Agriculture Science
Program Mission Statement: The North Arkansas College Agriculture Science program’s primary objective is to provide students with an education so that they may have greater opportunity to gain a career that will be both spiritually and financially rewarding.
The Courses: The primary courses offered each semester are those courses which provide students with the greatest opportunity to transfer core curriculum to senior institutions for baccalaureate degrees in Animal Sciences, Agriculture Extension, Communication, Systems Technology, Agriculture Economics, Plant, Horticulture, Agronomy Sciences, Environmental Sciences, and most degrees offered at land grant Universities. Several of the agriculture science courses have been developed to meet the interest of agriculture students in our area, as well as provide them with articulated credit for the efforts made in the secondary level agriculture science programs. All courses have been developed to provide students with the opportunity to earn Associate Degrees, which will make them more appealing to employers and increase production on America’s farms and ranches.
PHOTO: Introduction to the Equine Industry (AGRI 2023) Lab Exercise conducted at Designer Genes Technologies: at the completion of this lab, students should be able to discuss the attributes of conformation, distinguish the flight zones, and execute proper procedures of approaching young horses.
PHOTO: Introductory Animal and Poultry Science Lab (AGRI 1001) conducted at the North Arkansas College Agriculture Science Facility: at the completion of this lab, students should be able to conduct and execute the proper procedures of administering subcutaneous vaccinations.
PHOTO: Behavior of Domestic Animals (AGRI 2213) conducted at Designer Genes Technologies: at the completion of this lab, students should be able to identify management practices and facilities which decrease the level of stress in cattle being processed.
PHOTO: Soil Science (AGRI 2204) lab exercise conducted adjacent to the North Arkansas College Agriculture Science Facility: at the completion of this lab, students should be able to properly utilize a soil probe to abstract soil, determine the factor of that soil by ribboning, and compare and contrast their results to the limitations of that soil as portrayed in the soil survey.
The Degrees:
Associate of Science in Agriculture, Food, and Life Sciences: This degree was established in accordance with the Arkansas Consortium for Teaching Agriculture and encourages the opportunity to transfer seamlessly to any University of Arkansas Land Grant Institution.
Associate of Applied Science in Agriculture: The Associate of Applied Science in Agriculture is designed to lead the student directly to employment in a specific career. Many of the students anticipated to seek the Associate of Applied Science in Agriculture are already agricultural producers and therefore will benefit from a general degree that will allow them to focus on animal sciences, plant sciences, environmental science, agriculture communications, or agriculture business and technology, depending on the individual student’s interest. Though many of the courses required for this degree will transfer to various senior institutions, the Associate of Applied Science in Agriculture is not intended for students planning to transfer.
Activities:
- National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association
- Collegiate FFA
- Collegiate Farm Bureau
- Pioneer Hands
Importance of Agriculture:
http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census02/profiles/ar/
It is common knowledge we are in a highly competitive global economy, and a college education has never been more important. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “about 90 percent of the fastest-growing jobs of the future will require some postsecondary education or training.” The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reports, “College graduates in the U.S. earn nearly twice as much as workers with just a high school diploma, one of the highest rates in the world.”
Job openings requiring university degrees continue to increase, while the number of graduates remains insufficient to fill the demand. The USDA estimates that between 2005 and 2010, more than 52,000 job openings will be available each year for graduates in food, agriculture, and natural resources degree programs, but U.S. universities will turn out only about 49,300 graduates annually to fill those jobs. About 32,000 of those graduates will earn agricultural science or natural resources degrees, while about 17,000 will come from allied educational programs, such as biological sciences, engineering, and business. (Employment Opportunities for College Graduates in the U.S. Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources System)
Importance of Agriculture in Our Area:
2002 Census of Agriculture County Profile for Boone, Arkansas
Market Value of Production
$79,373,000 in 2002, $62,377,000 in 1997, up 27 percent.
Crop sales accounted for $1,177,000 of the total value in 2002.
Livestock sales accounted for $78,196,000 of the total value in 2002.
- Arkansas has 984,000 head of beef; Arkansas is ranked 11th in the nation beef production; Boone County: 72, 550 head of beef; Carroll Co. 74,989
- Rice - 1st
- Broilers - 2nd
- Catfish - 3rd
- Turkeys - 4th
- Cotton - 5th
- Sorghum & Eggs - 8th
- Soybeans - 9th
- Beef Cow Inventory - 11th
- Agricultural production (Farming)
- Employs 4.9% of the state’s workforce
- Contributes 4.1% of the state’s economy
- Is the largest single “industry” in the state
- Employs 20% of the Arkansas labor force
- Employs 1 in 5 Arkansas workers in the food and fiber industry
- Contributes almost 25% of the Arkansas economy
POWER POINT PRESENTATIONS:
AGRI 1001: Introductory Animal and Poultry Science Lab
AGRI 1003: Introductory Animal and Poultry Science
AGRI 1203: Introduction to Plant Science
AGRI 2013: Pest Management
AGRI 2023: Introduction to the Equine Industry
AGRI 2204: Soil Science
AGRI 2213: Behavior of Domestic Animals
AG 1303: Principles of Agronomy
High School Ninth Grade: Introduction to Agriculture Science and Technology