Clay County Agriscience College and Career Fair
| March 21, 2012 | Posted by Arlette under Agriculture, Kids |
Did you know that most agricultural careers are not on traditional farms or ranches? Actually they make up just 10% of the agriculture industry. In fact, with almost 22 million people employed, there is far more to agriculture than just sows, cows and plows. That’s why nearly 500 students, parents, and exhibitors attended the Agriscience College and Career Fair held on February 21st, 2012 at Oakleaf High School in Orange Park, Florida. Some of the more popular areas of study are:
- Biotechnology
- Sports turf management
- Veterinary medicine
- Agriculture communications
- Natural resource management
Kelly Mosley, Clay County School District Career and Technical Education Specialist, did a great job recruiting exhibitors that could supply information about these careers. Exhibitors included representatives from area agriculture colleges as well as the USDA Farm Agency, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Bayer CropScience, National Weather Service and many more. An exhibit from the Jacksonville Zoo raised some eyebrows, but according to Chris Dailey who works in the the Jacksonville Zoo’s Horticulture Department, “Not many people know about zoological horticulture and we are always looking for ways to spread the word about this unique field.”
I was able to represent “Fresh from Florida” and answer questions about job internships, current agriculture statistics, the functions of various state departments as well as promote some of our ongoing agriculture education programs to teachers and students.
Next year’s event is scheduled for February 19th, 2013. So make sure you contact Keri Milligan at kemilligan@mail.clay.k12.fl.us if you would like to be involved in any way.
