Careers in Agriculture

What can you do with a Major/Degree in Agriculture?
Agriculture Major Jobs

 

Jobs and Careers in Agriculture
As there are a wide variety of careers in agriculture, so are there a variety of companies who hire people in these careers. Many people are employed by government agencies (Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Soils and Water Management, Bureau of Agriculture Research, Bureau of Plant Industry), consulting firms and agriculture machinery manufacturing. Other opportunities include:

• Farms and ranches
• Processing plants
• Laboratories
• Greenhouses
• Pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry
• Educational institutions and community education organizations
• Animal breeders
• Zoos and aquariums

Some job titles one can pursue with an agriculture degree -

• Agricultural consultant
• Estate manager
• Farm manager
• Fish farm manager
• Plant breeder/geneticist
• Rural practice surveyor
• Soil scientist
• Agricultural communication/marketer
• Food scientist
• Insect biologist
• Agronomist
• Agricultural loan officer
• Farm labor specialist
• Agricultural economist
• Crop management consultant
• Aquaculturist
• Rural development specialist
• Outdoor recreation manager
• Plant and animal inspector

Some of the duties you might be expected to perform in some of the above listed positions -

• Conduct research and experiments to improve the productivity and sustainability of field crops and farm animals
• Create new food products and develop new and better ways to process, package, and deliver them
• Study the composition of soil as it relates to plant growth, research ways to improve it
• Communicate research findings to the scientific community, food producers, and the public
• Collect water and soil samples to test for certain properties, such as the pH or pollution levels
• Analyze data on the environmental impacts of pollution, erosion, drought, and other problems
• Research ways to minimize the negative impacts of erosion, sedimentation, or pollution on the environment
• Use computer models to forecast future water supplies, the spread of pollution, floods, and other events
• Evaluate the feasibility of water-related projects, such as hydroelectric power plants, irrigation systems, and wastewater treatment facilities