It's all political. For some reason, the left-wing dominated academia in this country doesn't think very much of manufacturing. They think it's dirty and vulgar. I think most of the interest being generated in these fields is from the Discovery Channel and History Channel, with Myth Busters, Dirty Jobs, Modern Marvels, and Monster Garage type fare.
If the left wingers think that manufacturing is vulgar and dirty,then I’m not sure if I want to know what they think about farming.