Explore the ag education offering of colleges and universities in Florida.
Ranking colleges is a common occurrence, letting students and parents know where certain colleges and universities stand. If fact, the website College Rank, a website that evaluates and ranks college programs and other college-related factors, recently released the Top 35 Best College Farms. While the ranking seemed to be based on the farms themselves alone, we were disconcerted to not see any of our Florida colleges and universities on the list. We believe there are some excellent programs in The Sunshine State for an ag education; find a summary of the top two below.
Florida Colleges and Universities Offering an Ag Education
College Rank spokesperson Monica Dennis was quoted in a Growing Produce article as saying, “Farming in America provides nearly 10% of jobs in the United States. University farming and agricultural programs allow students to gain invaluable experience before leaving to start their careers. Hands-on learning offers students the opportunity to learn how large functioning farms work, both in agriculture and animal management and care.” The following are Florida-based secondary schools that offer a good ag education.
University of Florida. Located in Gainesville, they offer 21 undergraduate majors, more than 50 areas of specialization and 23 graduate majors in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). CALS is dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, the life sciences, as well as enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life. The University also hosts the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), a world-renowned “Federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information accessible.”
Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. Located in Tallahassee, FAMU’s College of Agriculture and Food Sciences (CAFS) offers 10 outstanding academic program options that develop workplace readiness through internships, co-ops and fellowships in the U.S. and abroad. Students can select a field of study to earn their undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, certificate and associate degrees from FAMU.
Many of the colleges in the Florida state system—formerly community colleges—offer associate’s degrees in agriculture or related disciplines that allow applicants to transfer as juniors into traditional four-year colleges like the two above.
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.