Agricultural employers weigh in on ‘soft skills’
The companies ranked which skills they thought weremost needed for appli- cants with a high school diploma, a two- year degree from a community college and a four-year degree froma university. Of the top 10 skills agricultural em- ployers listed as most important, nine of themare considered soft skills, Freeman noted; agriculture industry knowledge represented the only technical skill that fell in the top 10 list. The top three skills employers said theywant to see in applicants with a high school diplomawerework ethic, depend-
ability and timemanagement. For candi- dates with a two-year college degree, the top three skills were being task-orient- ed, work ethic and communication. The top three skills listed for graduates with four-year college degrees were commu- nication, agriculture industry knowledge andwork ethic. Employers includedwork ethic in the top three skills that they seek for all three education levels. The research found that upper-level positions need employees with addition-
By Ching Lee Students embarkingona career inagri- culturemay look to bolster their training and knowledge in machinery and me- chanics, crop production, animal sci- ence or other farm-related disciplines, but agricultural employers say they in- creasingly seek candidates who possess so-called soft skills that relate to personal development, character traits and other nontechnical abilities. In a recent survey conducted by California State University, Fresno, agri- cultural employers listedwork ethicmost frequently as an important skill theywant to see in employees. Other attributes in the top 10 were: communication, de- pendability, task oriented, life-long learner, agriculture industry knowledge, time management, teamwork, written communication and ambition. The purpose of the survey, conduct- ed from Dec. 15, 2020 through March 15, was to identify skills that agricul- tural employers value to help develop the Agricultural Career Readiness Skills Certificate Pathway for the 21st Century, or ACRS21, an online program that al- lows agricultural students to earn a certificate for completing experiential learning activities that support soft skills and career readiness development, according to Sherri Freeman, project manager of ACRS21 at Fresno State. The beauty of the program, she said, is that the requirements are built into normal FFA activities such as public speaking, leadership involvement, job shadowing and supervised agriculture projects. “Our next step is to take that infor- mation (from the survey), look at what we’ve already developed, and then include additional soft skills into the teaching materials from this point for- ward,” Freeman said. Water board weighs next steps for dry Scott and Shasta rivers By Christine Souza Due to extreme drought and mini- mum instream flows to protect fisheries on the Scott and Shasta rivers in Siskiyou County, the State Water Resources Control Board heard from the public last week as the agency considers a suite of possible drought actions. The state water board and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, as di- rected by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May 10 drought declaration, must evaluatemin- imum flows and other actions to protect salmon, steelhead and other native fish, andworkwithwater users and other par- ties on possible voluntary measures.
The survey recorded responses from 117 agricultural companies, mostly from California, representing sectors including agricultural business, plant and soil science, animal science, agri- cultural science, agricultural mechan- ics, forestry and natural resources, and ornamental horticulture.
See SKILLS, Page 15
PROTECT YOUR PASSION TO
COUNTRYCHOICE ® INSURANCE FOR YOUR SMALL FARM OR RANCH
Protecting what you’ve worked so hard to build starts with CountryChoice ® , insurance for your small farm or ranch from the No. 1 farm insurer in the U.S. 1 Do you have enough coverage? Your homeowners policy is important, but if you live on a small farm or ranch, you may need more protection. CountryChoice wraps your home and farm coverages into one policy that covers items such as a barn or outbuilding, farm equipment and livestock. Farm Bureau ® insurance benefits Farm Bureau members may be eligible for discounts on Nationwide ® farm insurance and other insurance products. Ask your Nationwide agent for more information.
For a free insurance review or to learn more about Nationwide’s farm insurance, talk to your local agent. To find an agent near you, go to FarmAgentFinder.com.
1 By direct written premium, AM Best (2018). The Farm Bureau, FB, and the FB National logo are trademarks of the American Farm Bureau Federation and are used with permission under license by Nationwide. Nationwide and the Nationwide N and Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. CountryChoice is a service mark of Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance Company. © 2020 Nationwide GPO-0486CA.1 (12/20)
See WATER, Page 12
July 7, 2021 Ag Alert 3
Powered by FlippingBook