The thoughts Teresa Alley, Muncie, penned to earn third place in the 2016 CountryMark/Indiana Prairie Farmer adult essay contest aren’t really new ideas. Compassion, common sense and getting along with neighbors are old ideas that were once ideals but that have been forgotten along the way. At least that’s how Alley sees it.

Her hope is that those learning about agriculture in the future would also relearn these basic concepts. She addressed the topic of what changes in curriculum should be made at ag colleges and other ag schools. Here is her essay:

IDEAS EARN FREE FUEL: AgBest petroleum sales rep Gaylon Ward (right) delivers 150 gallons of CountryMark Premium Dieslex-4 fuel to Teresa Alley and her husband, Dave.

“The first thing that comes to mind is to add more science, technology, engineering and math classes, while sprinkling in more finance, environmental and marketing studies. But wait! Most ag majors I know are already born with farming in their blood. They know enough from having been in FFA or 4-H to excel in texting, tweeting, piloting drones, using autosteer and GPS mapping to teach these courses.

“I hope they also know to be good stewards of our dwindling farm ground, as well as to be proficient environmentalists.

“I think that instead, we need to make communications, personal relations and time management more of a major component of ag curriculum. Teach them to be good ambassadors and let them help others know the diversity of agricultural careers now available for inner-city urban students, as well as rural ones, not exposed to FFA or 4-H.

“I think we need to relearn how to be kind, compassionate, be active listeners and get along with each other. We should have learned that in kindergarten. Maybe if we teach how to better communicate with our neighbors, from urban chicken farmers to CAFOs, we won’t have to spend our time in court defending our right to farm in order to keep up with our ability to feed the world.

“I also believe that more emphasis on teamwork, being open to new ideas while not being afraid to use an older idea because it works, and how to become better problem-solvers would also be good curriculum ideas. The most important major might be one that can’t be taught, but needs to be learned — that being good old common sense.”