Agricultural science education is flourishing in Michigan

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Agricultural science education is flourishing in Michigan

The president of the Michigan Association of Agriscience Educators says the state is well positioned to advance the future of agricultural education.

Brian Matchett says the limitless career opportunities in agriculture in Brownfield are a major reason the Michigan FFA Association is seeing record numbers of student members.

“They want to be part of a program that will give them the most out of their school and their education,” he says. “I think at an industry level too, we’ve made really good progress in recent years in helping people understand the opportunities in the agricultural industry.”

His association focuses on supporting current teachers and promoting agricultural education as a career path. Matchett says these efforts are working as the teacher shortage grows.

“If you look at all the departments of education at Michigan State University, the only one that’s seeing an increase in enrollment is the older one,” he says. “It’s looking good. We’re doing our job, but we were already one step ahead before all the fuss about the teacher shortage started.”

Matchett says industry collaborations, such as the Michigan Potato Commission, which sponsors the association’s summer meeting, also better connect educators with stakeholders and the issues they face.

“The more I know and experience first-hand how things work in our industry, the better I can adapt and modify the curriculum I teach in class,” he explains. “For the students during competition season, it’s a great help when I can talk to them about new and emerging topics in the agricultural industry.”

Matchett, an agricultural science teacher at a technology center in northwest Michigan, says his waiting list is long enough to nearly double his program, but he is limited by classroom space.

AUDIO: Brian Matchett, Michigan Association of Agriscience Educators