Educating Agriculture’s Workers
Like other sectors of the economy, agriculture is experiencing labor shortages and needs skilled workers. Potential agricultural workers should have a mix of education, training, and experience and be able to adjust and adopt to new technologies becoming increasingly prevalent in the industry. Post-secondary institutions, like Nebraska’s universities and community colleges, have been and will continue to play a vital role in preparing the agricultural workforce.
A paper by Mark White with the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois examines trends in agricultural-related degrees awarded by post-secondary institutions. According to White, there were approximately 52,500 degrees or certifications awarded in agricultural-related fields in 2021. Veterinary/animal health technicians, animal sciences, and agricultural business and management dominated the awards accounting for almost half of the degrees (Figure 1). Veterinary medicine, agricultural production operations, general agriculture, horticulture, and plant sciences were also popular. Land-grant institutions, like the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, accounted for almost 46 percent of degrees and certifications awarded while two-year institutions, like the community college system, accounted for 30 percent.
Figure 1. Ag Degrees & Certificates Awarded, 2021
Source: White, M. “Preparing the Future Food and Agricultural Workforce: Trends in Agricultural-Related Degree and Certification Completions from U.S. Post-secondary Institutions.” Farmdoc daily (13):54, Department of Agricultural and Consumers Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, March 24, 2023.
According to White, Nebraska institutions awarded 1,016 degrees or certifications in 2021 and had an annual growth rate in awards granted of 2.3 percent between 2003-2021.Three states—California, Texas, and Florida—accounted for 25 percent of agriculturally-related degrees because of their larger population bases. However, the distribution of degrees among states looks different when based on relative shares as measured by location quotients. White finds that agriculturally-dominate state like Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and North Dakota represent a greater relative share of agricultural-related awards when based on relative shares (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Concentration by State of Ag-Related Degrees, 2021
Source: White, M. “Preparing the Future Food and Agricultural Workforce: Trends in Agricultural-Related Degree and Certification Completions from U.S. Post-secondary Institutions.” Farmdoc daily (13):54, Department of Agricultural and Consumers Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, March 24, 2023.
Post-secondary institutions will continue to play a pivotal role in preparing skilled workers for agriculture. But agricultural employers have a role too. White writes, “agricultural employers must effectively highlight the quality opportunities available in their industry and offer competitive compensation and benefits relative to other industries . . . This necessitates engaging students early through career exploration opportunities and then connecting them to specialized training and education to prepare them for these more specialized occupations.” White’s paper can be found at: https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2023/03/preparing-the-future-food-and-agricultural-workforce-trends.html.
