The College of Agriculture is working to move past stereotypes, redefine itself and stop declining enrollment in the college.

Between 2001 and 2003, the number of undergraduates enrolled in agriculture declined by more than 400.

Enrollment for 2004 was up slightly by about 100 students.

The decline in enrollment in agriculture at Iowa State is related to national changes.

“The historic trend nationally and in Iowa has been fewer farms,” said Paul Lasley, professor and chairman of sociology.

Since 1920, Lasley said the number of farms has declined dramatically and the decline is a reflection of technological advances.

“So many people have that traditional stereotype of what agriculture is,” said Tom Polito, assistant professor of agronomy.

The college is trying to show people the endless opportunities that are there, he said.

As the number of farms decrease and the age of farmers increase, the number of kids growing up on farms also decreases. These are the students who used to compose a base of the undergraduates in the college, Polito said.

Tom Becker, admissions program coordinator, said the declining number of high school graduates is another problem facing the college.

On the other hand, changes in agriculture have created new opportunities in fields like biology, agricultural business and the food industry.

“We have a tagline — ‘Iowa State has a broad view of ag,'” Polito said.

The skills and abilities needed for young people in agriculture today are much different than one or two generations ago, Lasley said.

He said agriculture can be broken down into three sectors: input, production and processing. Input includes the development of biorenewable resources, seed research, expertise and the development of machinery.

Production includes the actual farming.

Processing involves transportation, processing and distribution.

Lasley said that although production opportunities are becoming harder for students to get involved with, input and processing are growing.

“Ag is changing fast,” Becker said.

Students can look toward careers in these two fields while still being involved in production, sometimes in a part-time capacity.

“We don’t want to abandon the traditional farming,” Polito said.

The college is emphasizing the changes in agriculture and the new opportunities there are.

The administrators’ role is to help the college promote the different opportunities they have to offer, Becker said.