Job openings in the agriculture, food, and natural resources career cluster overall are projected to increase by about 85,000 over the next ten years.
Growth is expected in fields related to equipment operation, research and engineering technology, soil and plant sciences, farm labor contractors, and pesticide handlers.
Declining occupations, such as loggers, will still have job openings as workers retire or leave positions, however increased mechanization, and decreased product demand, has slowed job openings in this and some other fields.
Education requirements for careers in this cluster range from a high school diploma to a bachelor’s degree and beyond. Career options that require a high school diploma include animal breeders, farm workers, hazardous materials removal workers, refuse and recyclable materials collectors, pest control workers, pesticide sprayers, and more.
Apprenticeships are not common in this cluster, however some may be found in farm work and livestock production roles.
Careers that require an associate’s degree include: environmental engineering technicians, agricultural technicians, geophysical data technicians, and biological technicians.
Careers that require a bachelor’s degree include: animal scientists, food scientists and technologists, soil and plant scientists, foresters, water resource specialists, zoologists, and environmental engineers.
Is a career in agriculture, food, and natural resources for you? Keep these points in mind:
- Jobs in this cluster overall have a relatively high rate of injury with 3% of workers annually reporting a workplace injury. Exposure to pesticides is one source of risk.
- The availability of work in many jobs fluctuates due to a few key causes: the availability of resources, market conditions, and season of the year.
- Maintaining knowledge of regulations and adhering to requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency is key in a number of jobs.
- Farming is typically both a business and a lifestyle; family farm workers sometimes earn an income from another job to help maintain their farm livelihood.