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AgCareers.com Releases Updated Version of U.S. Education & Enrollment Report for the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Industry


AgCareers.com Releases Updated Version of U.S. Education & Enrollment Report for the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Industry
  • AuthorKristen Faucon
  • DateMay 22, 2015
  • MediumNewsletter Article
There is a great need for young people in the agriculture and food industries. In order to build the talent pipeline, we as an industry need to utilize our rewarding, well compensated, strong standing and growing career opportunities to recruit more students into educational fields that will lead them to agricultural careers. Recognizing this, AgCareers.com has updated the U.S. Education & Enrollment Outlook Report in order to provide those in the industry with the information needed to reach out to this crop of students.

AgCareers.com Releases Updated Version of U.S. Education & Enrollment Report for the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Industry

By Kristen Faucon, Marketing Intern and Illinois State University Student


There is a great need for young people in the agriculture and food industries. In order to build the talent pipeline, we as an industry need to utilize our rewarding, well compensated, strong standing and growing career opportunities to recruit more students into educational fields that will lead them to agricultural careers. Recognizing this, AgCareers.com has updated the U.S. Education & Enrollment Outlook Report in order to provide those in the industry with the information needed to reach out to this crop of students.

The first U.S. Education & Enrollment Outlook Report was released in 2010 and has been updated in 2013 to include the most up to date data on enrollment, careers, and compensation in agriculture. The purpose of the report is to gauge the awareness, availability, and perceptions of graduates and careers within the agriculture, food, and natural resource sciences. This report includes enrollment data of associate and baccalaureate degrees in the agricultural field from the past five years, a look at what employment opportunities are available for those graduates, as well as salary data for internship and entry level positions within each pathway of the Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources career cluster. The final section of this report, to be released later in 2013, will include student perceptions of agricultural careers including job searching and selection, education and skills, and employment outlook.

Through this report, AgCareers.com found that hardly one percent of total postsecondary enrollment is in the field of agriculture. Supplementing this, 18,692 bachelor’s degrees were awarded in agriculture in 2012, but nearly 40,000 jobs were posted on AgCareers.com at all degree levels. The report takes an in depth look at enrollment in agriculture including five year trends and enrollment in agriculture by gender and ethnicity at four-year institutions. The top majors at two and four-year institutions for the past three years are also included along with the number of career opportunities by career cluster.

Section four of the report looks at salary outlook in the agriculture and food industries. The average salary across all pathways in agriculture was $59,000 in 2012. The average intern was paid $14/hour and the average salary for new graduate hires was $37,000 across all degree types in 2012. Salary ranges by career pathway are provided along with sample positions in that field. The report also highlights salary by degree type.

Information on college and university enrollment was collected from The Food and Agricultural Education Information System (FAEIS)Perkins Collaborative Resource Network, and The National Center for Education Statistics. Data in the report reflects enrollment numbers as far back as 2003 and as current as 2012.

Information regarding the availability of careers within the agricultural industry is based on job postings found on AgCareers.com within the past three years. AgCareers.com has built a reputation over the past fifteen years as the leading online job board within the agriculture industry. This reputation is reflected in the variety of industry sectors and career types represented in the 4,000 jobs posted on AgCareers.com each month. Data was grouped according to the seven pathways within the Agriculture and Natural Resource Career Cluster. These career clusters were developed and implemented by the United States Department of Education and are used in the education field to help students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue secondary education related to the career cluster of their choice. 

AgCareers.com is currently conducting a survey of students to gauge their opinions of careers in agriculture, the availability of these careers, and what they are seeking from their first employer. The data collected will be added to the report later in the year and will be quite valuable as we approach these students to enter careers in the agriculture and food industries. Students may take this survey byCLICKING HERE. 

The 2013 U.S. Education & Enrollment Outlook Report Update is available at no charge and is downloadable by CLICKING HERE. Additional information about each section of the report can be found in the introduction including information about AgCareers.com.
 

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