2015-06-182015-05http://hdl.handle.net/2346/62370In order to recruit minority students to consider agricultural related careers there is a need to develop an outreach strategy to reach diverse youth and adult audiences in rural counties. Determining the needs of diverse rural audiences requires evaluation to assess the needs of the population. More specifically, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is seeking to evaluate the overall perception toward agriculture and the idea of pursuing a higher education in agriculture. To effectively reach all populations of the state of Texas, there is a need to employ personnel representing all ethnic groups being educated. Possibly, one of the most significant issues facing Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service today is the task to recruit, train and identify high quality individuals to serve as employees of the system (Kelm, 2014). It is imperative to continue to recognize the importance of exposing youth to agricultural related career and college opportunities to ensure that there is an adequate pool of young people to hire and fill job openings for the future. In order for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to effectively address the “Recruiting a Diverse Workforce” Initiative, we need to focus our recruitment efforts to junior high and high school students and establish an agricultural foundation for youth to explore. The purpose of this study was to understand high school students’ (in a rural diverse county in the South Plains of Texas) level of knowledge and perceptions for agricultural related college degrees and careers.application/pdfengYouthAgricultureThesisUnrestricted.