In private industry agronomists work for agricultural service companies, seed companies, pharmaceutical companies, food and wholesale distributing companies, farm credit institutions, commercial research and development laboratories, and as private farmers and ranchers. Some major agricultural companies include DeKalb Genetics Corp., Fresh International Corp. and Hudson Foods, Inc. For those with the itch to travel, there are universities, government agencies, foundations, and private firms with interests in foreign nations.
Employment opportunities in the agricultural sciences are expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is expected primarily in the private sector. Plant scientists with backgrounds in genetics, biotechnology, molecular biology, or microbiology, and soil scientists with expertise in pesticide controls and other environmental issues will experience the best job opportunities. In addition, jobs will be more plentiful for college graduates because fewer students are entering agricultural programs; this minimizes entry-level job competition. Increasingly, professionals with advanced degrees will face the brightest job market. Job growth in government will be slow, primarily due to budget constraints, but yearly worker turnover will create a healthy number of job openings.
Salary Statistics
According to the American Society of Agronomy, the average starting salaries for agronomy students graduating with bachelor's degree in the early 1990s was $21,000 to $26,000. Salaries ranged from $25,000 to $32,000 for those with a master's degree and from $35,000 or more for those holding a Ph.D. degree. According to the American Association of University Professors, the average starting salary for an entry-level assistant professor in the agricultural sciences was $35,092 and $54,209 for a full professor. Earnings for those in academia should escalate much faster than in government or industry. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average federal salary for agronomists was $42,234. See "Tips for Job Hunters" for a complete breakdown of federal salaries.
Because agronomists work primarily with farmers, ranchers, and agricultural researchers, they are located where these activities take place. Agronomists are well represented in every state of the nation but tend to concentrate in more agriculturally intensive areas. In the Midwest, agronomists work mainly with grains; in the Southeast, they are involved with textile fibers like cotton and a variety of fruits and vegetables in agriculturally rich Florida, while in the arid West agronomists are concerned with grains and associated ranching activities. In California and the Northwest, agronomists work with all types of crops and soil conditions. Agronomists spend a majority of their time in the field and laboratory studying and testing crops and soils. They also work at government and private research laboratories throughout the nation conducting cutting-edge agricultural research.
Sources of Further Information
- American Farmland Trust 1920 N Street, NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20036
- American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America 677 S. Segoe Rd. Madison, WI 53711
- Food and Agricultural Careers for Tomorrow Purdue University 127 Agriculture Administration Building West Lafayette, IN 47907
- Institute for Alternative Agriculture 9200 Edmonston Rd. Suite 117 Greenbelt, MD 20770
- National Association of State Departments of Agriculture 1616 H St., NW Washington, DC 20006
- Opportunities in Agriculture (1988). By William C. White and Donald N. Collins and published by VGM Career Horizons, NTC Publishing Group.
