Farm Beat: Ag-related degrees pay off quickly

Four-year college graduates in farming and related fields will find jobs ripe for the picking, according to a federal report issued this week.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated 57,900 high-skilled openings in an average year in food production, natural resources and environmental protection. But colleges turn out just 35,400 students in these fields.

The report does not break down the totals by state, but it’s clear California has plenty of these jobs. Ag is doing well, despite a drought that has left many farmers with little or no surface water. Milk is getting to cheese plants, grapes to wineries, poultry to processing plants, and tomatoes and peaches to canneries.

It happens with the help of college graduates who know how to grow crops and feed livestock and others who work in food safety, process engineering, irrigation, ag lending, veterinary care and everything else it takes to feed people.

“Those receiving degrees in agricultural fields can expect to have ample career opportunities,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release. “Not only will those who study agriculture be likely to get well-paying jobs upon graduation, they will also have the satisfaction of working in a field that addresses some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”

Other highlights of the report, compiled by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Purdue University:

▪ Almost half of the job openings will be in management and business.

▪ 27 percent will be in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

▪ 15 percent will involve production of food or biologically based materials.

▪ 12 percent will be in education, communication and governmental service.

More information is at www.purdue.edu/usda/employment.

ELSEWHERE ON THE FARM BEAT: Enough about four-year degrees. Modesto Junior College needs just two years to turn out people ready for certain jobs, and it is expanding this mission with a new program in irrigation.

This column reported last month on the Agriculture Irrigation Technology program, launched with the help of an $833,175 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Steve Amador, an MJC faculty member who helped secure the grant, said this week that applications are open for the semester starting in late August. The deadline is June 15. To apply, go to www.mjc.edu/instruction/agens/irrigationtech.

▪ Still on the topic of watering crops: A free workshop on how to farm amid the drought will take place Thursday near Modesto.

The East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District will put on the event from 2 to 5 p.m. in Harvest Hall at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, 3800 Cornucopia Way, off Crows Landing Road. The Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts are helping with the event.

The topics will include current water conditions, monitoring of plant and soil moisture, efficient irrigation systems and other ways to get through this dreadful drought. To RSVP or get more information, contact resource conservationist Trina Walley at (209) 491-9320, ext. 139, or trina.walley@ca.nacdnet.net.

This story was originally published May 15, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Farm Beat: Ag-related degrees pay off quickly."