Education Commons^™

Agricultural Sciences Outreach Program, Maghan Lea England, Sophie Lorraine Johnston

Agricultural Education and Communication

The College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) mission statement and vision of the Agricultural Education and Communication Department is to develop future leaders, educators, and communicators to advance and advocate for the agricultural industry in a global economy (AGED, 2018). Student organizations, such as Agriculture Ambassadors and Agriculture Leadership Society, facilitate several outreach events to engage and excite prospective students in pursuing their higher education goals in agriculture at Cal Poly (CAFES Ag Council, 2018). In order to maintain growing student numbers, the Agricultural Education and Communication Department, specifically, the Agricultural Science major needs revamped recruiting efforts and …

Hosting The Third Annual Young Women In Agriculture Career And Leadership Seminar, Emma E. Morris, Madyline J. Braught

Agricultural Education and Communication

Agriculture has traditionally been a male-dominated industry; however, recent years have shown a significant growth in female presence. Women are beginning to take leadership roles both on the farm and within advocacy, lobbying, and business entities in the industry. According to the latest agricultural census data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2012, women farmers controlled seven percent of the nation’s farmland (Census, 2014). Additionally, women held leadership roles in 14 percent of the nation’s two million farms (Census, 2014). This data is several years old, and likely the numbers have grown since the last census was …

Agriculture Ambassador State Conference, James Andrew Broaddus, Quincie A. Gourley

Agricultural Education and Communication

The Agriculture Ambassador organization at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo focuses on promotion of higher education, agriculture, and professional development among its members and community contacts. In 2018, the organization hosted the Agriculture Ambassador State Conference to bring together Californian Agriculture Ambassadors and industry professionals for workshops and advocacy planning. “Exposure to the different forms of leadership through out-of-classroom involvement offers concrete experiences and background knowledge upon which students can draw as they integrate leadership theories and skills,” (Fritz, S., 1998, p.58). Industry professionals have cited the need to emphasize soft skill development through college level education (Robles, …

Soil Science In Precision Agriculture Lesson Plan, Carson Ellis Cronkright

Agricultural Education and Communication

Due to the increasing demands for the American agricultural industry to provide exceptional products at an increasing rate of production, as well as implement the practice of sustainable farming, it is imperative that more modern concepts be taught at a younger age (Ray, 2013). In order to inform students of advancements and the future of agriculture in the United States, curriculum and lesson plans should reflect this movement in industry in order to provide relevant information and maintain the highest quality of education possible. This project will provide a constructed lesson plan as one example of adopting more progressive methods …

Ag Buddies: Making Connections With Agriculture Leaders And Elementary Youth, Lacee Holloway, Rachel Dewar, Mickey Guerra, Chantal Herrera

Agricultural Education and Communication

The author Bill McBean defines being a leader as, “exhibiting moral and ethical courage and setting an example for everyone.” Leadership begins at an early age and demonstrating the right way to lead and how to teach others should be instilled in a child when they are young enough to develop the right tools for success. Future Farmers of America and the agriculture programs that it is integrated into are prime examples of what being a leader inhibits. The National FFA Organization states that, “they taught us that agriculture is more than planting and harvesting — it's a science, it's …

Fishing For Answers: Barriers To Secondary Agricultural English Course Adoption, Sydney Arlene Keen

Agricultural Education and Communication

Wamba (2012) said, “...literacy education plays an important role in moving people out of poverty toward greater self-sufficiency post-graduation” (p. 109). Nearly 47% of first-time California community college students are enrolled in remedial English coursework (Student Success, 2015). Further, California high school dropout rates are at 11% due to “school-related reasons…implying a lack of engagement and lack of perceived relevance” in curriculum (Gottfried & Plasman, 2017, p. 30). Literacy in our high school classrooms must be addressed.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) coursework has been linked to lower dropout rates; particularly in grades 11 and 12 (Gottfried & Plasman, 2017). …

Cal Poly Farmers Picnic, Emily Anne Dale, Riley Nilsen, Jack Gavron

Agricultural Education and Communication

Agriculture can be seen as the world’s most essential industry. Many products people use daily come directly from agriculture, including the food placed on people’s tables. Knowing where that food comes from, and the overall importance of agricultural education is vital in the United States and the world. This message needs to be shared beyond the classroom: we need agriculture to survive.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “in 2012, there were 3.2 million farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers and an estimated 757,900 agricultural workers legally employed in the U.S.” (USDA, 2012). These findings concluded that less …

Converting Agricultural Lesson Plans To Be Common Core Compliant For Grades 3-5, Hattie Kaymarie Jameson, Brittany Rose Withnell

Agricultural Education and Communication

There are few Common Core approved lesson plans for teachers to incorporate into traditional science programs in California. The Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom (AITC) program provides K-12 educators lesson plans with an agricultural focus. Only 13 out of 45 of the lesson plans that the California AITC website offers are Common Core approved (Learn About Ag, 2017).

Agricultural literacy is valuable to consumers, can lead to careers in agriculture, and can create a greater understanding of the world and of science for students. The agricultural lessons give students a real life relationship with what they are learning and …

Egg Awareness, Hailee J. French

Agricultural Education and Communication

In 2008, Proposition 2 passed, forcing all egg producers in California to provide more room inside of cages to their laying hens. The Humane Society of the United States [HSUS] initiated this battle and won but, less than a decade later decided that still wasn’t enough room for the birds. HSUS is now pushing to have a new measure on the ballot in November 2018 forcing all egg producers in California to produce their eggs cage free.

This project will survey the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo campus to gauge the campus’s understanding of egg production in California. …