Yes, worthwhileness is a real word. According to dictionary.com, it is a noun that means “valuable, rewarding, beneficial”. It is derived from the adjective worthwhile, which means “such as to repay one’s time, attention, interest, work, trouble, etc.”

A recent article published on Yahoo!®Education and authored by Terence Loose ran under the title “College Majors That Are Useless”. And guess what? Agriculture was listed by this apparently unenlightened author as No. 1. Animal Science was listed as No. 4 and Horticulture was listed as No. 5. So in essence three of this author’s top five useless degrees are in agriculture.

I do not know Terence Loose from Adam. However, I bet he is well-fed, has never seen an empty grocery shelf, has never milked a cow or shucked an ear of corn, and has no idea what it is like to wonder where the next meal will come from because there was no food at any cost. If I am wrong, I do not apologize since the article he wrote was disparaging to me and my colleagues who have “worthwhile” agricultural degrees.

I spent 9 years getting three agricultural degrees. All of my degrees are in Agronomy, which is the study of soil and crop science (my definition). One of the slogans that is often used to describe our discipline is “Our profession feeds the world”, and I heartily subscribe to that. I have been a part of a segment of society that has taken great pride in producing more and better food for a world that needs more and better food at an increasing rate.

I do not regret one day of those 9 years spent going to school (well maybe the day of an Advanced Biochemistry test that I did not study for), because I was rewarded with a wonderful 30-year career in agricultural research at Stoneville, MS. I had the privilege of working and interacting with a group of producers who took great risks just to produce a crop with no guarantee of yield or income that would allow them to farm another year.

People who work in agriculture/obtain agriculture degrees may not make the most money, or have the most comfortable working environment, or have the best hours. Certainly, there is no 9 to 5 in most segments of the agricultural industry. But we can take pride in knowing that we are working toward producing something that no one can live without, and that is food. People in many professions cannot make that claim.

A response Op-Ed article gives statistics that belie the Yahoo article’s claims. I encourage you to read what the respected authors of this article have to say.

If you are a young person who might have an interest in obtaining an agricultural degree, I encourage you to ignore the Yahoo article and treat it as just another example of what can be said in the electronic age without regard to truth or fact. Start your advanced education now by taking the first step of getting the facts about this subject and then making your decision.

I give testimony that you won’t regret becoming an “agriculturalist”. I believe you will find it worthwhile (see above definition) and that its worthwhileness (again, see above defintion) will be apparent to you once you do so.

I am reminded of a bumper sticker that once was prominent. To paraphrase it, "If you denigrate farmers/agriculturalists/agriculture degrees, don't talk with your mouth full". To those who disparage agriculture, wear the shoe if it fits.

At the bottom of each of my emails is a closing that states “Food for thought: When and where food is plentiful, there are many problems; when and where there is little food, there is only one problem.” As an agriculturalist or one who gets an agricultural degree, you can be a part of ensuring that the first segment of this statement remains the case in this country specifically, and maybe over time, the rest of the world.

larryheatherly@bellsouth.net