VSU Alumnus Passing Passion for Plants to Others
John Few IV gravitated to gardening in high school after his paternal grandfather strongly encouraged him to plant a garden. Perhaps his grandfather wanted him to cultivate character or responsibility by planting a seed, but what grew from it is an appreciation for agriculture that Few hopes to pass on to others.
“I really enjoyed growing different crops. I was growing cucumbers, eggplants and watermelons, which failed miserably,” he said. The melons may not have ripened, but gardening sparked a natural curiosity not only about plants, but also about insects and pests that made their home in his garden. Few didn’t realize it then, but he was bitten by an interest in agriculture, especially entomology (the study of insects).
Before gardening, he never considered a career in agriculture. These days, the Virginia State University (VSU) alumnus enjoys working outdoors and can’t imagine being anywhere else. Few graduated cum laude in 2016, earning a bachelor’s of science in agriculture with a concentration in plant and soil science from VSU’s Department of Agriculture. He earned a master’s degree in life sciences from the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech in 2018 and worked as a graduate teaching assistant at Virginia Tech, as well.
“When talking to students, I can tell them that agriculture is way more than just farming.”
“I got into agriculture because I wanted to find a permanent solution to world hunger,” he said. One way he hopes to make a difference is by educating people on small-scale food production.
In February 2019, Few landed his first full-time job as an integrated pest management (IPM) Extension program specialist in the Department of Entomology at Texas A & M University. IPM is an environmentally sensitive approach to sustainable agriculture that involves managing insects, weeds and diseases through a combination of physical, cultural, biological and chemical approaches. At Texas A & M, where he specializes in row crops, the 26-year-old manages a research plot, scouts for weeds, fungus and insects and provides beneficial advice to producers on how to manage the pests.
Few said he enjoys Extension work and is still figuring out his footing in the Extension world. “My immediate goal is to gain experience as a leader in production agriculture and develop new ways of getting minorities involved in agriculture,” he said. His long-term goals are to obtain a Ph.D. in agricultural education and to become a professor at an historically black college or university (HBCU).
His curiosity about garden pests grew at VSU, thanks to one of his professors, Dr. Glenn F. Chappell II, who heavily influenced Few’s desire to teach. “Dr. Chappell introduced me to pest management, and that’s where I really started getting my interest in research and Extension work,” he said. “I kind of want to follow in his path. He worked in Extension and then went into education.”
Few said it took him a while to find his niche in agriculture. In his freshman year at VSU, he studied plant genetics, but later discovered that he didn’t enjoy it. He wasn’t sure how to find his true passion. Fortunately for him, he had caring professors, like Chappell and Dr. Christopher J. Catanzaro, who told him to apply for internships, even opportunities outside of his field of study.
While at VSU, he received multiple internship opportunities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the VSU College of Agriculture that exposed him to diverse areas of agriculture, such as forestry, horticulture and urban agriculture. The internships gave him a broad base of knowledge and experience that helps him in his current job. It also taught him how to conduct research in different areas of agriculture and helped him learn what areas he liked and didn’t like before committing to a concentration. He ultimately realized that he enjoyed working with row crops far more than genetics.
Few, a talented musician who plays flute and piccolo, considered majoring in music and becoming a composer, but he chose agriculture because he wanted to make a greater impact. He’s happy about that choice and his decision to attend VSU.
Few grew up in LaPlace, Louisiana and moved with his family to Charleston, South Carolina in his senior year of high school. He discovered VSU through Campus Connections, a Christian-based program in Charlotte that sponsored HBCU tours. When he toured VSU, he liked the campus and met Dr. Mark Phillips, who was VSU’s band director at the time. Few said he felt a connection to VSU when Phillips talked to him about auditioning for the band and about scholarships. “Not many other schools really had that personal touch that VSU had, so that’s kind of what drew me in.” The university also gave him the most scholarship money, which also helped his decision.
His experience at VSU was a great one because of the support he got from his professors, academically and personally. “It was like having another family,” he said. “Dr. Catanzaro and Dr. Chappell always kept me on the straight and narrow, academic wise and with what responsibilities I would have in this field. They didn’t let me slack on anything.”
Catanzaro and Chappell helped him learn to network, develop more confidence, break through his shyness barrier and overcome nerves and anxiety when speaking publically or meeting new people, Few said. Most importantly they provided helpful “life talks” that motivated him to stay in school during his undergraduate and graduate years.
“John was very introverted at first. However, he worked hard, and it was a pleasure to see him emerge from his shell,” said Catanzaro, associate professor of plant science and horticulture. “He started asking so many questions as his view of the world expanded.”
Chappell, associate professor of plant and soil science, said Few made teaching and learning fun. “One of my favorite movies is the Blind Side,” Chappell said. “In this movie, Mrs. Tuohy was described as an onion you had to peel back one layer at a time. John Few is a pomegranate. Once you get through the leathery outer covering, there was something new everywhere you looked.
“He would surprise you in class with his on-topic comments that had a little edge to them. He worthily challenged you and made you think about the topic from a new angle.”
Few is still learning, as he discovers new ways to extend knowledge by helping producers manage pests and introducing more people to agriculture. Having dabbled in different areas of agriculture he’s better prepared to tell others, especially students, about the diverse opportunities the industry offers. “When talking to students, I can tell them that agriculture is way more than just farming,” he said. “There are all kinds of different areas that you can go into. Just because you don’t enjoy one area doesn’t mean you don’t like agriculture.”
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