Partners for Progress: Ready, Set, Grow!


room, the vision this group can develop with the Ag Ed program to innovate is great,” says Jeremy Grove, advisory board member and Ag Supervisor of Agricultural Education at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD).


Grove hopes that all of the Cleveland students currently in the CSU Ag Ed


“There’s an opportunity for training really smart and enthusiastic students who can come out and engage in the agricultural education field immediately,” he stresses. “I think the combination of obtaining an Ag Ed degree at a highly affordable cost is something that’s been missing and this program is uniquely solving that. So I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”


“The board is as diverse as the ag industry itself, which is incredibly vast and touches a number of different business, science and technological disciplines,”


Jon Henry, director, School of Agricultural Education and Food Science


program will go back to CMSD upon graduation to continue to expand its agriculture program. “This program can help inspire high school students from Cleveland to become agricultural educators and return to metropolitan areas to transform communities and families,” he says.


The Ag Ed major was developed in response to the growing demand for agricultural teachers in the state. With more than 300 agriculture education programs in Ohio high schools, and an effort to expand 4-H and FFA programs to more than 600 schools, there’s a short supply of candidates with the credentials to be an agricultural educator.


“It starts with teaching,” says Jim Buchy, advisory board member, president of The Batchelder Company and former State of Ohio Representative. “I have a relationship with Central State advocating for the Ag Ed program and working to ensure its sustainable future by establishing a foundation.”


Buchy sees the program filling a vast void in Ohio. “Ohio has a need for many more agricultural education teachers,” he says. “We have students requesting high school agriculture programs at the same time those programs are being dropped due to a lack of teachers.


The Ohio Teaching Licensure pathway includes courses in such topics as agriscience foundation, student leadership organization, and methods of teaching agricultural education. Ag Ed students will gain valuable hands- on experience with an off-campus, 12-week student teaching program in an agricultural high school setting. Multidisciplinary coursework also includes agribusiness, animal science, horticulture, soils, agricultural machines, grain crops, and natural resources. The program prepares its students for jobs in all sectors of the agriculture industry.


Tracy Dendinger, a consultant with Ohio Department of Education Ag Ed Program, says the value and academic structure of CSU Ag Ed’s program motivated her to join the board. “As a former agricultural educator, I think that the program is fulfilling a really important need by offering two pathways, as either a licensed educator, or as an extension professional, that will help young people get the knowledge, understanding, and training that will lead them into ag careers.”


“Central State’s Agricultural Education major offers an excellent foundation for other careers in the high-


demand ag field, including agricultural extension, agribusiness, and general agricultural industries,” says Brad Moffitt, board member and director of Market Development and Membership for the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association.


“Combining rural–urban–city connections creates diversity in all of our Ag programs. This will only make our industry stronger,” continues Moffitt. “Agricultural employers are anxious to hire students with the communication and professional skills needed to help train employees, educate their customers, and sell their products.”


Chris Henney, president and chief executive officer of the Ohio Agribusiness Association, likes that the program emphasizes careers in all levels of agriculture, not just teaching. “Selfishly, I want to see more talented people in agriculture,” he says. “Often, when agriculture is put into the title, as we know, young people think of producers, but there is a world of business opportunities, from sales and marketing to community advocacy. I would like to see talented people explore the diverse fields in agriculture.”


Grove says, “I think the experience the students will get at Central State, and the education they’ll receive, will definitely serve them well.”


Experiential learning opportunities


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