(ThyBlackMan.com) The agribusiness sector has been intertwined with the fortunes of rural America for some time, since even before the word was coined in 1957, and it dominates discussions of the national economy to this day. These facts are unlikely to change any time soon, either, with Presidents and primary candidates never shy to talk about their plans to revolutionise America’s farms. As such, if you have an interest in working in the countryside, agribusiness may have drawn your interest.
Of course, the daydream of one day running a farm and the reality of making such a business work are two very different things, and if you are serious about taking steps from the former to the latter, it’s important to know quite how much work lies in front of you. A successful agribusiness career can be exceptionally rewarding – so below, we’ll go through a few potential careers and what they entail for you.
Farm management
The hub and the lifeblood of American agribusiness, farmers need to multitask like few other careers. One minute you could be helping a cow give birth to a calf, the next you could be having to check out fuelbox.co.uk for red diesel or any other admin task related to the machinery your farm needs. One thing is for sure, farm management rarely gets boring – with animals, crops and buildings to look after, alongside running a thriving business, you won’t have the time to get bored.
Food science
We know more today than ever before about what’s in our food and where it comes from – and this has helped improve not only the way we eat, but the way we grow our food too. For a full career in agri-food science you’ll likely need a bachelor’s degree in the field, but with that qualification you could be helping tomorrow’s food producers put healthier meals on dinner tables across America.
Agricultural sales
In 2017, agribusiness contributed a total of just over $1trillion to the United States’ GDP according to usda.gov figures. As businesses wrestle with issues such as climate change and seek to avoid tariffs resulting from occasional trade wars, there will continue to be openings in the field of agricultural sales – it’s a fast-growing sector that’s going to keep changing, and if you’re attuned to the latest trends, the average salary of more than $60,000 is certainly persuasive.
Veterinarian technology
Although “vet” is one of the most common answers when kids are asked what they want to do when they grow up, the numbers soon drop when children realize the extent of the long and demanding qualification process in this occupation. However, if you’ve always wanted to work with animals, you don’t need to take the obvious option: you could instead be a vet technician. This involves preparing instruments, nursing animals and performing tests, and requires just two years to qualify in a field which thebalancecareers.com states is growing faster than most!
Whether or not you’ve considered it before, the field of agribusiness is one which has opportunities for career development, and offers the chance to be at the heart of America’s future.
Staff Writer; Lisa Harris