Agricultural Careers

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Agricultural Careers

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

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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

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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
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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

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Types of Agricultural Production Jobs

• Cattle Rancher
• Diversified Crop Farmer
• Diversified Livestock Producer
• Farm Manager

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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

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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

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Diversified Livestock Producer

• Diversified livestock producers breed and raise
  livestock of various types.
• Salary 0 - Unlimited

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Necessary Skills

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

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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

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Communication and Education Specialist Careers

• Agriculture Teacher
• Agricultural Extension Specialist
• Agricultural Journalist
• Agricultural Lawyer

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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

13
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

14
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

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Managers and Financial Specialist

• Agricultural Consultant
• Agricultural Economist

16
Agricultural Consultant

• Audits and appraises agricultural business and
  makes suggestions on improvements
• Salary 26,000 - Unlimited
• Education Requirements
• Bachelors degree in agricultural business or
  agricultural education

17
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

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Marketing, Merchandising, Sales Representatives

• Agricultural Chemical Dealer
• Animal Health Products Representatives
• Agricultural Equipment Dealer

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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

20
Animal Healths 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

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Scientists, Engineers and Related Specialists

• Animal Scientist
• Agricultural Construction Engineer
• Animal Breeder
• Artificial Breeding Technician

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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

23
Agricultural Construction Engineer

• Designs and contracts agricultural structures
  such as mills, fertilizer plants, barns, etc.
• Salary 26,000 - Unlimited
• Education Required
• Masters degree preferred in agriculture
  engineering.

24
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

25
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

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Social Service Professionals

• Foreign Affairs Officials
• Food and Drug Inspector
• Foreign Food/Farming Training

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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

28
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

29
Agricultural Equipment Dealer

• Farm equipment dealer sell and service farm
  machinery and equipment
• Salary 28,000 - 75,000
• Education Requirements
• Bachelors degree with emphasis on agriculture
  and business.
• High School courses in agriculture, business and
  mechanics

30
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
• Bachelors Degree in journalism, communications,
  English or political science. High School
  classes in agriculture, journalism, media,
  computers, and business

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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

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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

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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

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• 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

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• 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)

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Where to Obtain Agriculture Career Information?

• www.ffa.org
• Look for the Career Center under the Site Index.

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• If agriculture is in your future
• It is never to early to plan for your
  personal career success.