About
GROW With Us
Grow With Us is a resource for students, parents, guidance counselors, teachers, and administrators interested in learning how agricultural education can positively impact students’ success in school and life after graduation, and how to offer it in your community.
You may think agricultural education is only for students from rural communities interested in pursuing careers in production agriculture, but nothing could be further from the truth. Students from all backgrounds can gain a wide variety of skills and experiences to prepare them for success after high school.
The impact of agriculture
in indiana
According to the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the industry of agriculture contributes an estimated $35 billion to Indiana’s economy.
Agriculture employs over 188,000 Hoosiers in fields such as agribusiness, agriscience, pharmaceuticals, veterinary science, horticulture, civic leadership, communications, education, and more. It presents almost endless opportunities for students to find a fulfilling career.
As you can see, agriculture and agricultural education is farming, and so much more!
Agricultural education is delivered through three major components:
Classroom/Laboratory instruction (contextual learning)
Supervised Agricultural Experience programs (work-based learning through agricultural education)
Leadership and essential skills training (National FFA Organization)
WE're here to help Indiana GROW
Explore our site to learn more about how agricultural education can benefit you, your middle and high school students, and your school.
Whether you’re a student, parent, guidance counselor, teacher, or administrator, Grow With Us serves as a resource to jumpstart your journey in agricultural education.
Here are some faqs to get you started:
Through agricultural education, students are provided with opportunities for hands-on learning, mentorship, leadership development, and personal growth, leading them to become future chemists, veterinarians, government officials, entrepreneurs, farmers, bankers, international business leaders, teachers and premier professionals in more than 350 careers. Discover potential careers at agexplorer.ffa.org. And even if a student chooses another profession to pursue outside of the umbrella of agriculture, they still leave high school as informed consumers and community-minded citizens, aware of the importance and value of global agriculture, food, fiber, and natural resources systems.
Students are offered mentorship and guidance to start their own business or participate in an internship to gain real work experience, known as a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). Learn more at saeforall.org and ffa.org.
Students can simultaneously earn Technical and Academic Honors designations upon successful completion of coursework, providing a springboard for work, technical school, collegiate and post-grad opportunities in a variety of fields.
FFA offers an opportunity for students to learn skills and gain confidence through competitions at local, state, and national levels in numerous categories. It’s often a way of bringing pride to the school and community in the same way sports or performing arts may do for schools.
While a preconceived notion might suggest agricultural education is only for students interested in pursuing careers in production agriculture, students actually learn a wide variety of applicable skills, including science, math, public speaking, leadership, management and technology.
Agricultural education plays a vital role in preparing students for more than 350 career paths,, and instills transferable values and life skills like self-sustainability and leadership.
Currently, more than 1,000,000 students participate in formal agricultural education instructional programs offered in grades 7-12 throughout the 50 states and three U. S. territories.
Students who graduate high school through an agricultural education pathway have a XX% higher chance of being accepted into college and a XX% higher chance of finding employment post graduation than students in other pathways.
Purdue’s College of Agriculture has a 99% placement rate upon graduation.
For information on how to start an agricultural education program in your school, visit LINK.
Spanish-speaking Creed competition added
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