b'AGRICULTUREA GROWINGAg Workforcemore than 400,000 ag jobs infuse $76 billion annually into theAdditional outdoor facilities include the Beef Unit, ABACunderstanding or confirmation of their career goals, and a job economy.Stables, Turfgrass Teaching Green, Turfgrass Teaching andoffer.Research Plots, Forest Lakes Golf Course, Greenhouse and Whats at the top of the help wanted list? The report estimatesNursery Learning Lab, Nature Study Area, and the LangdaleBentley says internships are mutually beneficial for the student openings in management and business and science and engineeringForest. and employer. will represent 42 percent and 31 percent, respectively, of the new jobs in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources, and theCareer-based internships represent an additional opportunityThrough an internship, employers gain access to our students environment.for SANR students to put classroom instruction into practice.who are not yet available to work full time but will soon enter the industry, she says. It allows the employer to introduce and Employment opportunities in food and biomaterials production will represent 13 percent. Slightly less at 14 percent are new jobs in the education, communication, government sectors. The NIFA and Perdue report also forecast employer demand will exceed the supply of available graduates with a bachelors degree or higher in agriculture-related careers. I always call it aEnrollment Growthwin if a studentFor more than a century, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) has provided unique, hands-on learning opportunities in comes back fromagricultural studies. Through the years, ABACs academic offerings have expanded to include bachelors degrees in arts and sciences, an internshipnursing and health sciences, and business.with a clearThe School of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SANR) continues to produce ABACs highest number of graduates. During the 2020-understanding2021 academic year, SANR students represented approximately 34 of their strengthspercent of the colleges total enrollment. The SANR offers Bachelor of Science degree programs in and weaknesses,agribusiness, agricultural communication, agricultural education, LANDON ROWE, ABACagriculture, environmental horticulture, and natural resource a bettermanagement.understanding orHands-on LearningCombined with its small class sizes and quality instruction, SANR confirmation ofstudents benefit from various outdoor learning laboratories, including the J.G. Woodroof Farm, a 400-acre working farm with their career goals,cultivated and grazing land, turfgrass and research plots, andFarm Life: Assessing ears of field corn at ABACs J.G. Woodroof Farmand a job offer. greenhouse and nursery facilities. Except for natural resource management majors, all SANRtrain students and serves as an excellent trial run for both the In these learning environments, students receive practical, hands-onstudents must complete at least one supervised internship.student and employers.- SUZANNE BENTLEY experience, says Dr. Mark Kistler, Dean of SANR. This helps themAn internship allows students to learn more aboutThe end goal of an internship is to open the door for future grasp the concepts and principles taught in the classroom. They canopportunities within the industry, says Suzanne Bentley,career opportunities. Bentley says, If an internship doesnt put actual theory into practice. The result is a well-rounded, work- SANR academic and career coordinator. I always call it alead to full-time employment, I am a resource for students and ready graduate. win if a student comes back from an internship with a clearemployers looking for potential graduates and interns.understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, a better 12 SG MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021 BUSINESS + CULTURE 13'