According to an employment outlook report released yesterday by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and Purdue University, nearly 60,000 high-skilled agriculture job openings are expected annually in the U.S., yet only 35,000 graduates are available to fill them.
This anticipated shortage of individuals to fill these skilled, well-paying jobs, means it just might be the time for students to seriously consider agricultural science and technology as a career path.
The agriculture industry boasts a wide range of career opportunities, especially positions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The USDA report projects 27 percent of future agriculture job opportunities will be in STEM areas, and this percentage is only expected to grow.
We can expect to see the strongest job market for plant scientists, food scientists, sustainable biomaterials specialists, water resources scientists and engineers, precision agriculture specialists, and farm-animal veterinarians.
Why are these STEM positions on the rise?
Agriculture is becoming increasingly global and information-based, and STEM issues are often found at the crux of the research and economics of the industry. 21st century thinking and innovation are what will enable the students of today to help solve real-world problems of hunger, nutrition, sustainability, and more.
Even now with the drought in California, it’s evident that we need watershed scientists, hydrologists, and irrigation engineers to help solve many of these problems.
As agricultural technology continues to evolve, educators will focus on preparing students for their future careers by teaching science, engineering, mechanics, machinery and systems technology on par with an advancing industry.
While this may start with, for example, teaching students how mechanical advantage is achieved through the use of gear trains, pulleys and drives, it will evolve to teaching advanced engineering methods that could solve problems we haven’t even encountered yet.
By 2050, there will be more than 9 billion people in the world that we will need to be able to feed. Our ability to meet this increase in global demand for food will require a whole new generation of scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs.
What problems are you addressing in your agricultural classes? Do you think we’ll be able to meet the increasing demand for agriculture jobs?
