Agribusiness Programs in Non‐Land‐Grant Schools of Agriculture: Requirements for Success

Abstract

the topic. Our presentation will probably be a bit different than the others, because by their titles, they have spoken from the perspective of operating academic programs at the graduate level. We are able to speak from the perspective of being responsible for the operation of undergraduate agribusiness programs as well as having managed graduate-level and adult learning experiences in the same academic area. The need to shift over to an agribusiness focus from an agricultural economics concentration has been addressed well, and at length, by respected members of the land-grant (LG) agricultural economics profession. Some have even been so bold as to suggest that unless the shift is made, and made very soon, it is only a matter of time until agricultural economics no longer exists. Others have stated that the long-run fate of entire colleges of agriculture rests on maintaining or increasing enrollments in the agribusiness and/or the agricultural economics disciplines. Most of today's students seek introductorylevel management/supervisory employment. Over the years, about half of our California students have been interested in employment in the agriculture infrastructure. They have found careers as processing plant managers, food processor field representatives, chemical sales people, transportation coordinators, domestic and international food sales managers, personnel managers, and industry and government public relations people. The other half of the agribusiness students have been about evenly divided between agricultural financial services and careers in farm or ranch (production) management operations. Generally the enrollments in agribusiness programs have depended upon the economic tone prevailing in the agribusiness sector. As noted by Thompson, Capps, and Massey, undergraduate enrollments in the agriculture and natural resource sciences grew during the 1970s and declined during the 1980s-thus paralleling the economic growth and decline of the U.S. a ricultural sector. The agricultural and natural resource areas were apparently not able to o fer competitive salaries as the agricultural economy began its downward spiral in the early 1980s. Additionally, Barkley, in his study of earnings of agricultural graduates over the 1978-88 period, showed how starting salaries followed the broader economic fortunes of the