Exploring Careers in Agriculture

What do you want to be when you grow up?

by Macey Mueller

While some grown adults are still searching for the answer to this question, it can be even more daunting for high school students and young adults trying to make plans for the future. If you are considering a career in agriculture, you may be surprised to know just how many options are available –both on the farm/ranch and beyond – and what it takes to land a position in today’s job market.

According to a December 2020 report released by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Purdue University, college graduates with degrees in agricultural programs continue to be in high demand. Despite some industry disruption during the pandemic, researchers estimate U.S. college graduates in agricultural programs can expect approximately 59,400 job opportunities annually between 2020 and 2025. This reflects a 2.6% increase from the previous five years.

The report added that degrees with an emphasis in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and the environment will account for 61% of the annual job supply pool, with 42% of the employment opportunities being in business and management and another 31% in science and

engineering. Anticipated openings in education, communication and government positions will make up 14%, and 13% will be in food and biomaterials production with nearly 92% of those jobs going to food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and the environment majors.

Jennifer Neef

Choosing a Path

Jennifer Neef, director of the Career Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has worked in college career advising for 19 years and spent a decade specifically coaching students enrolled in agricultural degree programs. She said many of the employers coming to her campus for job fairs or candidate interviews are looking to fill sales

roles, management trainee roles or positions that require some sort of technical knowledge like agronomy or biological sciences. She has also seen an increasing trend in positions that combine any of the agricultural sciences with a technology component, such as data and business analysis or information management systems.

“If students have skill sets in those technical areas and they also have first-hand knowledge of the agriculture industry, they have an advantage because they can contextualize the work and understand what the numbers mean,” she said. “To better serve students interested in these fields, we’re seeing an increase in interdisciplinary programs that meet at the intersection of production agriculture and technology and information. For example, we offer degree programs in computer science plus crop sciences and computer science plus animal sciences, so students graduate with a strong foundation to fill a unique workforce gap.”

Neef said the food science industry also continues to grow and evolve and provides employment opportunities for several different disciplines.

Source: purdue.edu/usda/employment/

“Particularly for students who have an interest in science, food science and chemical engineering are great degree options,” she said. “There’s also the business and technology side. The food industry is an invisible giant with lots of opportunities.”

For young adults interested in staying connected to a family farm or ranch, Neef said today’s agriculture is increasingly more focused on business analysis and evolving technology, so many students find value in earning a college degree or certification that prepares them with the tools and insight to keep up with an ever-changing world.

Furthermore, a lot of learning comes from participating in an educational environment where students are surrounded by people with different perspectives, different ideas and different ways of asking questions.

“Whether it’s a college degree or technical certification, students pursuing post-high school education gain a skill set that is demanded and wanted by industry,” Neef said. “Probably just as important, they also receive benefits along the way that are less tangible, like advanced communication skills, problem solving skills and critical thinking skills, and it doesn’t matter what kind of job someone is going into, those skills and competencies are going to be valued.”

Regardless of the career path, Neef said students who come from an agricultural background should understand how valuable that unique perspective is to employers.

“One of my biggest pieces of advice is that growing up in production agriculture provides students a distinction as they enter the job market and they should look for opportunities to leverage that knowledge and experience in a way that not very many people can,” she said.

Shannon Worrell

As a recruiter for Ag 1 Source, Shannon Worrell helps agricultural companies identify and hire individuals for professional and executive positions. She said when it comes to selecting a major with the most employment potential, she regularly encourages students to “get narrow so you can get broad.”

“Consider a degree in ag business or ag economics because they come

with so many options and usually encompass several animal science courses as well,” she said. “So much of any business is about money, economics and being profitable, so many times the person with that type of degree is going to be more attractive to an employer.”

While Worrell leads the livestock, animal health and nutrition team at Ag 1 Source, the company also consults and recruits for agronomy, equipment and finance/insurance positions within the agricultural industry. She said positions in sales and marketing are frequently available, but of all the different types of jobs they hire, production agriculture roles are currently the most plentiful and also the hardest to fill with employees who are willing to work hard and get a little dirty.

“We could fill 20 positions today if there was just somebody with some leadership ability and business sense who wanted to lead a team of six to 10 people in a farrowing house or work with cattle every day,” she said. “They are not the most glamorous roles, but they are vital to keeping production agriculture sustainable and often have opportunities to work your way up the chain.”

Relationships Matter

In addition to pursuing a degree or certification, the best job candidates are often strong communicators and relationship builders.

Since graduating with degrees in agricultural development and agricultural education, Worrell has worked in a variety of agriculture industry sectors, including finance and animal health, but now uses the relationships she built in those positions to benefit both companies and job seekers using Ag 1 Source’s services.

“I laugh and tell people that I’ve seen their books because I was their loan officer, I know the

health protocols they use for their cattle because I used to sell them pharmaceuticals and now, I get to see them from another side as I help them hire people for their businesses,” she said. “Building relationships along the way has benefited me at every step in my career.”

In fact, Worrell’s relationshipbuilding skills are a primary reason she’s in her current position.

“When I was expecting my son, I began looking for a different job with less travel and more regular hours, so I called my connection at Ag 1 Source because I had used them in the past to help me hire sales teams,” she said. “Because I had taken the time to get to know him over the years, he knew my background and my skill set, and he ended up hiring me as a recruiter.”

Worrell often works with college students to develop resumes and help them find internships, which she said are especially vital to gaining valuable experience and making connections with potential employers. As Worrell

to know the students she coaches, she hopes they will then reach out to her after they have gained some job experience and are ready to begin moving up the career ladder. “There is real value in developing sincere relationships with

who can mentor and support you throughout your career,” she said. “Even with candidate databases and social media sites like LinkedIn, this is still a relationshipdriven industry, so creating those meaningful connections with people is really crucial.” B&B

If you are interested in pursuing a career in agriculture, use the following online resources to explore the many options available: Employment Opportunities for College Graduates in Food, Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources and the Environment purdue.edu/usda/employment/ Ag Careers agcareers.com/career-profiles Ag 1 Source ag1source.com/agricultural-recruitment-companies Georgia Agricultural Education gaaged.org/aged (click on "Careers in Agriculture”) Zip Recruiter ziprecruiter.com/g/Highest-Paying-Agriculture-Jobs