Agriculture Business

 

Career and Major Information
Earnings
Related Occupations
Related Web Sites

 

Career and Major Information:

Walters State's two-year concentration in Agriculture Business is designed to prepare successful graduates for entry-level employment opportunities in the broad field of agriculture.  Today, nationwide, there are over 200 careers in agriculture, including those in the design and sale of farm equipment, agriculture research, resource management, farming, ranching, forestry, or in business providing today's farmers the essential supplies and services they need.  Duties vary from planting seeds to marketing and financial management to crop strategy. 

Jobs may be found throughout the country in private or commercial industry, and all levels of government.

The minimum educational requirement is a high school diploma for some jobs, but as modern agricultural practices become increasingly complex, higher education levels are more and more preferred.  Work experience in various aspects of agriculture is helpful as is participation in programs such as Future Farmers of America (FFA), or the 4-H program.  Some fields in agriculture such as private farming are expected to decrease while other careers such as agricultural research expect to see greater than average growth.

 

Earnings:

Earnings in agriculture business will greatly vary due to the wide variety of careers accessible with this degree.  For example, the Tennessee Career Information Delivery System website lists the salary range for a beginning-level agricultural inspector in Tennessee as $17,660 annually.  It also lists the beginning-level range for an agricultural sales representative as $30,865.  With experience, the range may increase to well above $50,000 annually depending on which career path is taken and what part of the world you live in.  Salary figures quoted are based on national figures. Local or regional salaries may be lower.

 

Related Occupations:

Agricultural Business
Agricultural Education
Agricultural Finance
Animal Science
Farm Management
Feed Manufacturing and Sales
Food Technology
Forestry
Golf Course Management
Landscape Design
Soil Science
Wildlife Management

 

Related Web Sites:

Future Farmers of America

            http://www.ffa.org/

National 4-H program

            http://www.4-h.org/

The Center for Rural Affairs

            http://www.cfra.org/

American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers

            http://www.asfmra.org/

National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service

            http://www.attra.org/

 

Much of the above information was collected from the 2004-2005 Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the U.S. Department of Labor.  For additional information on these and many other careers, please visit the following web sites:

 

Occupational Outlook Handbook - U.S. Department of Labor

www.bls.gov/oco/

 

Tennessee Career Information Delivery System (TCIDS)

http://tcids.tbr.edu/.

 

 

For information regarding specific degree program requirements, curriculum, or faculty, please see the department website at  http://www.ws.edu/businessdiv/default.asp.