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AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND NATURAL RESOURCES (AFNR) EDUCATION
Of the critical issues facing the nation, few are more compelling than ensuring a stable, safe and affordable food supply, improving the academic performance of public schools and providing leadership for local community development.  The National Council for Agricultural Education (Agricultural Education and the FFA) is contributing substantially in these areas through their major national initiative “10 x 15: The Long-Range Goal for Agricultural Education.”  The goal states:

By 2015 there will be in operation 10,000 quality agricultural science education programs serving students through an integrated model of classroom/laboratory instruction, experiential learning, and leadership and personal skill development.  Further, all students will be members of the FFA and have a supervised agricultural experience that supports classroom and laboratory instruction.

WHEREAS, the industry of agriculture is concerned about successfully meeting growing domestic and global demands for food, fuel and fiber; and

WHEREAS, the industry of agriculture seeks to identify the future managers, producers, leaders and workers who will ensure the future security and productivity of agriculture; and

WHEREAS, local communities across the nation expect higher academic achievement among their students, especially in math and science, and increases in accountability, standards, rigor and relevance throughout the education systems; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey law concerning Agricultural Science Education, Title 18A: 35-4, 11-4.14, recognizes agriculture as a science; and

WHEREAS, local communities seek to cultivate leadership and secure effective participation from their citizens leading to economic, social and cultural growth; and

WHEREAS, the New Jersey Agricultural Education Association endorses the long range goal for agricultural education and urges its members to provide active support for its projects and activities on local, state and national levels that will help create new programs in communities not yet served by agricultural education and FFA, including middle school programs, and ensure the quality and high performance of current programs providing personal, academic and career education in agriculture; and

WHEREAS, the National Agricultural Education Council is developing a Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) to facilitate efforts to offer students a rigorous agricultural science curriculum as well as support rigorous professional development for teachers that will carry us forward with new technological dimensions and prepare our students to meet the demands of current and emerging fields in agriculture.  This project’s alignment with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is clearly a priority and supportive of Governor Corzine’s Economic Growth Strategy for the State of New Jersey and helps meet employment demands outlined by USDA.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the delegates of the 93rd State Agricultural Convention, assembled in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, on February 6, 2008, recommend strong support for agricultural education instructional programs delivering content in and about the science, business and technology of agriculture.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we recommend that any adoption of new high school graduation requirements establishes criteria for agricultural science to be approved as a science option.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we recommend the State of New Jersey adopt core curriculum content standards in agricultural science.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we recommend the continuation of ongoing interagency agreements between the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and the New Jersey Department of Education to administer the AFNR Education program and FFA educational organization to continue organizational growth, program development and improvement grants to state approved agricultural education programs and county colleges to strengthen, improve, and update curriculum, provide professional development of teachers and improve facilities in schools that prepare students for the agriculture, food and natural resource industries.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we support all efforts to strengthen the connections among middle school, high school and county college/university agriculture programs, thus creating a seamless transition between New Jersey middle schools, high schools, county colleges and four year colleges, to help prepare people to meet the diverse and expanding employment demands for the science, business and technology of agriculture.