Careers in Ag 

Agriculture is arguably the world’s most important industry—after all, there’s nothing more vital than feeding people. Not surprisingly given the world's growing need to feed and clothe its inhabitants, agriculture is experiencing a boom and providing jobs for people of all ages and skills.

A recent survey by AgCareers.com found that there were nearly twice as many job openings in agriculture as there were trained graduates to fill them. That’s 56,000 jobs for 29,000 ag school graduates that year. Not many industries can say that.

What’s especially exciting is the breadth of opportunities in agriculture. Of course, there’s crop and livestock production. There’s also food and fiber processing, at levels ranging from working on the line to developing cutting-edge systems. And operating a half-million-dollar sprayer is probably as close to being in the cockpit of a fighter jet as most of us will ever get.

Want to see a great list of agriculture positions in demand, such as scientists, financial and marketing specialists, technical service representatives, and agricultural and natural resource production specialists? Check out this great resource from Oregon State University which details numerous and rewarding ag career opportunities like the one pictured above at the university.

And with high demand comes heightened compensation. Salaries in agriculture jobs are rising to attract the brightest graduates.

Being with our customers on the farms and in the fields every day, its easy to see how agriculture is evolving and not so surprising that advanced degrees are becoming more and more prized on the farm. Our field engineers, salespeople, marketers, communications specialists and designers are steeped in agriculture every day, around the world. What we know about tractors, spreaders, sprayers and other farm machinery is vital to developing world-class farm tires that help our customers be more productive in the fields and more profitable at the bank.

Through our community efforts we've met dozens of promising young men and women who are poised to fill these needed vacancies in the agricultural job market.  Organizations like the FFA and 4H are doing a terrific job of exposing young people to agriculture careers and preparing them to be successful leaders no matter what profession or field they ultimately choose. Read this earlier Hub story on our impressions of FFA and 4H. Pictured to the right are a group of FFA students who helped us at a tractor pull event where we were the exclusive agricultural tire sponsor.

If you’re a student, consider a career in agriculture…and let your mind wander through some of the many opportunities around the world where the field can take you. If you’re older and already on your own career path, take the time to encourage a young person to stay in agriculture or get involved in our exciting industry.

You’ll truly be doing the world a favor.