The future of agriculture education is no light matter for the National Council for Agricultural Education. That’s why the Council is meeting June 15-17 in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, for a 10 x 15 National Conference. The Council plans to address long-range stategic planning for the future of ag education.

“We want to create new programs in communities not yet served by agricultural education and FFA,” said Allan Sulser, chairman of the National Council. “We can strengthen the quality of current programs to provide personal, academic and career education in agriculture. It will contribute to our strategic goal of having 10,000 quality agricultural education programs in operation in this country by the year 2015,” he said. “Agricultural education is at a crossroads, with the past and present both impacting our vision and decisions,” said Larry Case, Ed.D., coordinator of agricultural and rural education, U.S. Department of Education. “These policy meetings are integral to the future success of the agricultural business and agriscience industries in the United States. We must meet the needs for a competent scientific workforce for tomorrow incorporating techn ological and academic advances that continuously develop.” The 10 x 15 management team has identified eight high-priority initiatives to carry agricultural education successfully into the future. They are:

1. Program Standards for agricultural education (Goal: Set and seek adoption of National Program Standards for Agricultural Education for academic, technical, career and life skills based upon the integrated model of agric
2. Link food, agriculture and natural resources content standards to national academic content standards (Goal: Link national academic content standards in science, math, language arts, and social sciences and engage the academic community in setting national standards.)
3. Develop multiple agricultural education designs (Goal: Identify 5-10 potential new markets for agricultural education programs and develop multiple agricultural science education designs that meet community and industry needs.)
4. Program data reporting (Goal: Create and operate a program results reporting system to provide baseline and annual data to document program value at local, state and national levels and provide feedback for continuous improvement.)
5. Agriculture educator recruitment (Goal: Develop and implement agricultural education teacher recruitment strategies in grades 9-14.)
6. Agricultural education advocacy strategy (Goal: Develop local, state and national strategies that effectively advocate agricultural education.)
7. Agricultural education brand strategy (Goal: Develop and implement a brand strategy for agricultural education that results in the greatest success for the enterprise as a whole.)
8. Program funding strategy (Goal: Devise and implement a local, state and national strategy to enlist public, corporate and organizational support to build agricultural education programs at all levels.)


Participants for each initiative task force represent all facets of the agricultural education community—local schools, university departments, state associations, professional associations and FFA. Called “Team AG-ED,” this group will study the strategic themes, review position papers, identify and prioritize projects and project charters, and determine the next steps and timelines. Several of the initiatives tie directly to current projects of The Council and are already underway. The National Council for Agricultural Education is the premier leadership organization for shaping and strengthening school based agricultural education (SBAE) at all levels in the United States. The Council proactively identifies current and emerging issues of national concern, provides innovative solutions in response to current and emerging issues, coordinates the efforts of appropriate entities in strengthening programs, and serves as a national advocate for school based agricultural education. For more information, check http://www.teamaged.org/councilindex.cfm

The Agricultural Education Mission Agricultural Education prepares students for successful careers and a lifetime of informed choices in the global agriculture, food, fiber, and natural resources systems.