Agriculture careers include more than farming.
Agriculture is a broad field that includes many career paths that require various levels of education and experience. The options within the agriculture professions are as diverse as the people who fill these positions. Jobs in this industry can be found in nearly every area in the United States and a constant demand for products and services related to agriculture means there is a bright future in these careers.
Livestock Production Managers
Livestock production managers maintain live animals for farm owners, corporations or other entities in the business of raising animals for food.
The livestock production manager is in charge of coordinating farm activities and ensuring proper breeding methods and scheduling as well as the rearing of animals and maintenance of their facilities. The production manager oversees the work of other employees at the facility and makes sure all procedures meet government regulations.
The livestock production manager must keep records in order to plan and determine maximize productivity and profitability. The manager is also responsible for livestock examinations to check for illness and must coordinate with veterinarians to treat the animals that appear unhealthy or injured. This manager may also be directly involved in sales and shipping of livestock at some facilities, while sales representatives handle this task at others.
Extension Specialist
The agriculture extension specialist is a career that usually requires a master's degree in agriculture. These professionals work with local extension agents and help conduct training programs that they design.
The agriculture extension specialist keeps local extension agents up to date on recent news and developments pertaining to the agricultural region where they work. The specialist may also prepare materials for agents to circulate in order to inform the public of new development and how they can take part.
The specialists conduct research on a variety of topics that lead to new programs, informational packets or media notices based on the needs of the local areas where they work. This could be research on invasive species that threaten wildlife or may destroy crops or any other topic of importance to the local agriculture. These professionals typically work in a university environment or at an experiment station.
Food Broker
Food brokers are the middlemen in the chain that gets agricultural products into the hands of wholesale and retail outlets. Brokers are often self-employed.
A food broker may work with beef-producing farms all over the country and sell the meat processed by those farms to restaurants, stores or wholesale food distributors within the area. The job is part networking, part sales, and the broker must be an expert in what he sells in order to be successful. The broker should be able to relay the latest trends and news to the producers of the products and provide dependable suggestions for retail sales for the clients who buy from him.
Agricultural Engineer
Agricultural engineers are the key problem solvers that help design the equipment that makes the agricultural world function more efficiently. The work of these professionals may lead to the development of anything from new and improved tractors to the latest in grain storage facilities. This career requires a bachelor's degree in engineering and a knack for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computer science.
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