Career Corner
Agriculture offers so many careers, not just farming (but that one is very important!). You might not know just how many different ways people work in agriculture. Here are just a few examples. To learn about other careers, visit AgExplorer.com.
Jason Resch, Zone Operation Manager
Jason works for General Mills. In his work, he brings food products that came from ingredients grown on farms to places where people can buy them. These are things like Cheerios made from oats and Betty Crocker cake mixes made from wheat. That means he visits stores like Target, Walmart, and many grocery stores. But he also works with the General Mills marketing teams and supply chains. All of these groups work together to get the food products into stores to make sure people have access to them. As part of his job, Jason travels all over the U.S. and even to Mexico.
Dr. Devan Compart, Ruminant Research Specialist
Dr. Compart works for Land O'Lakes. She does research on ruminants. These are animals like cows, sheep, goats, and bison that have stomachs with four parts. The research looks at whether feeding animals special feed additives helps the animals be healthier, or helps them produce more milk or meat. Her job takes her all over the U.S. to work with universities and farmers on her research. Because of the high level of scientific knowledge needed, this job usually requires a doctorate degree.
Dr. Compart has also worked as a zoo nutritionist. Photo courtesy of Meleah Maynard, Slow Dog Studios
Mohamed Yakub, Science Outreach and Education Coordinator
Mohamed works for the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota. He works to connect scientists, teachers, and students about science research. The university conducts agricultural research using government funds. Those funds require that the research results must be shared widely. Mohamed brings the results to the wider community and to high schools. While doing that, he meets with people in academia, business, and government. He will even travel to Africa to learn about agricultural projects.
Myah Walker, Quality Manager
Myah has a Master's degree in Public Health. She works for Sparboe Farms, which raises chickens and eggs. She helps make sure Sparboe's farms and processing plants follow food safety and quality rules. These rules determine how food is produced, how it is packaged, and how it is stored. Myah divides her work time between traveling to food sites and being in an office. Every day brings something different because of the wide range of areas her department covers.
So Many Ag Career Choices!
Research a career in agriculture. Choose one you did not know much about before you started researching. (Hint: Look at the careers listed in the activity on the previous page.) On a separate piece of paper, write 2-3 paragraphs about that career. Talk about what the person doing that job does and why it is important for agriculture. For more information, visit this website: https://www.agriculture. purdue.edu/usda/careers.