Â
Being an Agriculture student at Purdue definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. Purdue is now ranked number one for Agriculture and Biological Engineering in the United States and number eight worldwide. While I have been blessed to study Agricultural Economics here, I have noticed a lot of people know nothing about the field of Agriculture. When I meet new people, they always ask me one of these slightly ridiculous questions:
Â
Do you come from a farm?
Yes, I do but it is not a large one. On my farm we just raise a couple of cattle for butcher. Other students in Agriculture may come from huge farms that farm thousands of acres, and some students are from inner cities. Their passions may have driven them to take part in Agriculture even if they have never previously been on a farm.
Â
You don’t look like you are from a farm?
Sorry, I forgot to wear my overalls, plaid shirt, and muck boots today. I absolutely hate when people say this to me. There are days when I have to wear my ripped up jeans and boots and work hard doing farm chores. At the same time, I like to wear cute clothes and do my makeup.
What crops are you going to grow?Â
According to the Ag Day website, 22 million Americans work in agriculture related fields, and only ten percent are involved in traditional farming. I plan on being part of the 90% who are not involved in production. I probably will not end up living on a farm and may possibly never step foot on another one.
Â
Why don’t farmers treat animals humanely?
Ooh Peta, brainwashing the public. While there are large farms out there that may treat animals inhumanely, a majority of farms have strict regulations and investigators that will observe the farm. You do not need to buy grass-fed beef at the store to support treating animals humanely.
What are your thoughts on GMO’s?
If you ask most Agricultural students about Genetically Modified Organisms they will probably laugh it off or tell you that they are no big deal. While there are genetic modifications going on in plants, its primarily to make them resistant to certain diseases or insects, and this has little to no effect on you when you eat them.
Â
Do you ever have homework?
For some reason, people believe I never have homework? I guess they just assume all my classes are easy ones where I can just write a paper about my favorite type of farm animal. Honestly, I wish my homework was that easy. We have had to take common core classes just like everybody else so sadly I had to struggle through two chemistry classes just like everybody else. On average I have about two to three hours of homework a night and spend most of the weekend studying. While I have been in a couple easy classes, I feel like every major has a couple.
Next time you meet an Agriculture student, please think before asking these questions.Â