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Majoring in Agriculture Useless?

Majoring in Agriculture Useless?. I guess you don’t like to eat, wear clothes, or sleep in a house? By James Ferguson. The Morrill Acts of 1862 & 1890. Passed on July, 2 1862 Gave land to states for the creation of an institution of higher education.

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Majoring in Agriculture Useless?

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  1. Majoring in Agriculture Useless? I guess you don’t like to eat, wear clothes, or sleep in a house? By James Ferguson

  2. The Morrill Acts of 1862 & 1890 • Passed on July, 2 1862 • Gave land to states for the creation of an institution of higher education. • “to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and mechanic arts…” • The second act was passed on August 30, 1890

  3. The Hatch Act of 1887 • Signed March 2nd by William Hatch, then chair of the House Committee of Agriculture. • Provided federal funds for the creation of agricultural experiment stations. • physiology of plants and animals; plant/animal diseases; the advantages of rotativecropping; the analysis of soils and water; the chemical composition of manures, natural or artificial, with experiments designed to test their comparative effects on crops of different kinds

  4. The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 • Mandates that Land-grant universities must inform the public about agriculture • Cooperative Extension Service • Studies • For every $1 spent, $20 is generated in public benefits • Water quality in over 100 watersheds is improving

  5. Agricultural Biotechnology • A range of tools that improve plants and animals for specific agricultural uses. • Crops developed to be resistant to insects and diseases and flourish in harsh environments. • Helps keep pace with food demands while reducing production costs. • Phytoremediation

  6. Ag. Biotechnology Statistics • 16.7 million farmers grew biotech crops in 29 countries in 2010 • The land needed to grow a bushel of corn has dropped by 37% in just 20 years. (US) • Globally, yields for wheat have gone up approximately 160%, since 1960. • Cotton production is 66% more energy efficient than it was 20 years ago. (US)

  7. Agriculture & Conservation • No-till farming • Crop rotation • Agriculture accounts for 71% of global water withdraw. • What if we don’t use conservational practices in agriculture?

  8. Conservation Facts • Soil loss through corn cultivation has plummeted 69% per bushel in the past 20 years. • A bushel of soybeans can be produced today using 26% less land than was used 20 years ago. • Today, 50,000 fewer gallons water are used to grow an acre of corn, then 20 years ago. • By 2025 it is estimated that about 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity.

  9. What relevance does all this have to majoring in agriculture? • Looking into the future • New technologies and methods to conserve • Qualified students with degrees in some form Agriculture are not “useless” but in fact necessary to sustain our society and human population.

  10. Why do some believe that majoring is agriculture is useless? • Many people don’t know the facts! • 1% of the US population works directly with agriculture. • “AGvocate”

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