By Pete Wicklund
Journal Times | Posted: Friday, November 28, 2008 12:00 am
RACINE COUNTY - Be it suburban encroachment on farm lands, or the hard work and long hours of farming and its constant economic and meteorological uncertainties, agriculture at first glance might not seem like a hip career choice.
Nothing could be further from the truth, according to Craig Kohn. In the eyes of the agriculture instructor and FFA adviser at Waterford High School, ag education on the local, national and international levels is more necessary than ever before - even critical.
"The problems we have today can be addressed by agriculture," said Kohn, who has been at Waterford High for the last year and a half. "Everyone still has to eat, so no matter what happens in terms of suburban versus rural (agriculture) will always be relevant."
Although there will no doubt be many challenges, local agricultural experts predict farming will be a part of the Racine County landscape throughout the next decade and perhaps beyond.
"There's still enough farmland left in the county that there will be farming for a long time," said Scott Squire, vice president and agriculture loan officer for Burlington-based First Banking Center.
Suburbanization and conservation are the big challenges for farmers in the coming years.
"My personal hope is the county stays rural enough and we maintain an agriculture base because it's important to the county for a variety of reasons, not just food production," said Rose Skora, University of Wisconsin-Extension agriculture educator for Racine and Kenosha counties. "The environmental corridors, the open space, there are so many values that people sometimes don't think about when they think of agriculture."
Bob Grove, a Caledonia farmer and also a Racine County supervisor, was part of a group of local farmers and property owners who sat down earlier in the year to brainstorm ideas to keep an agricultural presence in the county in coming years. In late February or early March, they will meet with representatives of the state Department of Agriculture to discuss the Working Lands Initiatives Program, an effort to establish strategies for preserving land for agriculture, forestry, tourism and recreational uses.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what the state has as far as farm land initiatives. I'm keeping an open mind to see what happens," Grove said.
It's a good time for farmers to discuss such ideas as the nation's economy slows and puts the brakes on suburban development. And after grain prices have declined the last few months after several months of record prices.
"It's been good the last few years here (in Racine County)," said Squire. "The prices have been up, but it's going to be tougher the next few years. The instability is the biggest thing to overcome."
Grove can accept property tax formulas that help farmers stay viable as surrounding property values escalate in the face of encroaching development. He also participates in the state's Farm Land Preservation Program that provides income tax credits to active farmers and spares them from having to pay for municipal sewer and water line extensions as development nears their lands.
But Grove said he could not favor the establishment of a local taxing body to finance conservation efforts. He believes such an idea would prove extremely unpopular with county residents.
"I have to think about my political job, too," he said.
The next generation
At Waterford High School, Kohn's approximately 100 students have touched on other big issues in the future of agriculture during their time in the school's elective agriculture program, such as global warming, alternative fuel sources and infection and disease control.
Facilities such as a greenhouse and an off-campus farm plot help WHS students with their agriculture education. If they so choose, students can take agriculture classes each of their four years at WHS.
The offerings at WHS include a one-year-long introductory class, which includes science and business applications. After that, students can choose from a variety of semester-long electives like small-animal veterinary science, large-animal veterinary science and plant pathology. Kohn is also trying to get an advanced placement environmental studies course added.
Then there's the FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) component. Students in the agriculture program at WHS are not required to participate in FFA, but are strongly encouraged to do so. FFA can include activities at the local, state and national levels. Kohn said that nationwide, FFA membership is at its highest level in 30 years.
FFA helps develop communication skills in students as well as business and political know-how. "The education, personal development and economic opportunities attract many students once they are aware of them," Kohn said.
But what of the opportunities in traditional agriculture? They are still there, Kohn said. He points out that 99 percent of farms in Wisconsin are still family owned and the dairy agriculture alone is still an $20 billion industry in Wisconsin.
"We talk in this state how we are to have a shortage of ag jobs and I think that's true," Kohn said. "There are people out there who know nothing about agriculture who if they found out would be highly interested and those are the people we need to target."