Agricultural Careers Presented by: Marie O. Bolt Anderson V Career Campus Agricultural Instructor

Agricultural Workforce Approximately 22 Million People are Employed in an Agricultural Career 20% Of Agricultural Careers 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 9% 7% 13% 7% 29% 34% 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 155 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: $0 - $ 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: $0 - $ depends on crop

Diversified Livestock Producer Diversified livestock producers breed and raise livestock of various types. Salary: $0 - $ Unlimited

Necessary Skills Skills Necessary: Organized Computer skills and basic business knowledge Willing to work independently Enjoy working outside in all kinds of weather

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 Perform any necessary farm task (work) Salary: $15,000 – $ Unlimited, 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 - $ 65,000

Agricultural Extension Specialist Organize and conduct cooperative extension program to advise and instruct farmers and individuals engaged in agribusiness applications of agricultural research findings. Salary: $22,000 - $60,000 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, speaking, reading, researching, and analyzing Able to think on your feet Good reasoning ability Salary: $40,000 - $ Unlimited

Managers and Financial Specialist Agricultural Consultant Agricultural Economist

Agricultural Consultant Audits and appraises agricultural business and makes suggestions on improvements Salary: $26,000 - $ Unlimited 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 - $100,000 Skills Necessary: Accuracy Good Communication Skills Ability to Work Independently

Marketing, Merchandising, & Sales Representatives Agricultural Chemical Dealer Animal Health 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 - $75,000 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 – $100,000 Necessary Skills: Communicating effectively Enjoy Traveling Goal Oriented Problem Solving

Scientists, Engineers and Related Specialists Animal Scientist Agricultural Construction Engineer Animal Breeder Artificial Breeding Technician

Animal Scientist Research and Development Medicine Animal Medicine, Dewormers, etc Human replacement parts (heart valve, etc) Uses of animal by-products Salary: $25,000 to $ Unlimited Education Required: Bachelor of Science

Agricultural Construction Engineer Designs and contracts agricultural structures such as mills, fertilizer plants, barns, etc. Salary: $26,000 - $ Unlimited 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 - $ Unlimited 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 Food/Farming Training

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 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, 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.