The image of the instructional program in vocational agriculture must be changed to reflect a scientific and futuristic nature. The future of vocational agriculture depends upon a willingness of the agricultural education profession to analyze current programs and adjust them to meet the changes of today's rapidly advancing biotechnology and information technology. Technological gains already achieved or just over the horizon include computerized monitoring, gene manipulation, robots, and computerized control of farm systems. Information technologies are predicted to reduce barriers for entry into production agriculture and to increase marketing efficiency. Basic plant and animal research, food and fiber processing, and agribusiness management and marketing are expected to provide the most significant employment opportunities. In contrast, graduates seeking positions in production agriculture, agricultural education, and agricultural communications will encounter strong competition for limited employment opportunities. Supervised occupational experience programs, Future Farmers of America, laboratory experiences, classroom instruction, and adult education must all be modernized to reflect this new image. A balanced combination of the traditional and a newly developed futuristic program of vocational agriculture must then be effectively marketed. (YLB)