Future priorities in agribusiness education: A US perspective

The agribusiness sector should be renamed the food and agribusiness sector. The importance of consumers in modern society mandates that food institutions on the consumer end of the chain have greater emphasis. The historical emphasis on farm production and first handlers is out of date. Educational needs for careers in the food and agribusiness sector are unique. This is true because of the distinctive characteristics of the sector as developed in this article. Some three undergraduate and three graduate courses of study are now available to students for agribusiness careers. These courses of study need serious consideration in light of the broader redefinition of the sector. This is particularly true with regard to broader use of modern business management education and with regard to the historical preeminence of economic theory in agricultural economics education.