Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of land and breeding of animals and plants to provide food, fiber, medicinal plants and other products to sustain and enhance life. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to live in cities. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science. The history of agriculture dates back thousands of years; people gathered wild grains at least 105,000 years ago and began to plant them around 11,500 years ago before they became domesticated. Pigs, sheep, and cattle were domesticated over 10,000 years ago. Crops originate from at least 11 regions of the world. Industrial agriculture based on large-scale monoculture has in the past century come to dominate agricultural output, though about 2 billion people worldwide still depend on subsistence agriculture.
Modern agronomy, plant breeding, agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers, and technological developments have sharply increased yields from cultivation, but at the same time have caused widespread ecological and environmental damage. Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry have similarly increased the output of meat, but have raised concerns about animal welfare and environmental damage through contributions to global warming, depletion of aquifers, deforestation, antibiotic resistance, and growth hormones in industrially produced meat. Genetically modified organisms are widely used, although they are banned in several countries.
The major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods, fibers, fuels, and raw materials (such as rubber). Classes of foods include cereals (grains), vegetables, fruits, oils, meat, milk, fungi and eggs. Over one-third of the world's workers are employed in agriculture, second only to the service sector, although the number of agricultural workers in developed countries has decreased significantly over the past several centuries.
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Matching Agriculture Colleges
Illinois State University
Four or more years; Public; $16,416 average out-state tuition; $10,116 average in-state tuition |
The University of Tennessee-Martin
Four or more years; Public; $13,578 average out-state tuition; $7,818 average in-state tuition |
Tarleton State University
Four or more years; Public; $13,752 average out-state tuition; $4,008 average in-state tuition |
Western Illinois University
Four or more years; Public; $8,630 average out-state tuition; $8,630 average in-state tuition |
Oregon State University
Four or more years; Public; $27,735 average out-state tuition; $9,075 average in-state tuition |
Ivy Tech Community College
At least 2 but less than 4 years; Public; $8,091 average out-state tuition; $4,135 average in-state tuition |
Western Kentucky University
Four or more years; Public; $25,512 average out-state tuition; $10,202 average in-state tuition |
Scholarships for Agriculture Majors
Edith Nourse Rogers STEM ScholarshipU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs |
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award Up to $30,000 |
deadline Varies |
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Blosser Brothers (Lee and John) ScholarshipGreater Wayne County Foundation, Inc. |
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award $19,000 |
deadline March 15, 2023 |
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Women in Transition Scholarship - EFWAEducational Foundation for Women in Accounting |
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award Up to $16,000 |
deadline April 30, 2023 |
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Diversity in Food and Natural Resources ScholarshipUniversity of Minnesota, Twin Cities |
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award Up to $15,000 |
deadline Varies |
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The Nebraska Cattlemen Beef State ScholarshipNebraska Cattlemen Foundation |
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award $10,000 |
deadline March 15, 2023 |
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Farmer Lee Jones ScholarshipThe Trotter Project |
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award $10,000 |
deadline May 15, 2023 |
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Black Winemakers ScholarshipUrban Connoisseurs |
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award $5,000 |
deadline March 10, 2023 |
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HBCU Sustainable Communities Initiative Scholarship ProgramUNCF, Inc |
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award $5,000 |
deadline March 27, 2023 |
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Pinehurst Garden Club ScholarshipSandhills Community College |
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award $4,800 |
deadline May 01, 2023 |
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Dutchess County Memorial Sheep ScholarshipDutchess County Sheep and Wool Growers Association |
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award $4,000 |
deadline April 01, 2023 |
Agriculture Related Majors
- Pre-Veterinary Studies
- Animal Sciences
- Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant
- Agricultural Business and Management
- Equestrian/Equine Studies
- Food Science and Technology
- Horse Husbandry/Equine Science and Management
- Animal Health
- Animal Training
- Veterinary Anatomy
- Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine
- Horticultural Science
- Agricultural Communication/Journalism
- Agricultural Economics
- Agronomy and Crop Science
- Agricultural Animal Breeding
- Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding
- Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping
- Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services