Things are “Ripening in the Land of Oceana." Asparagus has had a roller coaster start and now appears to be somewhat normal moving into June. The early growth flush has passed, and hopefully freezing conditions. Demand appears to be very good in the days ahead, and few quality issues have arisen.
The row crop situation is off to a slow start, with some corn and soybean growers almost finished planting while others are dealing with heavier soils that take longer to dry out. The national crop is ahead of the 5-year average, with Michigan reporting behind the state average depending on location.
The apple crop is entering the thinning window with some actively thinning and others in a waiting mode. Overall, the cold temperatures have not greatly reduced the crop size. The tart cherry crop seems to have major damage, but the sweet cherry crop is showing less damage.
Agriscience education at Shelby High School is "Ripening." After a 42-year absence, it will be offered to students in the 2026-27 school year. It will look somewhat different than the old Vocational Agriculture of years past. The emphasis will remain the same, educating the future consumer that food comes from the farm, not Walmart or Meijer. Career awareness and preparation for jobs in a wide range of agriculture is another important goal. Today, only 1% of the population are actual farmers, with an additional 16–20% of job opportunities in related agriculture careers. This will open the door to new opportunities for our students, which have been missing for four decades.
The Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 enabled agriculture and home economic education to be taught in schools and distributed federal funds to state departments of education to aid in increased costs of such programs. Ag educators typically hold vocational certifications to teach these classes. As a side note, the Cooperative Extension Service began with the passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1914, offering training in farming and homemaking to adults.
Agri-science differs from normal classroom instruction in having three components: classroom learning, a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) and the FFA. FFA is an intra-curricular part of agricultural education available to ag science students. Its goals are agricultural career development, leadership development and good citizenship. Career development and leadership activities on the local, state and national levels enhance the entire program. A teacher has been hired and has shown excellent qualifications for re-establishing the program and the FFA.
The final part of this report is to please “Share the Road” with farm equipment this year. We are out there trying to do our job of providing food, fiber and fuel to the American citizen and the rest of the world.
