by Tim Crosby
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The diverse fields of agriculture careers will be on display on Thursday at Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the annual FFA Career Day. More than 300 students from 22 Southern Illinois school districts have registered for the rain-or-shine event.
SIU began hosting FFA Career Day in 2012 and has done so each year except for 2020, which officials canceled due to COVID-19. Organizers aim to expose students to the plethora of ag-related careers.
Illinois Farm Bureau is sponsoring this year’s event at University Farms. The sponsorship covers all costs of the event, including a free T-shirt for all participants.
This year’s event will feature presentations by faculty from SIU’s Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences and the university’s Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory. Researchers from various agriculture programs – from animal science to agriculture systems – also will be on hand to give equipment demonstrations and answer questions.
Topics include sustainable farming practices, forestry, soil science, plant biology and STEM activities. One demonstration will center on DNA extraction from strawberries. Participants can choose which sessions to attend.
Check-in starts at 8 a.m. at the University Farm Service Center, with activities beginning at 9 a.m. Eric Brevik, dean of the College of Agriculture, Life and Physical Sciences, along with Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and CEO of the SIU Foundation, will offer opening remarks.
Following the morning activities, participants will gather for lunch and a recap back at the University Farms Service Center. The event will conclude by 1 p.m.
“FFA Career Day is a great way to expose students to the SIU’s University Farms and just a few of the many career opportunities available to them,” said Susan Graham, the foundation’s director of development for CALPS and one of the event organizers.