Agricultural Careers
Presented by:
Mrs. White
Lee-Davis High School
Agricultural Instructor
Agricultural Workforce
• Approximately 21 Million People are
Employed in an Agricultural Career
• 20% Of Agricultural Career Require a
College Education
• 400Thousand people are needed each
year to fill positions in the Agriculture
Industry
• Only 100 Thousand jobs are being
filled each year by trained people
Yearly Employment Opportunities for
College Graduates in Agriscience
7%
9%
34%
7%
13%
29%
34% - Marketing, Merchandising, & Sales Representatives
29% - Scientists, Engineers, & Related Professionals
13% - Managers & Financial Specialists
7% - Agricultural Production Specialists
9% - Social Services Professionals
7% - Education & Communication Specialists
Production Agriculture
• 1/5 of All Agricultural Careers
• Production Agriculture is defined as
Farming and Ranching.
• It involves the growing and marketing
of field crops and livestock
• U.S. Farmers produce enough food and
fiber to feed 135 people, large farm
operations can feed over 200 people.
Types of Agricultural
Production Jobs
• Cattle Rancher
• Diversified Crop Farmer
• Diversified Livestock
Producer
• Farm Manager
Cattle Rancher
Selects, purchases, and raises cattle on leased or
owned land for purpose of selling offspring
Knowledge Requirements:
Cattle industry including cattle prices, quality and
markets. Nutrition, reproduction, and animal
health are also important areas.
Salary:
$15,000 - $150,000 to unlimited (income varies
greatly upon quantity of cattle and extent of
operation.
Diversified Crop Farmer
• Crop Farming workers plant, cultivate and
harvest crops of fruits, fiber, grains, or
vegetables.
• May raise one specialty crop or diversified
crops, they often produce several different
types of crops simultaneously
• Salary:
– $15,000 - $90,000 depends on crop
Diversified Livestock Producer
• Diversified livestock producers breed and
raise livestock of various types.
• Skills Necessary:
– Organized
– Computer skills and basic business knowledge
– Willing to work independently
– Enjoy working outside in all kinds of weather
• Salary: $20,000 - $35,000
Farm Manager
• Organize and Analyze farm resources, finances,
and problems
• Develop solutions and plans for future farm
enterprises
• Make daily farming decisions related to crops,
machinery and labor
• Salary:
– $15,000 – $38,000 depends on size and varies
greatly from year to year
Communication and Education
Specialist Careers
• Agriculture Teacher
• Agricultural Extension
Specialist
• Agricultural Journalist
• Agricultural Lawyer
Agriculture Teacher
• Develop program, curriculum and activities
related to agriculture for youth adults and
graduates
• Job Availability: Steady
• Working Conditions: Indoors in classroom,
outdoors with experiments and hands-on
activities
• Salary: $ 20,000 - $ 52, 000
Agricultural Extension Specialist
• Organize and conducts cooperative extension
program to advise and instruct farmers and
individuals engaged in agribusiness applications
of agricultural research findings.
• Salary: $22,000 - $40,000
• Skill Necessary:
– Strong interest in helping others
– Excellent communication skills
Agricultural Lawyer
• Focus on the law as it applies to the Agricultural
Industry
• Necessary Skills:
– Proficiency in writing and speaking, reading,
researching, and analyzing
– Able to think on your feet
– Good reasoning ability
• Salary:
– $40,000 - $120,000
Managers and Financial
Specialist
• Agricultural Consultant
• Agricultural Economist
Agricultural Consultant
• Audits and appraises agricultural business
and makes suggestions on improvements
• Salary: $26,000 - $52,000
• Education Requirements:
– Bachelor’s degree in agricultural business or
agricultural education
Agricultural Economist
• Studies data and statistics in order to spot
trends in economic activity, economic
confidence levels and consumer attitudes
• Salary: $40,000 - $62,000
• Skills Necessary:
– Accuracy
– Good Communication Skills
– Ability to Work Independently
Marketing, Merchandising, &
Sales Representatives
• Agricultural Chemical Dealer
• Animal Health's Products
Representatives
• Agricultural Equipment Dealer
Agricultural Chemical Dealer
• Serves the farming community by providing
chemicals used in farm situations.
• Knowledge of chemical uses warning and disposal
methods is necessary
• Salary: $ 21,000 - $58,000
• Education Requirements:
– College degree helpful but not required
– Sales experience needed
– Knowledge of Chemical regulations
– Pesticide License
Animal Health’s Products
Representatives
• Develops sales and marketing strategies for
selling animal health products
• Salary: $ 22,000 – 62,000
• Necessary Skills:
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Communicating effectively
Enjoy Traveling
Goal Oriented
Problem Solving
Scientists, Engineers and Related
Specialists
• Agricultural Construction Engineer
• Animal Breeder
• Artificial Breeding Technician
Agricultural Construction
Engineer
• Designs and contracts agricultural structures
such as mills, fertilizer plants, barns, etc.
• Salary: $26,000 - $65,000
• Education Required:
– Master’s degree preferred in agriculture
engineering.
Animal Breeder
• Breed and raise animals to improve traits, to
develop new breeds, or to maintain
standards of existing breeds
• Salary: $18,000 - $55,000
• Necessary Skills:
– Organized
– Reliable and be able to follow detailed
instructions
Artificial Breeding Technician
• Assists in collecting and maintaining semen,
identifying appropriate times to inseminate
(deposits sperm) female and the actual
insemination process
• Salary: $23,000 - $36,000
• Education Requirements:
– Technical school or a college degree
– Specialized training in artificial insemination
techniques
Social Service Professionals
• Foreign Affairs Officials
• Food and Drug Inspector
Foreign Affairs Officials
• Foreign affairs officials assist in planning
and implementing foreign affairs program
which secure the interests of the country
while promoting agriculture
• Salary: $28,000 - $75,000
• Working Conditions:
– Travel frequently and work out of an office
building
Food and Drug Inspector
• Food and Drug inspector impose federal and state
grading standards on food and drug products for
the purpose of ensuring consumer safety and fair
pricing
• Salary: $25,000 - $65,000
• Necessary Skills:
– Like detailed work
– Responsible
– Good oral and written communication
Agricultural Equipment Dealer
• Farm equipment dealer sell and service
farm machinery and equipment
• Salary: $28,000 - $75,000
• Education Requirements:
– Bachelor’s degree with emphasis on agriculture
and business.
– High School courses in agriculture, business
and mechanics
Agricultural Journalist
• Gather, write, edit and report news articles that are
published in agricultural magazines, newspapers,
journals or broadcast on radio or television.
• Salary: $20,000 - $55,000
• Education Required:
– Bachelor’s Degree in journalism,
communications, English or political science.
High School classes in agriculture, journalism,
media, computers, and business
How to Start Planning for an
Agricultural Career?
• Develop an Agricultural Career
Portfolio
– A collection of your best work on
agricultural projects and other
career-related materials
– The portfolio is used to sell your
skills to a prospective employers
What to include in your
Portfolio?
• Resume
• Photographs and written reports of projects
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that you have complete
Newspaper clippings
Letters of Recommendation
Personal and Career Goals
Action Plan for accomplishing your goals
How you can start planning at
different levels?
• Middle School Career Plan:
– Develop science projects with plants, animals,
soil, water, energy, ecology, conservation, and
wildlife
– Join 4-H and choose agricultural projects
– Volunteer to work on lawn, garden,
greenhouses, farm or conservation projects
– Enroll in agriculture or other career education
projects at school
• High School
• Enroll in agriculture classes including plant science,
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animal science, agricultural mechanics, agribusiness
and farm management
Enroll in college – preparatory courses in English,
math and science
Join 4-H and FFA organization and participate in
leadership and citizenship activities
Develop a broad, supervised agricultural experience
project
Acquire hands-on, skill-development experience
Conduct agricultural research project
• Career Plan After High School
• Obtain an agricultural job and plan ways
to get additional training while on the job
• Enter a community college and take
courses that will transfer to the college of
agriculture or life science of your choice
• Enter a two-year program in technical
agriculture
• Enter a college of agriculture or life
science and obtain a bachelor degree
(B.S.), master degree (M.S.), and/ or
doctorate (Ph.D)
Where to Obtain Agriculture
Career Information?
www.ffa.org
• Look for the Career Center under the Site
Index.
If agriculture is in your future ……
It is never to early to plan for your
personal career success.