5 great agriculture jobs - Second Military Careers - Military Times

5 great agriculture jobs

We’ve made the transition from agrarian society to industrial superpower. But one look at the career choices in Purdue University’s College of Agriculture makes it clear that farming still creates jobs aplenty, even if most of them don’t involve touching a single speck of soil.

Agricultural careers include biochemistry, forestry, economics, food science, furniture design, meteorology, industrial pest control, sales and marketing, to name a few.

“Traditional agriculture is not the norm anymore,” said Lori Barber, assistant director of academic programs for Purdue’s College of Agriculture. “We’ve got a lot of students coming into agriculture who did not grow up on a farm.”

These days, she said, studying corn production for use as an alternative fuel source is as much a part of agriculture as biochemistry and genetics.

In other words, working in agriculture isn’t the same as working on a farm.

Crop duster

More properly known as agricultural pilots, crop dusters don’t make huge cash unless they’re willing to move around the country all year.

“The nature of the job is kind of sunrise to sunset, and it’s seven days a week all summer, so it’s very tiring,” said Brent Milhon of Milhon Aerial Applicators in Martinsville, Ind. “And you’re flying an airplane pretty low to the ground, and they go pretty fast, and it is stressful.”

Milhon said running his grain farm is less taxing.

• Training: High school diploma, special training and licensing.

• Pay range: $20,000 to $70,000.

Soil conservationist

Ever seen a farm field transformed into a lake after heavy rain or turned into a cloud of dust during a windstorm? Soil conservationists dedicate themselves to making those sights rare.

The Soil Conservation Service was formed in response to the 1930s Dust Bowl that occurred after years of drought destroyed farms in the Great Plains.

Those in the field today rely on science, training and experience to come up with good land-use practices.

• Training: Usually a bachelor’s degree and experience in farming or other fields of agriculture.

• Pay range: $39,000 to $65,000.

Farm equipment sales and repair

Jim Robinson, manager of Bane Equipment in Lebanon, Ind., grew up on an Indiana farm, so equipment sales aren’t a stretch for him. With a college degree in electronic technology, he worked at International Harvester and Case for 10 years before he went into sales.

“Technology has changed tremendously,” he said. “Some equipment has auto guidance, so you don’t have to steer until the end of a row. Twenty years ago, nobody would have dreamed about it.”

• Training: Experience in agriculture; college a plus for sales.

• Pay range: Sales, varies; repair, $20,000 to $36,000.

Cooperative Extension agent

Extension offices work with land-grant universities to provide local services in 4-H, agriculture research and education, leadership development, natural resources, family and consumer sciences, and community and economic development.

“They say, and it’s true, agriculture is everything that goes from the field to the table,” said Fred Whitford, who works in Purdue’s Cooperative Extension.

• Training: At least a bachelor’s degree.

• Pay range: Averages $40,000 with bachelor’s degree in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. With additional degrees, higher.

Agricultural inspector

If that burger you just ate was uncontaminated and edible, thank the agricultural inspectors. Food safety is one of their primary duties, so they spend a lot of time inspecting meat-processing facilities.

Employed by state and federal governments, inspectors also check farming equipment, fishing and logging operations, and food-processing plants. They make sure laws and regulations are followed.

• Training: High school diploma and up to five years of experience.

• Pay range: Usually $30,000 to $46,000.