NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

August 27, 1998

NDSU Launches Alternative Career Program for Experienced Farmers and Ranchers

An economic crisis in the region's agriculture has prompted North Dakota State University's College of Agriculture to resume its Alternative Career Program for Experienced Farmers and Ranchers.

"We're seeing a large number of people leaving farming and ranching to preserve equity and spirit," says Glen Statler, interim associate dean of the college of agriculture. "This program is designed to help them make that change by providing education and hands-on training."

NDSU first launched a career-change program for farmers and ranchers during the farm crisis of the 1980s.

The new educational program is expected to draw participants from the Dakotas, Montana and Minnesota. It will have two major areas of emphasis: helping farmers and ranchers and their spouses complete a bachelor's degree, and helping farmers and ranchers refine their skills for a successful career in agribusiness.

In the bachelor's degree portion of the program, participants will be eligible to receive a scholarship on a competitive basis of up to $5,500, the approximate tuition for four semesters at NDSU. Students will follow existing majors and courses of study at NDSU.

In the skills-development portion of the program, participants are expected to already hold undergraduate degrees. The program is designed to help participants use their farming and ranching experience as a foundation to pursue a career in a related businesses. Faculty at NDSU will work with other educational institutions in the region to tailor the program to participants' interests. Agribusinesses in the region will also participate in the program by providing advice and internships. A goal of working with those businesses is to keep as many people in the region as possible.

Students may chose to study international business and marketing; agricultural law and business; sales and marketing in cooperatives; food, nutrition, processing and value-added engineering; or business administration. A typical course of study is expected to take 12 to 15 months.

Some scholarship money will be available on a competitive basis.

"Farmers and ranchers have a broad base of knowledge and skills that can be very useful and marketable in related businesses and industry," Statler notes. "This program is designed to help focus and refine those skills."

Investing the time, money and effort to enroll in this program is a significant decision in the lives of these farmers and ranchers, he says. "Our goal was to design a program that would be a very wise investment in the future."

For more information on the program call, (701) 231-8790 or write to: College of Agriculture, Morrill Hall 315, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105.

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Source: Glen Statler (701) 231-8790

Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629