JJC professor teaches agriculture beyond the farm

Agriculture classes are not only for farmers, Joliet Junior College agriculture professor Tammy Miller said.

JJC has nominated Miller for the Illinois Community College Trustees Association’s 2023 Outstanding Full-Time Faculty Member Award, recognizing her ability to increase student participation and develop new courses in agriculture, among other things.

A farm girl herself, Miller grew up on a family farm in Chatsworth.

“Farming was my family’s passion, and it quickly became mine,” she said.

When it was time to go to college, Miller – like many students with farm backgrounds – decided to enroll at JJC, even though she lived outside the district, because of its highly regarded agriculture program.

JJC today is part of a more urban environment than when Miller was a student and since she started teaching there in 2000.

Joliet, the county seat of what once was a largely rural area in Will County, has become the third largest city in the state. Former farm towns such as Plainfield and Frankfort now are suburban residential communities.

“We’re one of the most urban community colleges with an agriculture program in the state,” Miller said.

But that has not diminished the relevance of agriculture at JJC, she said.

“The future of agriculture is strong and relevant now more than ever because of the technological applications in our industry,” Miller said. “There are opportunities really for everyone.”

Miller said professors in the agriculture department are devoted to making students aware of opportunities even if they do not come from a rural background and do not plan to become farmers.

“We want to advocate for agriculture as people become less connected to where their food comes from,” she said. “We educate young people that there are so many opportunities that advancement and science and technology have provided. There are so many opportunities for young people beyond the farm.”

Computer applications, soil science, marketing, banking and the farm equipment business are some of the areas students from non-farm sectors can explore for future careers.

JJC partners with agricultural businesses that help fund tuition and recruit students for jobs after they graduate.

The college also hosts an annual event, “Women Changing the Face of Agriculture,” to show female students in high school what opportunities they may have in agriculture.

Miller, who went on to the University of Illinois after graduating from JJC, is herself an example of opportunities in agriculture beyond farming.

“The further I got into my education,” she said, “I realized there was no better way to promote agriculture than to teach future leaders.”