Job opportunities abound in the agriculture industry
Cool nights, warm days make for a wonderful time to be in Yuma, Ariz. The winter vegetable season is beginning to wind down and more fields of wheat are being seen.
Sudan grass for hay and cotton are being planted and the melon crops are beginning to recover from the cold weather. Many of the vegetable seed crops are being watched closely to determine if they were damaged by the cold. Cauliflower, broccoli and onion seeds are ready to bloom or have started to flower.
While cruising around the Wellton-Mohawk Valley, I saw fields being harvested and did not recognize the crop. When I stopped and asked, I was told it was sugar beet seeds, started here and being sent to Oregon and Washington to be planted. I will add that to my seed crop production list!
Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a tour called Go Ag! It is a program sponsored by the Yuma Fresh Vegetable Association to provide high school counselors and student advisors direct contact with farmers and industries who would like to hire our local youth after college.
Others who were participating as presenters were Arizona Western College and the University of Arizona. The Go Ag program is a regional campaign to educate youth about opportunities in agriculture. Commentary on local agriculture was provided as the bus traveled between stops.
Facilities, research labs and programs undertaken at the University of Arizona Agricultural Center were the first stop. The group met researchers and learned about the variety of scientific studies being conducted.
From there, the bus went to Bard, Calif., where the group participated in a “random act of kindness” with the Labor of Love program. Harvesting crews are presented with food and gifts as a thank-you for their hard work in the fields.
It is a way for the community to recognize the importance of the agricultural workers to Yuma and Imperial County agriculture. Finding the skilled workers needed in production agriculture is becoming more difficult and the community wants those who are doing the work to know they are appreciated and valued.
Arizona Western College and the facilities for the agriculture and science classes was the next stop. With the support of the local agricultural community, a partial list of Bachelor of Science degrees offered at Arizona Western College and the University of Arizona are: agricultural technology management, agricommerce, animal science, biosystems engineering, civil engineering, computer science, cyber operations, sustainable plant systems and others.
I also learned that one of the primary reasons students fail as freshmen is that they have not taken chemistry in high school. A strong background in math, chemistry and science is critical for college success.
From AWC the tour went to a cooling and salad processing plant. There are hundreds of jobs in agriculture based on science, math, technology and engineering.
It was good to hear that graduates with a background in agriculture were prized because they knew how to work. Many of our local growers and businesses welcome interns who are interested in learning from the ground up.
Our final stop was a seed business that develops new varieties of melons, onions, peppers and other crops. Again, some of the employees started as interns and were now full time valued members of the business.
The idea that agricultural jobs are less desirable is a total misconception. There are so many exciting opportunities now and will continue to be in the future as the population of the world will almost double by 2050.
Kudos to the advisors and counselors who took time to learn about the opportunities in production agriculture for the students they advise.