Texas A&M ranked in national study

While our football team at Texas A&M hasn’t ranked too high on the national stage lately (we are making great improvement), leadership in agriculture has been consistent over the years.

Texas A&M’s Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications was recently ranked second in the nation among 82 universities with similar programs. The programs were ranked in the study, “Characteristics of Distinguished Programs of Agricultural Education,” conducted by a professor from Ohio State, whose graduate team surveyed administrators across the country. They were asked to rank the agricultural programs they held in “highest professional regard.” Texas A&M was recognized by many as the most distinguished, based on factors such as faculty, research and international emphasis. A&M specifically was noted for its scope of research, leadership programs and faculty.

Congratulations to all those who contributed to achieving this national recognition. Your efforts are having a profound impact on Texas agriculture and our entire world.

Urban students take an interest in agriculture

Agriculture remains a big portion of our state’s economy, accounting for almost 9.5 percent of Texas’ Gross State Product - the sum of all value added by industries within the state. Expanded science and technology have been tremendous catalysts for increasing the importance of agriculture.

As our state’s population continues to expand, particularly in the urban areas, some may mistakenly think interest in agriculture’s importance and the need for agriculture education have diminished. Not so, according to a recent article in the Dallas Morning News.

“Our program is probably going stronger in the urban areas than it is in the rural areas,” said Gerald Young, executive director of the Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas.

To read the entire article, click here.