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Agriculture – not simply raising livestock and growing grain

Agriculture – not simply raising livestock and growing grain

Posted December 14, 2011 by Mike Macklin – Comments

Agriculture Degrees

An Industry as Interdisciplinary as Your Interests

Agriculture, as defined by Merriam-Webster.com, is "the science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock, and in varying degrees, the preparation and marketing of the resulting products."

I would argue that this definition only speaks to agriculture in its purest form and doesn’t clearly explain the interdisciplinary nature of the ever evolving agriculture industry. At Colorado State University, we have two different Master of Agriculture degrees that look at traditional agriculture as well as the applied nature of the industry. Students are able to choose focus areas and tailor their degrees to fit their professional and personal goals. Students can choose courses in community development, 4-H and youth development, agricultural communications, environmental education, water resources, business, and education – not simply farm and ranch management.

The diversity of our degrees is designed to allow graduates to become competitive in the job market. Students are able to look at positions with organizations like the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource and Soil Conservation, and the Bureau of Land Management. Positions within these organizations include Extension agent, agronomist, range specialist, and community development specialist. Graduates of our Agriculture Extension Education degree and our Integrated Resource Management degrees have followed a variety of career paths, including Extension work, professional sales, technical service, breeding associations, and wildlife/forest management.

I recently pulled up some job postings through Colorado State University Extension and even the titles of the jobs speak to the interdisciplinary nature of the agriculture industry. One of the positions is both 4-H/youth development and livestock; others list the need for range management and agronomy.

Agriculture Degrees

Career Outlook

O*Net Online, a service provided by the United States Department of Labor, provides career services, and industry outlooks. Doing a quick search of "Career Clusters" the agriculture, food, and natural resources cluster has numerous careers with bright outlooks and green industry alignment. Positions like graphic designers, agriculture inspectors, foresters, natural science managers, and animal scientists are among many others listed. The industry has many careers with bright outlooks, and they are not limited to the traditional careers associated with the classic definition of agriculture.

If you are looking for a career change and have written out a degree in agriculture, I would urge you to think again. Students come from numerous walks of life and backgrounds. Feel free to contact me with any questions about our Master's of Agriculture degrees to see if we are able to find a fit for you – because remember, agriculture isn’t simply livestock raising and grain growing.

~ Mike Macklin

Thanks USDAgov for the photos!