CHANGING CURRICULUMS; VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE: SURVIVING IN A DWINDLING INDUSTRY (SECOND OF FOUR PARTS)

Nancy Lewer planted petunias in front of the board of education building at Thomas W. Kelly School as part of the landscaping class.

BENTON -- Vocational agriculture once prepared students to be farmers, but few students are using their skills professionally anymore.

Kelly High School teacher Tom Hulshof said his vocational agriculture classes have changed much over the years. The subject area, which provides instruction in farming methods, machinery, metalworking, horticulture and natural studies, has changed in the types of students enrolled and their reasons for taking the classes.

"Not a lot of kids are becoming farmers anymore, so things have changed a lot," said Hulshof. "We don't even focus much on farming aspects anymore."

Students now take classes to pursue an interest instead of to gain professional knowledge, Hulshof said. Some students still plan to become farmers, but others just want to learn more about plants or using tools.

"We make chairs and benches, whatever the kids want, and some do want to know about building things," said Hulshof. "We're also raising plants in our greenhouse, and we take care of the landscaping for the school. A lot of the kids really enjoy that."

Also changing is the gender of the students. Vocational agriculture classes have traditionally been all male. However, the female enrollment is growing statewide. At Kelly, nearly half of some classes are girls.

"I think that's obviously been the biggest change," Hulshof said. "And they're not all taking horticulture classes, either. I've got girls enrolled in my building classes, and a big part of our FFA (Future Farmers of America) membership is girls."

Although farming appears to be a dwindling industry, there will always be a need for people with those skills. Statewide, vocational agriculture classes are losing enrollment, but in Southeast Missouri, there is still a significant interest in developing agricultural skills.

"There are fewer farmers, but some of the kids in this area still live on farms," Hulshof said. "That's why I think there will always be some interest, especially locally, in developing those skills in high school students."