5 Careers In Agriculture That Will Surprise You
Most people when introduced to the idea of agricultural jobs will immediately conjure up images of ploughing fields or rearing livestock, and will often have an idea that farm jobs represent the wider range of jobs that are out there, but this isn't strictly true.
In the modern age, as technology evolves and the world population continues to rapidly grow, there is now an untold number of jobs in the industry carrying massive diversity in the skill sets and experience required — all with very different roles to play. You've probably never considered many of them before, so if conventional farming jobs don't suit you, then it's time to explore some of the less discussed agricultural job vacancies that are out there. In fact, there is a real need in the industry currently for workers and professionals, with agricultural graduate jobs almost guaranteed to those with a relevant degree.
Countless careers are involved with and contribute to the agricultural industry, and many jobs from other industries can translate well; an agricultural job can be any career which plays a part in the management of food production, as well as other natural resources — such as in forestry. It can be surprising just how wide-ranging the jobs that input into the agricultural industry are.
Here are just five careers in agriculture that you might not have even considered before:
1. Plant Systems Jobs
Touted as a field of agriculture that will become of unparalleled importance in the future, plant systems deal with plant and soil issues, while also working to ensure that crops farmed for food and biofuels are done in ways that are sustainable in the long term. It also carries a heavy focus on being friendly to the immediate environment, seeking out methods that are safe and carry no risk to wildlife. Jobs available in the broad field of plant systems include plant or forest geneticist, greenhouse manager, plant pathologist, crop farm manager, biotechnology lab technician, bioinformatics specialist, and many more.
2. Agricultural Economist
An agricultural economics master's degree prepares you to work as an analyst and a consultant, where you'll measure the impact of government policy, study human and business behaviour in farming, and look at other vital areas such as crop production and trade in agriculture. Agricultural economists are an important cog in the industry and help to shape laws and regulations as well as contributing to the overall vision of future agriculture. They can also be a vital part of businesses, often becoming valuable in helping to develop products and marketing strategies. This career path can also take you towards agricultural banking jobs, as there are many valuable and transferable agricultural finance skills involved.
3. Marketing Specialist
There are many agricultural marketing jobs for graduates with degrees in agricultural business, business administration, marketing, journalism, communications or education. The role of the marketing specialist is to manage communications, delivering the appropriate message through the best-suited medium to the public. Achieving this helps to ensure that the company performs well and hits its sale goals, with a wide marketing skill set being invaluable to companies looking to run promotions for their products and services as part of an overall marketing strategy.
4. Agricultural Engineer
Agricultural engineer jobs offer a unique opportunity for those looking at more conventional routes to develop a wide and all-encompassing skill set. Engineers in the industry might find themselves helping to manage and co-ordinate sales, as well as assisting on marketing and in technical support. Engineers can find themselves fulfilling a whole host of vital roles, such as in agricultural machinery jobs, environmental engineering, agricultural technician jobs, and countless others. You can become an engineer by studying a foundation degree, or alternatively, it can be done through an apprenticeship. Agriculture needs creative problem solvers with strong analytical skills, with machinery jobs that involve assessing the environmental impact of production methods, and project management in supervising various construction projects, such as land reclamation and irrigation, to name just two examples. Experienced engineers can later take one of the options in agricultural education jobs — there's always a demand for good teachers who can pass on industry knowledge.
5. Technical or Business Consultant
With the wide range of horticultural jobs out there, not to mention the speed with which technology and science move in the modern age, agricultural consultants are more important than ever and often become vital to the process in offering support and advice to clients on key rural issues. A consultant will ensure their client's business is running efficiently and will solve problems as they come up; this means that a deep knowledge of business matters and agricultural legislation is of the utmost importance. Agricultural consultants might assist broadly in food jobs, but clients can also include conservation organisations, public bodies, land agent jobs, or manufacturers and services. A technical consultant tends to give advice on agronomy, conservation, waste management, and is also valuable in providing support to animal health jobs amongst other technical applications. Business consultants are able to aid in business planning, management of personnel, and estate and financial management.
There are an untold number of other agricultural jobs out there
As the industry continues to change and grow, the different types of roles available will also continue to expand — for example, many agronomy jobs simply didn't exist a few decades ago and we are still finding novel and innovative ways of expanding this field, among many others.
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists lead the UK and the world in agricultural, horticultural and farming recruitment. If you're looking for a new role, or are simply just interested in what might be available to you, please send us your CV to info@agriRS.co.uk and one of our experienced team of consultants will call you to discuss your options.
If you are instead looking to expand your team and would like to make use of our agriculture recruitment services, then feel free to contact us at 01905 345 155.
If you'd like to find out more about Agricultural Recruitment Specialists Ltd, then please visit www.agriRS.co.uk
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