stanley, Kentucky.  It has been a blessing from God.  For, I believe that family farming is much more than just acres of pliable soil; it is a tradition.  To me, a family farm is like an age-old tree. Alive for many centuries, a tree will bear many fruits and it will pass those fruits on until some grow and become another tree. It is the same with family farming. Family farming continues throughout the generations and is passed on to new ones. Just as the tree holds all of the generations of the family in its roots in the land after the death in the family, the family name too will live on forever in the soil of its crops. 

It has become a recent concern of many agriculturalists all across the nation that the future of family farming is in a troubled state. It has always been a rising concern. This metaphor is a good reason why I believe family-farming operations are an essential part of the tomorrow of agriculture.  I am aware of the average age of the current U.S. farmer, which is 55, and do know that this number is not good for the future of agriculture, but I also realize that there are many strong farming operations out there today, with my family’s being one of them.

 I look around my own community and see family farming operations of 5000 acres or more and watch them continue to grow each year.  Farmers do not only drive a tractor to plant and harvest a bountiful crop to feed millions in the world. They also farm because it is a love they have, and that love is spread throughout future generations of the family.  In the 1800’s, children were expected to carry on the family farm in hopes to be as successful as their parents, and I believe this practice still happens in this day and age.  As it is quite evident, traditions and practices are different than those of the 1800’s.  College is a common course of action today and therefore many more careers are available to the public, which eventually led to the decrease of family farming operations.  Although there are many more career paths to be chosen from, there are many young adults, along with myself, choosing a career path in agriculture.

The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) has over 2500 students working towards making the tomorrow of agriculture more efficient.  The University of Kentucky ‘s land grant institution gives College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment students many opportunities, such as hands on experience on university research farms, research labs, and a high quality education that is incomparable to any other.  It is important to have land grant institutions such as the University of Kentucky across the nation, because without the prestigious research and education conducted by these schools, agriculture would not continue to strive and improve like it continues to do so today.

Agriculture is a key part of everyone’s day-to-day life. No person can live without the essentials that agriculture provides. With UK students contributing to the production of these essentials, agriculture can continue to flourish.  The UK CAFE recognizes that the average age of the American farmer continues to increase, therefore they are making strides to ensure this trend does not continue. As agriculture becomes more necessary, due to the increasing demands because of rising populations, the University of Kentucky is developing research and education to ensure that there are always future agriculturalists to continue America’s finest tradition and necessity.

In conclusion, from only being at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment for a little over a year, I have already come to realize how influential my agriculture education will be when I have a career in the agricultural industry and carry on my own family farm. With that being said, I could not be happier with the decision I made two years ago to come to the University of Kentucky. I would not be the person I am today without the education I have received and the people that I have met. I know myself, along with many others at the University of Kentucky, are working to become future agriculturalists in order to make the tomorrow of agriculture the best it has ever been. 


Lauren is a sophomore from Owensboro, Kentucky.  She is a Horticulture, Plant & Soil Science major, specializing in Agronomy.

Road Trip!

In case anybody is curious, the drive between Lexington, Kentucky and Champaign, Illinois is not short.  To make matters more interesting, my anticipated route was hindered by closed roads in Louisville, the possibility of epic traffic jams in Indianapolis because of the Superbowl, and rainy weather.  Although I was excited about being in Champaign over the weekend, I was not looking forward to the drive up. 

Thank goodness for a great friend who accompanied me on my drive!  Even in the rainy conditions and occasional traffic, we had fun on our miniature quest.  Our trip was marked by continuous conversation, a relatively painless pass through Indianapolis during the Superbowl (which was pretty cool), humored disbelief that every radio station seemed to be playing the same three songs over and over, and apartment hunting in Champaign.  Yikes!  It is hard to believe that graduation and graduate school are just a few months away!

Carrie & her fellow ambassadors prepare to throw out footballs during Roundup

As graduation in May approaches and my time as a Wildcat draws to a close, I have had some time to reflect upon the four years I have spent at the University of Kentucky.  When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to complete my undergraduate degree, to go on to either graduate school or a professional program, and to do a really good job in my classes.  These goals remained relatively unchanged over the course of my undergraduate studies, even in the face of obstacles such as diabolical classes that made me wonder if I was going to lose my sanity before I graduated from UK.  Yet, as a high school student I did not consider how much I would enjoy college.  The trip my friend and I made last weekend provides an excellent example of one of the things I enjoy most: spending time with friends and having a blast.

College is a great opportunity for many reasons.  As a student in the UK College of Agriculture, I love how my professors devote themselves to the education of their students, that there are plenty of opportunities to be involved in undergraduate research, that I have been able to travel all over the United States, that there are numerous extracurricular activities in which students can participate, and that I have met so many amazing people.  Ultimately, college is an exciting training and transition period between high school and a career.

So, in many ways, college is like a road trip.  You have to know where you are starting at, where you want to go, and the route you want to take.  When you are starting out, it may seem like a long ride to your final destination.  You may even encounter traffic jams and road blocks along the way.  But, I think most students agree that college is a fun and rewarding journey.  

Carrie is a senior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Horticulture, Plant & Soil Sciences.  She is from Princeton, Kentucky.  She is involved with  the COA Agriculture Student Council, and post graduation, she will be attending graduate school in plant breeding and genetics.

Growing future scientists isn't all that UK Horticulture, Plant & Soil Sciences does...but it's a BIG part!

Wow, last week was AMAZING!  During October 16 – 19, thousands of students, professors, and other individuals in the public and private sectors of plant and soil science met in beautiful (and warm) San Antonio for the annual ASA-CSSA-SSSA Meetings.  While there, I had the opportunity to attend symposia on just about anything and everything imaginable, but some of my favorites were the presentations on plant genetics and the new technologies that will help us meet the nutritional needs of a growing population.  Plus, I had the chance to speak with graduate school representatives, recruiters from private industry, and other students in plant and soil sciences from around the nation. 

There were numerous activities throughout the week, to say the least.  Just walking around in the exhibition hall where the graduate students were presenting their research posters was somewhat overwhelming.  The research that is currently being conducted in the agricultural sciences is absolutely phenomenal.  Yet, even more exhilarating is the prospect of improving the lives of people all across the world by using this and subsequent research and by training young individuals who want to make a difference.

Actually, this brings me to why I was able to attend the annual meetings both this year and last year.  I am a Golden Opportunity Scholar alumnus, and this year was the fifth year anniversary of the program.  Each year, the Golden Opportunity Scholars Institute fully funds the travel, lodging, and registration expenses of a few undergraduate students in agronomy, crop, or soil science so that these students can attend the annual meetings.  Since this year marked the fifth year anniversary of the program, alumni were also given financial support to return for the reunion.  I was able to reunite with the other 2010 scholars and to meet scholars from this year and from years past.  Certainly, the connections that the current scholars and alumni made will prove valuable as we progress into our respective careers.

As part of the program, each student is paired with a mentor according to his or her interests.  It is the program’s hope that the mentoring relationship extends beyond the duration of the meetings.  For me personally, the mentor-mentee relationship has been invaluable.  It led to an internship in a field of research that I love, and my mentor gave wonderful advice when I asked him about graduate school.  And, he is simply an awesome individual who is willing to invest his time, energy, and knowledge in helping train young individuals who are interested in plant breeding.  This program is truly a golden opportunity.

To think that I would not have had these experiences if my advisor, department chair, and another UK professor had not nominated me to be a Golden Opportunity Scholar and helped me put together my application is mind-boggling.  But, this is a perfect example of one of the reasons why I love being a Plant and Soil Science student at UK: the professors care about their students and are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that their students succeed.  These professors invest their time in training their students so that we, as college graduates, are prepared for the thousands of jobs that become available in plant and soil science each year in the United States alone.  Hats off to UK’s Department of Plant and Soil Science for a job well done!

Carrie B., Future Plant Geneticist