Agricultural and Food Scientists - Careers, Jobs, Education, Training

Agricultural and food scientists play an important watchdog role to keep food supplies safe and available. The food we eat goes through a lot of stages before we finally see it on our plates. These workers use their knowledge and training to make sure we have enough food and what we are eating is safe.

Agricultural scientists study farm crops and animals to develop ways of improving their quantity and quality. They look for ways to improve crop yield with less labor, control pests and weeds more safely and effectively, and conserve soil and water. They research methods of converting raw agricultural commodities into attractive and healthy food products for consumers.

Food scientists and technologists usually work in the food processing industry, universities, or the federal government, and help to meet consumer demand for food products that are healthful, safe, tasty, and convenient. To do this, they use their knowledge of chemistry, physics, engineering, microbiology, biotechnology, and other sciences to develop new or better ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods.

Agricultural and food scientists held about 18,000 jobs in 2002. In addition, there were several thousand agricultural science faculty positions in colleges and universities.

These food experts have lots of options for their preferred work setting. Almost four in ten agricultural and food scientists work for federal, state, or local governments. One out of six worked for the Federal Government in 2002, mostly in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Another one in six worked for state governments at state agricultural colleges or agricultural research stations. Some worked for agricultural service companies; others worked for commercial research and development laboratories, seed companies, pharmaceutical companies, wholesale distributors, and food products companies. Over 1,600 agricultural scientists were self-employed in 2002, mainly as consultants.

Employment of agricultural and food scientists is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations through 2012. This is due to limited growth in the federal government and only a modest growth in state and local governments.

Agricultural scientists are using new avenues of research in biotechnology to develop plants and food crops that require less fertilizer, fewer pesticides and herbicides, and even less water for growth. Further food research will result in more job opportunities for food scientists and technologists. This research will be stimulated by an increased public focus on diet, health, and food safety, as well as domestic and global issues such as increasing world population, availability and cost of usable water, loss of arable land, deforestation, environmental pollution, and climate change.

Training requirements for agricultural scientists depend on their specialty and on the type of work they perform. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree should have opportunities for managerial jobs in businesses that deal with ranchers and farmers, such as feed, fertilizer, seed, and farm equipment manufacturers; retailers or wholesalers; and farm credit institutions. In some cases, persons with a bachelor’s degree can provide consulting services or become a certified crop advisor, providing crop management recommendations to farmers to help them meet their objectives.

Opportunities may be more numerous for those with a master’s degree, particularly for graduates seeking basic research positions in a laboratory. A Ph.D. in agricultural science usually is needed for college teaching and research positions. Degrees in biology, chemistry, physics, or related engineering specialties also may qualify persons for some agricultural science jobs.

Typical annual earnings of agricultural and food scientists were $48,670 in 2002.

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