Agricultural Jobs Aplenty
Job openings in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources, and the environment (FARNE) will average nearly 105,000 annually between 2025 and 2030. Over the same period, graduates from degree programs (associate, baccalaureate, and postgraduate/professional) in FARNE fields will average 50,057, filling just 48% of the available openings. This means additional graduates will be needed to fill the openings according to a recent Purdue University report funded by a grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Of the total job openings, 41% are expected to be in business and management, down a bit from earlier reports. Openings in science and engineering will account for 21% of openings, also down compared to previous findings. Education, communications and government, and food and biomaterials production will make up about 20,000 annual openings each. Most of the openings will be located on the east and west coasts (Figure 4).
The Purdue report is the latest in a series on employment opportunities for college graduates in FARNRE begun in 1980. The report is intended to help higher education and employers anticipate shifts in the supply of and demand for talent. It also helps college and high school students understand which fields might provide job opportunities could lie and helps ensure the labor needs of agriculture are met.
Figure 3. Annual Job Openings—Agricultural/Natural Resources/Environmental Fields
Figure 4. Annual Job Openings by Region, 2025-2030
