Agriculture programs teach people the general principles and practices of farming, ranching, and other agricultural occupations. Students learn the basics of animal, plant, and soil science. They study ways to use this information in order to solve practical agricultural problems.

In the past, farmers used to remember and repeat proverbs about the weather as guides to planting and harvesting crops. "Wet May, dry June puts the wheat in tune." "Plant turnips in July, wet or dry." "Sow in the dust, and your bins will bust; sow wheat in the mud, your wheat is a dud."

Although some of these old proverbs still seem to hold true, we now know enough about agriculture that we can study it in terms of all sort of subjects. You've probably heard of many of these subjects already: biology, chemistry, physics, business, engineering, and economics. When you study agriculture, you use aspects of each of these fields to learn more about topics such as land use, water quality, food production, the environment, and plant and animal life.

As you might imagine, the study of agriculture can be narrowed to certain aspects of the field such as animal science or soil science. However, one of the benefits of taking courses in the general agriculture program of study is that you gain a wide-ranging knowledge of diverse and related topics.

For example, you learn the fundamentals of growing and harvesting plants, raising animals, and conserving land use. At the same time, you also learn basic principles of accounting and other business and financial matters that relate to agriculture.

You might even study agriculture in larger terms by applying your understanding of the field to developing third world countries. How might we use our understanding of soil science, water conservation, and different plants to help developing countries in tropical climates grow their own food?

Many colleges and universities offer programs where you can earn a certificate, an associate, or a bachelor's degree in general agriculture. In a few programs, you can also earn a master's degree.

A certificate and an associate degree typically take one to two years of full-time study after high school. You can also sometimes transfer your credits toward a bachelor's degree. Otherwise, a bachelor's degree generally takes about four years of full-time study. A master's degree usually takes about one to two additional years.