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Melissa Hincha-Ownby

Sustainable agriculture programs are on the rise

More colleges are offering organic and sustainable agriculture degree programs.

Tue, Aug 16 2011 at 10:37 AM EST

Organic Farm Photo: suzettesuzette/Flickr
More colleges across the country are offering students degree or certificate programs in organic and sustainable agriculture. There are likely two main reasons pushing the demand for these programs: the aging American farmer population and the increased demand for organic and sustainable products by American consumers. Just two years ago Fast Company magazine named farming as the hottest green job for this decade and the recent increase in college programs is helping to support this claim.
 
Shannon Dininny looks at this trend in her article for the Associated Press, College organic, sustainability programs growing. For example, Washington State University is expanding their programming and now offers an organic agriculture certificate online. This allows students from around the country to obtain a solid understanding of organic agriculture without needing to travel to Pullman, Washington for in-person classes.
 
Students in organic and sustainable agriculture programs will have a variety of job opportunities available to them upon graduation, even positions in conventional farming operations. Roger Pepperl with Stemilt Growers comments on one benefit of sustainable agriculture training to conventional farms; the students “have new ideas about methods for handling pests, fungus and weeds that use fewer chemicals, making them environmentally preferable and potentially less expensive.”
 
While organic and sustainable farming degree programs are on the rise, there is also an overall increase in the number of farmers pursuing a formal college education. According to Dinniny’s article, approximately 25 percent of today’s farmers hold a bachelor’s degree with 70 percent having completed some college coursework. In 1965, only 4 percent of farmers and ranchers had completed a college degree program.
 
To learn more about trends in organic and sustainable agriculture, visit the Organic Farming Research Foundation website.
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anonymous
Hammer Mill machine 09/03/2011 13:59 PM

A milling machine is a machine tool used to machine solid materials. Milling machines are often classed in two basic forms, horizontal and vertical, which refers to the orientation of the main spindle. Both types range in size from small, bench-mounted devices to room-sized machines. Unlike a drill press, which holds the workpiece stationary as the drill moves axially to penetrate the material, milling machines also move the workpiece radially against the rotating milling cutter, which cuts on.... More

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