Ag Career Profile: Taking a Chance on Agriculture
Dr. Quentin Tyler
Job Type: Higher Education Administration
Title: Associate Dean and Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion & Acting Associate Dean for Administration and Faculty Affairs
Current Employer: Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resource
It may surprise you that despite his success, Dr. Quentin Tyler was encouraged by his family to choose a career in anything but agriculture.
Tyler grew up in farm-rich Christian County and was active in 4H through his school. Many of his African American peers relied heavily on agriculture as a means of providing support for daily essentials such as school clothes each summer by helping in tobacco. While he did not have much on-farm experience, he was mentored by an African American farmer who encouraged him to look at a career in agriculture economics, and that led him to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and the Environment.
Tyler is a three-time graduate of UK, earning his bachelor and master’s degrees in agricultural economics, and a doctorate in sociology. During his time as a student, he earned several internships with a varied set of companies and organizations such as UK Cooperative Extension Farm Analysis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, ConAgra Foods, John Deere, and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
“Learn not to say, ‘NO,” encouraged Tyler. “And don’t be afraid to take chances.”
It was Tyler’s internship with cooperative extension and involvement with Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Science (MANRRS) that encouraged him to dedicate his studies and career to education and helping other young people of color reach their dreams.
Tyler held various roles at UKCAFE from 2005 to 2018, working to recruit and retain a diverse student body. Once he earned his doctorate, Tyler became the assistant dean and director of diversity. It was in this role that he developed UK’s MANRRS chapter into an award-winning program and established a scholarship fund for MANRRS students.
In early 2018, Tyler decided to try a new opportunity at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State and was named Associate Dean and Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Most recently, he was also named Acting Associate Dean for Administration and Faculty Affairs at MSUCANR.
When asked why he loves working in agriculture, he said “I love the people. They are good, hardworking people, who care about their families and their communities. I love to introduce people to agriculture as a career and helping them reach their goals the same as how I was introduced to agriculture.”
Minorities in Agriculture
According to population estimates by the United States Census Bureau, 12.5 percent of Kentucky’s population is non-white. Only 1.2 percent of Kentucky farmers are Non-White according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture.
Tyler saw that same disparity in Christian County, as only 30 out of 1137 farms were owned and operated by Black Americans, yet Christian County has one of the largest Black or African American populations in the Commonwealth.
“People of Color can have historical trauma,” remarked Tyler. “There is an inherited negative perception about farming, where it is hard labor with low pay. My mother grew up on an Alabama farm. Additionally, we had a garden growing up in Kentucky, and I was aware of the importance of agriculture, but my family initially informed me that they were not in favor of a career choice in agriculture.”
Tyler went on to say that there was a large exit of Black Americans from farming in the late 1800s up until a few decades ago.
“African Americans are fighting a stigma. This is not just a cultural problem, but there are also policy and institutional problems.”
In an interview on the “Closing Bell” video cast from MSU Agriculture Economics, Tyler shared several federal and state policies that showed discrimination against non-white Americans in agriculture:
Pigford v. Glickman (see USDA Discrimination Lawsuits)
Homestead Laws - See “Race: The Power of an Illusion”
Shifting Representation in Agriculture
When asked how we shift the culture, Tyler said it must start at education.
“It’s important to have choices,” said Tyler. “If there are negative thoughts or barriers to entry, we are missing out on huge opportunities. Youth organizations and agriculture curriculum are so important.”
Tyler also said it was important for him to have an African American farmer explain to him that agriculture might be worthwhile.
“Representation does matter. We need more folks in the field. My agriculture economics teacher was African American, and he would always call on me and talk to me about opportunities and extension. I never viewed agriculture the same, and it motivated me to get more people in the field, to make them feel safe and to belong and to get mentorship.”
MANRRS UK Chapter - https://diversity.ca.uky.edu/programs-and-events/manrrs