I have a few questions regarding Agribusiness major - agriculture, food and environmental science. My husband and I were playing around with the idea of my daughter going into this field…
My limited experience is that these kids have an easier time finding a job than a business administration major. S is at an unranked directional, and it seems jobs and internships aren’t a problem for the ag business kids or the ag majors with a business minor. I don’t know about the straight business majors, but I’m guessing that isn’t the case.
The industry is huge with lots of very different career paths. And as long as people need to eat it will still be there. Plus after 5-10 years of business experience, a widget company won’t care that your last job was working with an ag company, they will care about your transferrable skills.
Commodities broker ?
I have 2 friends from college in that field. One has his own shop and works with investors and farmers. The other worked his way up pretty high with one of the major ag companies.
Check some of the programs it’s interesting you can study engineering and/or business. Researched after visiting Penn State and Michigan State but at the end kid went with Petroleum engineering
I know Kansas State has an excellent department in this and all my son’s friends that are graduating have good jobs. If you search Kansas State agribusiness the page that comes up has a link to their brochure that tells about jobs in the industry and gives the head of the department’s contact information. Even if you aren’t interested in the school their professor’s are very helpful and would be glad to speak with you and give you more information on the major.
Thank you all for sharing your opinions. Do you think the careers related to Agribusiness will eventually disappear 20-30 years from now?
@doowife that would mean collapse of the food system. Agribusiness covers a huge market (traders, buyers, analysts, economist and technology). When my kid got into Petroleum he was told that it will be obsolete in 20 years not sure why.
Do some research on linked it and you will find a pool of graduates who work in great companies
Agribusiness is a growth industry, and if your D is ~18 now, she will be busy her whole career.
Commodities broker is a really narrow end of agbusiness, and one of the least interesting imo!
There are a ton of directions, from sustainability to food security to journalism to food chain to economics to animal welfare to crop science to education to integrating tech to urban farming to development to nutritional additives to…
We have been an agbusiness (and now agtech) family for nearly 30 years, and the rate of growth and opportunities is accelerating- and a key challenge is the lack of diversity. Check out Purdue,Cornell, Illinois, NC State, Texas A&M, Ohio, Florida (those are standouts,- but actually most of the land grant colleges will have super programs)…
For example, take a look at the majors offered at
Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: https://cals.cornell.edu/academics/departments-majors/
Purdue School of Agriculture: https://ag.purdue.edu/experience/documents/majors14.pdf
NC State CALS (which has their own ice cream btw): https://cals.ncsu.edu/departments/#alpha
Illinois ACES: https://academics.aces.illinois.edu/majors
Real farmers I know in my area send their kids to Delaware Valley College in PA
@collegemom3717 : Interesting comment about commodities brokers. Wouldn’t this occupation be among the highest paid in agribusiness ?
Depends how successful you are at it! I know a few who are doing fine, but none are minting it, and it can be a very tough business. I know people in some of the other areas that I listed who doing significantly better than that financially- and enjoying the work a lot more! I think agribusiness is seriously underrated as a sector - in large part b/c people don’t realize that there’s more than a choice between straight up farming and being a commodity broker.