Abstract:
Agricultural education is emphasizing all phases of agriculture
in an attempt to help provide sufficient numbers of trained employees
for agricultural industry. This is reflected by areas of
instruction encompassing production and off-farm agriculture.
Students receive supervision in production and occupational experience
at home and with local off-farm agricultural business firms.
The purpose of this study was to determine a core of competencies
and related information about which group instruction may be
given. The purpose of such instruction is preparing a student for
selecting and advancing in an agricultural occupation of his choice.
Businesses were consulted in the geographical area of Vale,
Nyssa, and Ontario, Oregon to determine the need for employees
with an agricultural background. One-third of the firms were interviewed
personally to determine general competencies looked for in agricultural employees.
The study revealed that students with an agricultural background
are in demand. Most off-farm agricultural occuptaions (now
and future) are located with farm machinery, feed, seed, fertilizer
and chemical and ornamental horticultural firms.
This study revealed that 61.12 percent of all employees in
the Vale area need an agricultural background. Training in vocational
agriculture provides desirable background experience for employment
in most firms, Farm work experience was rated as essential
by a majority of the firms interviewed.
Production agriculture should be the core program to provide
basis for experiences needed to successfully enter and advance in an
off-farm agricultural occupation.
Close cooperation should be established with farm machinery,
fertilizer and chemical firms as they provide the largest number of
employment opportunities now and anticipated in the future. These
firms also provide opportunity for cooperative work training experience
during seasonal rush periods as do service stations and food
stores.
The competencies of most concern to employers interviewed,
and around which instruction should be developed, were those involving
human relations and salesmanship.
