Agricultural career options go well beyond farming and ranching. If you love the idea of working with crops, animals and resources that contribute to the worldwide food supply, pursuing a career in agriculture could provide you with a rewarding and fulfilling future.
Seven Types of Agricultural Careers
Agriculture is big business. The industry has been around for thousands of years and, according to HYPERLINK "http://www.agday.org/education/careers.php" \t "_blank" AgDay, approximately 22 million Americans are involved in agriculture-related industries. There are so many career possibilities, that it's easier to segment career choices by field, rather than specific jobs.
1. Agricultural Communications
Agriculture is such a big business that many of the major agricultural, farming and ranching companies house departments dedicated to promoting and marketing their products. Individuals involved in agricultural communications often work as marketers, public relations experts or journalists. Common job titles include:
Market news reporter
Farm news reporter
Public relations representative
Advertising specialist
Marketing communications manager
Regional sales manager
Account manager
While most of these positions will require a minimum of a bachelor's degree in business, journalism or a related field, you may be able to pursue sales jobs with limited formal education.
2. Agricultural Economics
Someone has to price, broker and assess the agricultural economy from day to day and year to year. The fact is that the agricultural economy can be greatly affected by issues like drought, flood and outbreaks of food borne illness. It's the role of the agricultural economist to address these issues. Common job titles include:
Grain broker
Farm and land appraiser
Resource economist consultant
Agricultural policy analyst
Insurance agent
Food distribution manager
Agricultural lenderMany of the agricultural economics positions