Show Ag Program At High School Teaches Basics By Doyle Landon Instructor of Vocational at Uintah High School Vocational education is that type of education which trains people directly for useful em and aids in keeping them employable It is con with the development of skills abilities under under- understandings standings attitudes working habits and appreciations needed by workers to enter and progress In employment on on a useful and productive basis VOCATIONAL provides basic training those 14 years of age and older er who are farming and those who are arc preparing professional technical and service e occupations related to farming Agriculture is a large field It employs more people than any other Industry Agriculture Agriculture ture as we commonly think of the term is changing for out of the jobs available each year in agriculture only 1500 are In farming There are many opportunities s In fn agriculture for those who are trained Sixty five hundred jobs are left unfilled each year THERE THE THREE divi- divi divisions in fn the Agriculture pro pro- program program gram at the high school One of these is the all day pro pro- program program gram which is taught dally daily to the high school students The purpose of this Is to help stu stu- stu students dents decide whether or not they want to pursue the field of agriculture and also to help them develop skills abilities and attitudes which will help th them v vocationally a ion lly The State 01 J culture sets up a standard for all students t meet For all day these standards consist of on onor or more productive projects which they are t carry out on their home and which will require at least hours of labor SECOND they may complete com com- complete at least four farm im- im improvements Improvements which requires at least 50 hours of labor Jabor or they may complete eight better practices in connection with their farming program A student may also qualify as a vocational student if he is placed on a farm or in an in- in industry related to agriculture In which instance he is super by his employer and the vocational agriculture instructor tor for the period of at least six months In all instances a student should be in a learning situa- situa situation tion and is required to keep records of his activities THERE ARE TWO divisions of the instructional program which are Agricultural Sri once ence and Farm Mechanics In Agriculture Science students are taught the fundamentals of animal production crop production soils lure ture legal matters pertain pertain- pertaining pertaining ing to agriculture conserva- conserva conservation con tion and gardening In farm Cann thy they are taught ta basic skills In weld weld- welding ing woodwork metals tool conditioning farm mechanIcs ics machinery repair trac trac- tractor tor maintenance electricity and other skills needed around the farm and home They are also given an op- op opportunity opportunity to construct pro pro- projects projects needed around their home and farm Carm Each agriculture agriculture ture student is expected to became a member of the Fut Fut- Future ure Farmers of America where he is given opportunity ity in leadership and citizenship citizen citizen- citizenship ship training ANOTHER phase of the agriculture set up is the young farmers program which is designed to give help to men who are establishing establishing lishing themselVes in farm farm- farming Ing There is also an adult program pro pro- program gram which offers instruction tion to older adults in the community who want new or refresher courses in the dif dlf ferent fields in the activities in which they are engaged Since Agriculture Is an in- in industry in which is rapidly changing from year to year the vocational program at high school attempts to keep abreast of these changes andset and andset set up an instructional pro pro- program program gram which will meet these changing needS |