The main industry that sustains Concordia Parish is changing, and the parish will have to change with it.

The bad news for agriculture &8212; and for the parish &8212; is that it is harder to find young people interested in continuing the traditions of the family farm.

But the good news is that many young people are changing with the times, and those who are interested in agriculture are studying ways to improve it.

They are planning to study the business and science of agriculture in college, and planning to apply that knowledge to their home parish.

Agriculture education is a main focus at Monterey School, and FFA is exposing students to a wide variety of opportunities in agriculture.

That doesn&8217;t mean, of course, that students will come back home to run the family farm. But as agriculture changes &8212; with family farms morphing into corporate farms, for example &8212; many young people will be able to play a role in the industry that has supported their families and Concordia Parish for decades.

Concordia Parish, like many farming communities, will have to change with the times. But if the work being done at Monterey School and through organizations like FFA and 4-H is any indication, those changes may be smoother than we think.