Careers in Agriculture
Jen and Prabin love agriculture and science!
Find out more about them and their awesome careers where they get to do both.
Jennifer Hahn
Federal Conservation Programs Coordinator
Jennifer Hahn lives in Rush City, Minnesota and works for the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. Jennifer grew up on a farm and always loved being outside. After completing college at Anoka-Ramsey Community College she attended the University of Minnesota and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Environment Science with Soil and Water Management.
JENNIFER HAHN
At the U of MN she took a class on soil health and loved it! She was amazed by the importance of soil and how it impacts everyone. She knew then that she wanted to have a career that allowed her to be outside, study soil health and work with farmers and landowners.
Jennifer's job takes her around the state looking at different landscapes to identify what kind of problem the owner is having and what goals they have. One example may be erosion in a field and the farmer needs solutions to stop water runoff so that they can grow better crops in that location. Jennifer helps create a solution using different ideas like adding cover crops, re-landscaping or building retaining walls. She has to know what kind of soil is in the field, how that soil works and what the solution may cost the landowner to install.
Working with the people who steward the land while improving natural resources is Jennifer's passion and in her job she loves that she's constantly learning.
Prabin Bajgain
Research Assistant Professor of Agronomy And Plant Genetics at University of Minnesota
When Prabin was in High School he learned about a science called biotechnology. Biotechnology uses data and organisms to create new products that improve the health of people and the planet. Prabin’s work is to use biotechnology to develop new perennial crops and make current crops stronger. These crops include Kernza®, perennial wheat, perennial cereal rye and perennial oats. Prabin knows how valuable soil and soil health is for everyone.
PRABIN BAJGAIN
Prabin’s research helps farmers have more options in the cover crops they can plant to protect their soil and the water. Prabin loves his career because it allows him to be outside researching in the warmer Minnesota months and inside looking at the data he collected in the winter months. Prabin wants you to know that if you like computers, math and science, biotechnology could be a career for you! Prabin is proud of the impact his work is making on creating better, stronger crops and healthier soil and water.
Interested in exploring more careers in agriculture?
Explore the Careers Beyond the Farm videos! These short profiles highlight the important work of many people involved in agriculture including engineers, maintenance personnel, processing technicians and others.