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When you think of ag careers, what jobs do you think of? Chances are your first answers might be farmer, rancher, veterinarian, or agronomist — the kind of jobs that work directly with animals or the land. These are definitely jobs that are a key part of ag, but there are a lot more jobs in ag than you might think.
According to the 2025 Feeding the Economy report, 47,181,643 people in the United States work in the agricultural and food industries. That is 29 percent of the U.S. population! This number might be surprising depending where you live. For some, that probably seems reasonable if you’re in a rural area and are surrounded by ag. But if you don’t see agriculture on a daily basis, that number might be a bit of a shock.
One interesting thing about agriculture is that there are so many jobs that play a role in producing food and getting it to the consumer that aren’t always considered “ag” careers. Think of how many people work as accountants, run social media, work in labs as researchers, operate manufacturing and repair equipment, and do tons of other incredibly important things who might not ever step foot on a farm.
You don’t need to work on a farm to be a part of ag. In fact, here’s a high-level look at some of the types of jobs that are considered an ag career:
Ag Business
Ag business includes everything from lawyers, communicators, human resources, office managers, insurance agents, extension agents, communications, event managers, and policy analysts.
Ag Mechanics
Ag mechanics are another key part of ag and include electrical engineers, truck drivers, service technicians, livestock haulers, precision ag, and construction workers.
Animal Science
Animal science does include some common ag careers like farmers, ranchers, and veterinarians, but it also includes geneticists, beekeepers, nutritionists, feedlot operators, pet groomers, and auctioneers. Other areas like the equine industry and even zoos are a part of ag too!
Environmental Services & Natural Resources
These are other important parts of ag and include careers like fisheries workers, ecologists, mine engineers, biologists, forestry, ethanol producers, land surveying, geologists, and aquaculture workers.
Food Science
Food science is a broad area that includes careers like food safety managers, produce inspectors, dietitians, food scientists, packing plant workers, food packaging, and food stylists. Chefs, servers, and others who work in restaurants and food production are also indirectly part of ag.
Plant Science
Plant science includes crop advisors, greenhouse managers, custom applicators, florists, plant researchers, plant breeders, ag pilots, commodity marketing, grain graders, and a lot more.
There are a ton of other ag careers out there. Areas of ag such as tourism, ag education, sales, law enforcement, government, and so many others require thousands more employees. There are also technology needs that require software developers, IT specialists, and drone techs. There’s plenty of room for the trades in agriculture as well, which includes welders, truck drivers, equipment operators, electricians, and refrigeration specialists.
There are almost countless ag careers out there! As long as a job plays a role in producing food, fiber, fuel, or falls in the realm of animal science, plant science, food, natural resources and what we do with them, it can be seen as an agriculture-related career.
Agriculture is essential. Without it we wouldn’t have things like food, power, fuel, fiber, lumber, and many other products. But the economy would also suffer. Ag has an output of $9.53 trillion, which amounts to 18.7 percent of the entire United States economy. This shows just how important ag really is.
Agriculture is always evolving. Advances in science and technology have brought new careers and areas of interest. Sustainability is a great example of this. Sustainability has come up as a sort of “hot topic” especially over the past few years. This has brought new careers as we find ways to improve how we do things and the processes used on farms and in ag businesses with a goal of being more sustainable.
Ag is growing, and I don’t just mean animals and crops! Since 2020, direct employment in agriculture has increased by over 1 million jobs. This shows both the continued commitment and importance of feeding the world, but also how ag is rising to meet the challenge of feeding more people with less inputs and improving the industry as a whole.
It’s impossible to count the exact number of ag careers out there, but it’s safe to say it’s a large number. These crucial jobs play a role in producing food, working with plants, animals and the environment, and support the entire workings of the ag industry. Ag will continue to grow and evolve, but for now it’s great to know that almost one in three people in the United States works in ag, with each one playing a key role in such an important industry.
Michelle Miller, the Farm Babe, is a farmer, public speaker, and writer who has worked for years with row crops, beef cattle, and sheep. She believes education is key in bridging the gap between farmers and consumers.
