The two major agricultural schools in the Palouse country of Eastern Washington and north-central Idaho are promoting diverse programsranging from winemaking to molecular biologyto show prospective students theres more to agriculture than plows and cows.


The College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, at Washington State University, in Pullman, currently has about 1,800 undergraduate students enrolled, up from some 1,600 students in 2002, when WSU changed the name of its agricultural program from the College of Agriculture and Home Economics.


Meanwhile, enrollment in the University of Idahos College of Agricultural and Life Sciences has been fairly level, with a high of 1,197 students and a low of 1,131 students from 2003 to 2007, following 14 previous years of steady enrollment growth, says John Foltz, the colleges academic programs director.


So far, the two schools are bucking a trend of declining enrollment in recent years in big ag schools in the Midwest and California, WSU and UI representatives say.


The challenge is to try to change the image with young people, says Dan Bernardo, WSUs dean of agricultural programs. Were trying to not only spruce up our image, but to change the curriculum so its exciting.


Last year, WSU launched the first organic-farming degree program in the nation, which is attracting a new group of students that didnt come from a traditional agricultural background, Bernardo asserts.


The colleges five-year-old enology and viticulture (winemaking and grape-growing) program also has seen strong interest since it was introduced five years ago.


Its a good growth area thats important to the state, and its important to produce four-year graduates to feed into that industry, he says.


Agricultural studies are prime examples of applied sciences, Bernardo says.


We apply biology and economics to natural resources, agriculture, and food problems, he says. There are many undergraduates in laboratories, just as there are in feedlots and fields.


Undergraduates are doing genetic research that less than a decade ago was done only on a doctoral level, he says.


For instance, WSU is leading an international effort called the Apple Genome Project, says Kathy Barnard, spokeswoman for WSUs agricultural programs.


The project involves mapping the genetic code of the apples, which will help plant breeders develop fruit and fruit trees with specific genetic attributes faster than traditional crop breeding allows, Barnard says.


While certain fields within agriculture are growing, student enrollment in some related fields, including food science and some natural resource programs, has remained flat, Bernardo says.


Its a challenge to recruit students into food-processing technologies, for example, he says.


Yet, those fields have ready job opportunities and good pay scales, he says.


Those graduates working in food technologies have job opportunities in the $50,000 to $60,000 annual salary range with just a four-year degree, he says.


A large segment of agricultural support service workers such as crop consultants and chemical sales representatives are approaching retirement age, which should create opportunity for new graduates, but also raises concerns, Bernardo says.


There is a big concern on the part of industry about the aging of service individuals, he says.


Graduates seeking jobs in those fields can expect to earn around $50,000 initially with opportunities for advancement, he says.


Bill Loftus, a UI spokesman, says the Moscow-based university last month launched a program that aims to raise awareness of agricultural studies among students at Idaho high schools.


In the program, UIs College of Agricultural and Life Sciences will offer college credit to high-school students who enroll in qualifying courses in animal science, plant science, agricultural economics, and agricultural education.


At least 36 teachers from Idaho high schools have qualified as UI affiliate faculty members in the first year of the program, and students who study under them will be eligible for the college credits, Loftus says. The teachers estimate the program will award college credits to six to 12 students each year in the schools where they teach, he says.


High school students will pay $65 per credit and could earn 12 credits or more, close to the equivalent of studying a semester on campus.


Through an ambassador program, UI also offers undergraduate agriculture students college credit and travel expenses to visit high schools and recruit other students, says Rachel Halsey, UIs director of college recruiting.


I think the ambassador program works, Halsey says. It helps give high school students an idea of what college life is like and what our program has to offer.


Two years ago, UI began granting visitation scholarships to help pay travel costs for students who visit the campus and then enroll in an agricultural program, Foltz says.


The University of Idaho is a long way from Boise and even farther from Idaho Falls and Twin Falls, he says. We know if we can get students to come to campus, we have things they would be interested in majoring in.


Of the eight academic majors offered through the UIs agricultural programs, the family and consumer sciences major has seen the largest growth in student enrollment in recent years, Foltz says.


That field includes the human nutrition program, which qualifies graduates to become registered dietitians or food nutritionists. The family and consumer sciences major also prepares students for careers in textiles and apparel design, and in teaching agricultural sciences, he says.


The veterinary and animal science department, followed by the microbiology, molecular biology, and biochemistry department, also are seeing strong enrollment growth in their respective majors, he says.


A degree in microbiology or molecular biology includes all prerequisites needed for a student to apply for medical school, Foltz says.


Theres also a bright future for students who major in plant soils and entomological sciences, he says.


Theres a large seed industry in the U.S. that cant meet the need for geneticists, breeders, and entomologists, he says. The industry is moving away from chemicals and coming up with natural predators and crops with their own defenses against pests and diseases.


He says research into agriculturally derived ethanol and biodiesel, another field of growing interest, could contribute to advances and alternatives to conventional fuel production.


Contact Mike McLean at (509) 344-1266 or via e-mail at mikem@spokanejournal.com.