AgCareers & USDA: Employment Projections & Graduate Gaps until 2030

Kathryn Doan
January 02, 2026
Newsletter Article

Discover USDA’s 2025–2030 employment projections for agriculture, food, and related industries. Learn about job openings, graduate gaps, and workforce trends shaping the future. AgCareers shares insights to help businesses attract and retain top talent for long-term success.

I had the privilege of serving on the advisory board for the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2025–2030 Employment Opportunities Projections. This report is the 10th installment in a series of five-year studies that provide critical insights into workforce trends shaping the future of agriculture, food and related industries.

The study projects over 104,000 annual U.S. job openings in Food, Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources and the Environment (FARNRE) through 2030. More than 50,000 graduates from FARNRE-related degree programs will fill nearly half of these positions. Allied degrees (such as engineering, business, communications, health and biological sciences) will fill an additional 25,000 jobs. However, every year we will need an additional 28,000-plus people, including those without a degree and graduates from other majors, to fill all these positions.

AgCareers focuses on purpose, empowering businesses and individuals by providing data-driven industry intelligence that strengthens talent strategies. By sharing our expertise and leveraging industry data, we help ensure the agricultural and food sectors are prepared to attract, develop, and retain the talent needed for long-term success. This work is not just about numbers; it’s about sustaining an industry that feeds the world and drives economic growth.

For the first time, the USDA invited an industry representative to join this advisory panel, and I was honored to bring our perspective to the table. Our team’s contributions through AgCareers’ reports and analytics were instrumental in shaping recommendations that will guide workforce planning for years to come.

This opportunity reflects our passion for shaping the future of agricultural and food talent and ensuring that businesses have the resources they need to thrive.

Click here to view the entire report online, or download a PDF here.