By Brandie Piper
Finding a job is hard, and while it’s starting to get easier for new college grads to find a job, it’s helpful to have a degree in a growing field where employees are in high-demand. One of those fields is agriculture, because of the increasing need to sustainably grow enough for a growing world.
According to a recent analysis by Purdue University, only 61 percent of the estimated 57,900 annual openings are filled each year in the food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and environmental industries. That means there are typically 22,500 open jobs each year for qualified candidates with degrees or experience in agriculture, horticulture and other related degrees.
Working in agriculture doesn’t always mean dirty, messy and grimy work in the field. In the last 20 years, agriculture has changed, as a variety of new solutions have become available to farmers, helping them have better harvests while using resources efficiently. Farmers are using new technologies, such as GPS-guided tractors to plant crops and weather apps, like those from The Climate Corporation, to help them make better decisions throughout the growing season.
Jobs in agriculture
Agriculture jobs include plant breeding, sales, research, quality assurance, marketing and engineering – many of these closely related to STEM, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Monsanto employees come from a range of backgrounds, including farming, environmental science and information technology.
There’s been a push in recent years to fill these vital roles. The STEM Education Coalition was created to make these education fields a national priority to boost the United States’ future economic prosperity. These initiatives can include agriculture, a subject intertwined within all of the STEM fields.
Growing: Population, enough food, job sector
The world’s population will increase from 7 billion to 9.6 billion in the next 35 years. That means we need to work together to come up with ways to increase agriculture production by 70 percent to help farmers sustainably produce enough food for a growing world to help make balanced meals accessible to families across the world. That’s going to take a lot of people, and it is most likely the reason why so many jobs are opening in this field.
So, if you’re in college, trying to decide on which path to take, consider agriculture. Farming is one of the most important jobs in the world, and farmers affect every person on Earth every day.
Are you already pursing a degree in agriculture? Have an ag degree and a job in agriculture? Tell us about it using the hashtag #WhyIChoseAg.
Brandie Piper 