February 23, 2016 • Page 12 Schuurmans Farm Supply Residential • Commercial • Lawn Equipment Proud to Support Our Future Farmers! 5 miles West of Tyndall on Hwy. 50 Corner of Hwys. 50 and 37 www.schuurmansfarmsupply.com shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com FFA Makes a Difference in the Lives of Students Proud to Support FFA Ryan Loecker 402-388-4772 1201 West 2nd St. Crofton, NE 1-800-535-3378 South Dakota FFA State Officers 406 W. Hwy 50, Tyndall, SD 605-589-3441 www.tyndallmotors.com Nebraska FFA State Officers Left to Right: Jordanne Howe, Redfield FFA Chapter; Kiera Leddy, Milbank FFA Chaper; Jeanette Klein, Deubrook FFA Chapter; Jonathan Linke, Sanborn/Central Woonsocket FFA Chapter; Andrea Schubloom, DeSmet FFA Chapter and Shane Mueller, Garretson FFA Chapter. Left to Right: David Schuler, Bayard FFA Chapter; Nevada Smith, Ashland-Greenwood FFA Chapter; Renae Sieck, Crete FFA Chapter; Gage Hoegermeyer, Logan View FFA Chapter; Trevor Spath, Waverly FFA Chapter; Katie Nolles, Rock County FFA Chapter and Jake Wilkins, Ainsworth FFA Chapter A Good Outlook for Ag Careers If you want to pursue a career that’s in high demand and only growing stronger, agriculture is the answer. In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a new employment outlook report that shows there are an estimated 57,900 job openings in the food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and environment fields each year. There are an average of 35,400 new U.S. graduates with a bachelor’s degree (or higher degree) in agriculture-related fields – 22,500 short of the jobs available each year. What does this mean for you? In short, lots of opportunity and strong certainty for job placement – if you pursue and train for careers in our important industry. Employers have reported that they prefer to hire graduates with agriculture-related degrees, but the analysis found that these graduates currently only fill about 60 percent of the expected annual openings. When releasing the report, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said, “There is incredible opportunity for highly-skilled jobs in agriculture. Those receiving degrees in agricultural fields can expect to have ample career opportunities. Not only will those who study agriculture be likely to get well-paying jobs upon graduation, they will also have the satisfaction of working in a field that addresses some of the world’s most pressing challenges. These jobs will only become more important as we continue to develop solutions to feed more than 9 billion people by 2050.” The report anticipates that the strongest agriculture-related career demand will be for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) jobs, including plant scientists, food scientists, sustainable biomaterials specialists, water resources scientists and engineers, precision agriculture specialists, and veterinarians. Demand will also be strong for e-commerce managers and marketing agents, ecosystem managers, agricultural science and business educators, crop advisors, and pest control specialists. Want even more career opportunity? The report shares that graduates who are willing to move and have work experience (don’t forget to count your FFA supervised agricultural experience program) will be in even greater demand. All this points to an incredibly important conclusion: Your future looks bright … in agriculture. Calculated Opportunity Let’s do the math. There are 57,900 job openings in the food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and environment fields each year. Subtract 35,400 new U.S. graduates with a bachelor’s degree (or higher degree) in agriculture-related fields. That means our industry is 22,500 graduates short of the jobs available each year. Top Careers To Consider These STEM job titles present some of the best career opportunities: • Plant Scientists • Food Scientists • Sustainable Biomaterials Specialists • Water Resources Scientists and Engineers • Precision Ag Specialists • Veterinarians Proud Supporter of our Future Farmers! Proud Hoxeng Crop Insurance LLC to Support our FFA For Your Crop Insurance Needs MPCI & Crop Hail 33 years of crop insurance experience. Dave Hoxeng 44867 303rd St. • Volin, SD 57072 WWW.MTMC.EDU | 1-855-MTMARTY (686-2789) HEATING & COOLING 920 Broadway, Yankton • 605-665-9461 • www.larrysheatingandcooling.com COMMUNITY BANK We Proudly Support Future Farmers of America! 86360 Highway 121 Osmond, NE • 866-748-3551 Avon, SD • 286-3213 Office: 605-267-2767 Cell: 605-661-1136 • 1-855-969-2767 We are an Equal Opportunity Employer Open Monday-Friday 9am - 5pm FFA Proud Dr. James Torsney Optometrist Member FDIC 1708 Main Street, Tyndall, SD • 605-589-3406