As U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue crossed through Ohio on his "Back to our Roots" tour in early April, he looked toward the future of American agriculture with students at Central State University. During a roundtable discussion with students, he commented on a variety of issues, such as international trade and the role of American agriculture in feeding the world, the expansion of urban agriculture, and the career prospects for women in agriculture. This was the third time since taking office that Perdue has hit the road to visit with people in the agriculture community and hear their concerns.

Trade reassurance
Although recent news about trade disputes with China has farmers concerned about market access for agricultural products, Perdue said President Donald Trump will not allow farmers to bear the brunt of trade restrictions.

"First of all, let me say that I believe President Trump is acting in the best interest of America," he said. China has not been playing by the rules of the World Trade Organization, he pointed out. "For these last 17 or 18 years, they've violated the rules of fair trade." In particular, China has been violating rules regarding intellectual property rights, and those violations directly affect agriculture, he said. For instance, development of plant genetics and crop protection chemicals requires tremendous investments in research, but if companies want to do business in China they have been forced to share their trade secrets. "We think those are unfair trade practices, and that's exactly what President Trump is trying to stop," Perdue said.

He added that President Trump specifically asked him to reassure farmers about trade concerns. "The United States and the USDA have certain authorities by which we can help producers if they are affected by market distortions such as trade disputes, and we'll use those authorities." However, Perdue declined to elaborate on what exactly USDA might do in response to trade disputes. "In a trade dispute, or a trade battle, or a trade war, you don't necessarily need to tell your opponent everything you're going to do." Even so, he stressed that the president is committed to protecting farmers. "I've talked personally with the president on numerous occasions, and he's said, 'Sonny, I want you to assure our farmers out there we're not going to let them be the victims of the trade dispute.'"

Dairy protection
Small dairy farms that are currently struggling may now find some relief through an updated Margin Protection Program, according to Perdue. "I think everyone recognizes that there are two segments in production agriculture that didn't fare as well in the 2014 Farm Bill as hoped for. Dairy was certainly one of those and cotton was the other. The good news is that both of those have been addressed in the Bipartisan Budget Act." The dairy Margin Protection Program didn't function very well in the 2014 Farm Bill, he explained.  "It's been beefed up to where I think it will be really helpful, especially to small producers producing less than 5 million pounds of milk, so that would be helpful for small herds up to 250-300 cows," he said. "We're hopeful that people will come back and participate in that. We gave them the ability to withdraw from the other Margin Protection Program because it was not effective, but I hope they'll come back and sign up for this one."

Too much is not enough
Although surpluses of agricultural products are weighing down the prices of some commodities, Perdue pointed out that markets tend to be cyclical, and he stressed that the world's growing population needs farmers to keep producing. "It's going to take more and more productivity," he told Central State students. The ongoing need for food production will provide career opportunities for young people from both rural and urban areas, he added. "The challenges of agriculture will continue," he said. "We need bright, young minds who are curious in helping us solve those problems."

He also assured a young woman in the discussion group that opportunities in agriculture are open to women as well as men. "You won't find many barriers," he said. "That soybean plant doesn't care if you're male or female."

Perdue also noted that he expects to see a growth in production of food in urban areas. "I think we're going to see more and more of that come about as logistics and transportation play a bigger role in the cost of food production." People support local production in urban areas because they are becoming more interested in knowing where their food is produced, he added. "Agriculture is not just rural. We think of it as just big, large farms in the Midwest of 1,000 or 2,000 or 10,000 acres, but when it comes to really growing food, that can be done on smaller plots in urban areas as well."

Central State expanding ag focus
Central State is "the baby of the Land Grant system," according to Jackson-Hammond. The university was federally designated as an 1890 Land Grant Institution in 2014, and is currently expanding its science, technology, engineering, mathematics and agriculture (STEM-Ag) programs. The university offers the state's only four-year degree in sustainable agriculture, and earlier this year the school established an Agricultural Education program that leads to an agriscience teaching license for grades 7-12. A degree in exercise science has also been added.

Johnson says the university is pulling in students who do not come from a traditional ag background. "We are finding ways to help young people and guide them and meet them in their space to say, 'Choose agriculture or agriculturally related fields,'" he explains.

Central State is also conducting research on agriculture-related subjects such as water quality, pollinator health, soil health, remote sensing imagery, and linking human genetics with health, exercise and nutrition needs. Subramania Sritharan, Central State's associate director of research, says the university is building partnerships with other universities to conduct research and provide research opportunities to Central State undergraduate students.