PEORIA, Ill. — With agriculture booming as other industries continue to struggle through a prolonged economic downturn, Illinois FFA has voiced its objection to a recent Yahoo! News article citing agriculture as the most “useless” college major available in the United States.

“I certainly would have to say that this (article) just shows a real need for ag literacy,” said Frank Dry, associate executive secretary for the Illinois Assoc. FFA and associate executive director for the Illinois Assoc. of Vocational Ag Teachers.

Dry, along with Illinois FFA State Reporter Chris Steppig and Secretary Jacob Meisner, attended the recent 2012 Illinois Pork Expo in Peoria, where they manned an Illinois FFA information booth.

“Agriculture is a big, broad, wide industry with all kinds of jobs and opportunities. From everything I know, (ag graduates) have no problem finding a job,” said Dry.

The article, penned by reporter Terence Loose and published online by Yahoo! Education last month, states emphatically that agricultural careers have “virtually little to no projected job growth.” Loose quotes USDA figures provided by author Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D, purportedly showing the U.S. Department of Labor projects 64,000 fewer jobs in “agricultural management” over the next seven years.

Shatkin asserts as farms continue to become more efficient, there is less of a need for farm managers. But agriculture provides a number of other opportunities for students to earn diplomas which can immediately be put to use in the real world, according to Dry.

Careers in sectors such as veterinary science, sales, agronomy, development of genetic traits and seeds, communications and ag transportation are just a few of the opportunities available to those who pursue ag-related college degrees.

“We were thinking that maybe (Loose) was not aware how important agriculture is,” said Steppig, 19, of Waterloo. “There are a lot of options out there. We’re here (at the Pork Expo) to meet and greet people going by and tell them about our experiences with FFA. We are dedicated not only to agriculture, but to premier leadership, personal growth and career success.”

Dry cited FFA’s public speaking, parliamentary procedure training and job interview skills training as facets of the FFA that prepare students for virtually any kind of career.

“FFA is helping them develop the life skills that prepare them for any job in any area,” he said. “Students know the benefits and career opportunities available to them through FFA.”

Articles like the one penned by Loose only contribute to the challenges faced by FFA and ag educators trying to lure students to pursue ag-related majors, Steppig said.

“One of the big problems we face is getting the more suburban and urban kids to realize there is more to ag than just production agriculture. There is also the technology and science that goes into production agriculture,” said Steppig, who joined FFA in high school in Waterloo not because of prior exposure to agriculture, but out of convenience.

“Coming from a subdivision with no agricultural background, I joined the FFA because I took an engineering class offered through the ag department – and to get participation points for that class I had to join the FFA or write a paper every semester,” Steppig recalled.

It took only one year of FFA, however, for Steppig to commit to the program long-term. He even learned to enjoy writing papers. “After my freshman year I realized how useful all I’d learned through FFA is in everyday life, so I stayed in FFA.”

As state reporter, Steppig tutors FFA chapter reporters across Illinois in crafting press releases, taking photos and promoting FFA in a positive light. He plans to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Economic Sciences (ACES) this fall to pursue a degree in technical systems management, while staying active in ag comm.

Dry’s oldest daughter, Melissa, also attended the College of ACES and earned a degree in technical systems management, which is a part of the College of ACES’ ag math-ag engineering program. “She was actually working in a related field before graduation,” Dry said. “Though she has moved a few times with her husband, who works for John Deere, she has never had a problem finding a job with her degree.”