Illinois Leadership Council for Agricultural Education
For Immediate Release – March 28, 2011
IllinoisAgricultural Education Good Training Ground for Any Career
RANTOUL,IL – Regardless of career field, in or out of agriculture, young people in Illinois consistently find agricultural education provides the tools necessary for success. Determination and organization, FFA and classroom experiences are pathways todiverse careerachievements.
"What we often see with agricultural education students going to college is that their coursework has prepared them for the next level. FFA prepares them for public speaking, leadership, job experience and more. They overcome limitations or challenges they face coming from small communities or high schools," says Jay Runner, coordinator, Facilitating Communication in Agricultural Education (FCAE). "An agricultural background brings a lot to the table."
Jake Butcher is a good example. Butcher, from Mt. Auburn, Ill., attended TaylorvilleHigh School. He grew up on a grain and livestock farm, participated in agricultural education, FFA and FFA section leadership. Butcher graduated in 2007 from the University of Illinois with a degree in agriculture and consumer economics with an emphasis on agriculture law and policy.
"After graduation, I spent a year working on Illinois legislative races and a session as legislative liaison for the Illinois Department of Insurance," he says. "I then got the opportunity to attend DrakeUniversityLawSchool, where I will receive my J.D. in May 2011."
Butcher says his high school agriculture teachers spent a lot of time teaching him the importance of hard work, attention to detail and the team building skillsthat have contributed to his success.
"Without these opportunities, I would not have chosen this career pathway. My high school agricultural education prepared me for public speaking and public service," he says. "My experience on the family farm, as well as in agriculture education courses at DrakeLawSchool, has prepared me to serve the needs of agriculture clients in ChristianCounty."
Amanda Runner has chosen to use her agricultural education background in a non-agriculture career field. Runner, who also grew up on a farm, graduated from ColchesterHigh School. She took agriculture classes, was active in FFA and was a chapter and section officer.
"I knew from the time I was in junior high that I did not want to stay on the farm," she says. "I wanted to work in business in a big city. I had the opportunity to spend time in Chicago, and that really opened my eyes to possibilities in finance. I have found over the last several years that my background in ag education has provided transferrable skills to fields outside of agriculture."
Runner pursued her liberal arts interests in an urban setting at NorthwesternUniversity near Chicago. She majored in economics and sought related internships while in school.
"I interned at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. My agriculture background opened doors as I built skills in other areas," she says. "After graduation, I worked for Bain Consulting in Chicago and in Amsterdam. Again, my background was useful with so many industries tied to agriculture. Iunderstood certain business segments more quickly and helpedget colleagues up to speed."
Runner is currently attending HarvardBusinessSchool, and will graduate this year with an MBA. Upon completion, she will go back to work for Bain in New York City.
"Not many people from my high school have gone to schools like Northwestern or Harvard. I had to research them on my own. Sometimes when you come from a small town, you may not have exposure to a wide variety of opportunities," she says. "But attending a small high school did give me multiplechances to be involved with leadership and build my confidence."
Colleen Dickinson Anderson did not grow up on a farm, although she attended a primarily rural high school in Amboy, Ill. She wanted to take agriculture classes in high school, but her parents were hesitant that such classes would give her all of the college prep she needed.
"My parents allowed me to try one ag class as a freshman," she says. "Ihad seenall that FFA did and stood for andI wanted to be part of that. I ended up taking ag classes for academic credit throughout high school. I even served as the 2001-02 Illinois FFA president."
Anderson enrolled as an ag education and communications major at University of Illinois. One week before school, she took an emergency medical technician (EMT) class. She enjoyed it so much, she switched her major to health sciencesand attended Benedictine University instead.
"I loved the exposure to medicine, and I loved that I had enough Advanced Placement (AP) credit from high school to finish my undergrad degree in three years," she says. "Agricultural education prepared me with the right study skills and for leadership roles on campus."
Anderson continued her education in the rural medicine program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine inRockford. She worked one semester in Oregon, Ill., with a family practitioner. She has earned her M.D., but not done her residency yet. Anderson is now mother of two small children and interviews and mentors rural medicine students in Rockford. She hopes to put her agriculture background to use soon in her husband's family's Japanese garden.
"Students interested in agriculture will find they are absolutely not putting themselves behind academically by taking agriculture classes to prepare for any career," she says. "It is quite the opposite. Agriculture classes provide real world training and great college preparation."
Such was the case for Andrew Bowman from Oneida, Ill., who attended ROWVA High School. Bowman holds a degree in crop sciences from the University of Illinois.
"While I was hooked into taking agriculture classes because of my farm heritage, it was the opportunity and competition that kept me there. Growing up on a grain farm that has diversified by adding an insurance agency, I could see the immediate impact agriculture had on my education," says Bowman."Math, science, English and history may form the basic foundation of education, but agriculture forms the basic foundation of civilization. What better way to learn than through applying the principles of my other courses in the ag classroom and beyond."
Bowman today works in the family business, which includes1,400 acres of corn and soybeans and an independent insurance agency. He also branched out on his own to starta complimentary crop scouting business for area clients. Prior to returning to the farm, he worked as an intern in crop scouting, commodities merchandising, agriculture policy and sales for companies like Tate & Lyle, Golden Harvest, Monsanto, Crop Production Services and Mowers Soil Testing. Hewas one of only seven political interns for USDA in 2007.
"I had no desire to go home and farm without experiencing many different opportunities," he says. "FFA fueled my passion for agriculture, but also for learning. FFA prepared me for both a technical and collegiate pathway, both blue-collar and white-collar work, both academic and applied careers.My broad educational experience provided me with a choice between career pathways. Now, I am able to have three different career roles in today’s economy because they are all inter-related. They all use principles I learned from my agriculture background."
Agricultural education also prepared Bowman for leadership. In addition to serving as FFA chapter president, he later held leadership positions with Alpha Gamma Rho both locally and nationally, created the Illinois Greek Initiative at the University of Illinois and served on the board of Alpha Zeta Agriculture Honorary.He also in 2006 was named National FFA Star Farmer of America, only the third in Illinois FFA history.
"Any student that wants to achieve anything great must first start by choosing to be extraordinary," he sums."Being extraordinary should be the first, most significant step you take on your journey. And if you want a great path to get there, use ag education as your roadmap!
The statewide agricultural education team includes the Illinois Leadership Council for Agricultural Education (ILCAE), the Illinois Committee for Agricultural Education (ICAE), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Illinois FFA and its associated groups, Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers (IAVAT), Illinois Association Community College Agriculture Instructors (IACCAI), University Council, Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom and FCAE. The team works to help ensure a successful social, economical and environmental future for the state with K-adult education programs in support of Illinois’ largest industry, agriculture. For more information, visit .
-30-
Contact Information
Jay RunnerBarb Baylor Anderson
FCAE State CoordinatorAg Ed Communications Consultant
217-893-0091618-656-0870