Students - Recruitment
What can I do with a career in Agriculture Business or Agriculture Education?
Agriculture Business professionals can choose to work on the family farm, but may also choose to work in careers throughout America or abroad. Agriculture Business careers are creative and plentiful. Agriculture Business professionals are employed by businesses, government agencies, and by development, aid, and peacemaking organizations. The U.S. Agriculture Business industry accounts for nearly one-fifth of the U.S. gross national product and employees close to one-fourth of the U.S. labor force. Agriculture Business career opportunities:
- Family and corporate farms and associated industries require managers, operators and technical experts who can respond to constant change.
- Food and fiber processing operations are in need of managers and technical experts to expand operations.
- Federal, state and municipal governments require a constant re-supply of rural and agriculture leaders and technical experts.
- International organizations such as the United Nations and church-sponsored aid and development agencies at home or abroad need project managers, operators and consultants.
- Become an agricultre business entrepreneur. Agribusiness professionals can be involved at all stages of production, including sales and marketing of products that are in demand today.
Agriculture business professionals can also work as farm insurance agents, landscape designers, natural resource conservationists, business cooperative specialists, bankers, economists or commodity traders. All are part of modern agribusiness.
Careers in Agriculture Education
Interest from students in high school agricultural education and FFA is at an all time high in North Carolina. Student enrollment has grown from 26,000 students in 1996 to 48,000 students today. This renewed interest in agriculture is due largely because of a shift in direction of the agriculture industry to a more biotechnology emphasis with a particular focus on renewable fuels and energy.
Currently, North Carolina has about 35 to 40 agriculture education teacher vacancies per year created by retirements, career changes and the growth of new programs. If future population projections are factored in, an additional 5 to 10 positions will be created each year due to growth. Also, in order that each position vacancy has at least 2 teachers to apply, it is figured that there will be a need for at least 80 to 100 agricultural teacher graduates each year. Currently, our state is only producing about 30 to 35 graduates. Because of this, students who enroll in agricultural education at Mount Olive College will have excellent job opportunities available upon graduation.
Agriculture Education offers hands-on learning opportunities in:
- animal science
- ag mechanics
- horticulture
- crop science
- soil science
- agribusiness
Programs of Study: Agriculture Business & Agriculture Education