The 20 Highest Paying Jobs in Agriculture

Welcome to Agronomag. In this video let's take a look at the 20 highest paying jobs in agriculture and or farming. There is a stigma attached to being in the agriculture industry as most people believe that your only real option is to spend all day long toiling in the sun barely making ends meet. But what these people don't realise is that the field of agriculture has advanced a lot over the years to the point where you have a lot more opportunities than you think. If you still have any doubts about this keep in mind that there are well over 50,000 jobs for you to pick from in the US alone but if you do want to earn big you will also have to study hard. Depending on where you live though you may also have an easier time finding work after graduation. For example you will easily find work in the UK as there is an ongoing labour shortage right now. As such it's no wonder that starting a career in agriculture has become more desirable than ever before. But what can you go for if you want to guarantee a good life for yourself and your family? As mentioned previously there are a lot of high paying jobs in agriculture to pick from but what are the absolute best options you can choose from? While the answer may differ depending on where you live here are top 20 highest paying jobs you could go for in the farming or agriculture industry. So let's head straight in at number 20 with the first job being farm manager with a salary of $48,093 annually. So starting off small we have the farm manager position. These are the professionals that are responsible for overseeing and controlling any and all of the operations on the farm. They are ones in charge for planting, fertilising and harvesting crops on top of also managing the budget, necessary purchase materials and the overall relationship between the farm and the vendors or clients. While they are nowhere near the best earners on our list being a farm manager still has a lot of perks on top of also being very accessible since you don't need to go all the way with your education to get access to it. At number 19 we have forester with an annual salary of $48,380. There are a lot of forester job openings right now and the reason for that is because while it is a very highly paid job it is still a pretty lacklustre option that not a lot of people consider. Foresters are known for their conservation efforts while also providing land management and rehabilitation. They're known for always striving to protect the which is why you'll oftentimes see them monitor wildlife habitats and agricultural effects on wildlife. On top of that they also suppress wildfires and they do anything they can to protect the wildlife, the ecosystems and any and all agricultural land. At number 18 we have agricultural specialist with an annual salary of $53,298. In simple terms the agricultural specialists we're talking about here are trained customs and border patrol professionals that make sure that any and all imported products that enter the US adhere by its policies. So as an agricultural specialist your job will always be to locate, identify and stop any agricultural threats before they enter the country. It is quite a stressful job that you will never run out of work for and not the type of work that most people can handle. You need to be an expert in the field to do this but at the very least you also get a good paycheck to make up for it too. Number 17 water treatment specialist with an annual salary of $53,916. Water treatment specialists are known for supervising, performing installations and pretty much just overlooking the water purification and filtration systems around. At the same time they make sure that the water distribution is running smoothly and the safety and efficacy of drinking water and water resources is running smoothly. As such they earn a slightly heftier paycheck by the end of the year. Number 16 food technologist with an annual salary of $55,804. As the name implies a food technologist is meant to research and analyze the chemical biological and physical attributes of the food products that you are eating. At the same time they have a list of ways to make sure that these food products safely processed packaged and distributed to you the customer. It may not be the most exciting job ever but it does more than make up for its lack of zeal through its above average annual salary. At number 15 we have zoologist or wildlife biologist with an annual salary of $63,270. Zoologists need no introduction as it is by far one of the most popular jobs for animal lovers. It is so popular in fact that most children want to become zoologists when they grow up due to their rising interest in the wildlife. But regardless what do zoologists even do? Well zoologists and wildlife biologists need to study all of the animal and marine life they can find as well as observing them in their natural habitats. On top of that they are oftentimes employed in a program that is meant to protect one of the 26% of mammal species you can find on IUCN's red list. This means you'd be actively working towards saving a whole species from getting extinct. If you do want to work in this industry though you will need to pursue an advanced zoology degree to make sure that you can even qualify in the first place. Number 14 environmental scientist with an annual salary of $65,058. As an environmental scientist you will need to know everything there is to know about ecology, biology and any additional disciplines in order to protect the environment to the best of your abilities. So you will need to make your way to polluted areas and clean them up, you will need to advocate for the preservation of wildlife habitats and you will need to help further the development of agricultural practices that don't harm the natural environment. Number 13 water resources engineer with an annual salary of $66,888. As a water resource engineer you will be charting out a community's water needs as you also analyze water resources on a daily basis. On top of that you will need to design treatment plants, supply systems and make sure that the wastewater for both private and public consumption is working effectively. At the same time you will need to help provide communities with clean water supplies while also monitoring the systems and equipment. Number 12 operations manager with an annual salary of $67,149. As an operations manager your main task is to direct, plan and coordinate operations on agricultural sites and farms. So you'll be taking the reins when it comes to supervising and even leading staff to properly fertilize, plant, harvest and transport the products and crops from destination to destination. As you can probably tell by now the higher the paycheck the higher the degree you'll need to have behind you and this job is no different. Next at number 11 we have ecologist with an annual salary of $69,561. As an ecologist your job at hand is to make sure that you study the relationship between the organisms and the habitats they live in. Don't expect to be studying wild animals in the savanna though as for the most part you'll need to study microscopic bacteria growing in a fish tank, plants and small insects found in the desert. At the same time you will need to study different environments and how these organisms react to different living conditions. Number 10 we have agronomy manager with an annual salary of $79,709. The life of an agronomy manager is exactly what it sounds like. You will need to provide customers with advice and agronomic products that will make their lives better in the agricultural industry. As far as your clients go expect to have to deal with farmers and commercial food growers for the most part. These people will oftentimes come up to you asking for support and advice relating to fertilizers, soil nutrients and pretty much any other agricultural products. Number 9 agricultural engineer with an annual salary of $80,720. As an agricultural engineer you will need to solve agricultural problems relating to power supplies, the efficiency of machinery and any and all pollution or environmental issues. At the same time you will need to do frequent research visits to farms, labs and rural areas. Your main partners will be government offices, universities and engineering firms. For the most part your purpose for being paid is to improve crop and livestock production. Number 8 grower with an average salary of $80,983. A grower is exactly what it sounds like. You're practically just an agricultural professional that is responsible for the planting, raising and harvesting of crops. You will be working in greenhouses, fields and pretty much anywhere a company grows crops to make sure that everything is going well and that the plants themselves are thriving. You will be working with flowers, decorative plants or any food crops whatsoever. While in the US in certain states you may even work on growing a specific green leafy plant as long as it is legal of course. Number 7 agricultural equipment technician with an annual salary of $86,919. For the most part agricultural equipment technicians repair, overhaul and maintain agricultural equipment around. This equipment includes but is not limited to tractors, tillage, seeding and harvesting equipment. At the same time we also need to have an associate's degree in biology, chemistry, crop or animal science. It all depends on the actual requirements of the job and it is a fairly difficult job to find an opening in. On top of that some positions may even require you to have a bachelor's degree but if you live in a place where there is a high demand for this type of worker you may even find an opening with just a high school diploma. Number 6 environmental engineer with an annual salary of $88,860. As an environmental engineer you will be using the principles of engineering, soil science, biology and chemistry in order to develop solutions to environmental problems. What this means is that you will essentially just be doing your best to improve the recycling and waste disposal processes while also decreasing air pollution as much as possible. This is actually considered to be one of the best engineering jobs in the world due to the fact that you work from an office while also conducting inspections and coordinating the waste management activities of the company you're working for. Number 5 agribusiness manager with an annual salary of $96,184. As an agribusiness manager your main job requirement is to coordinate crop production for corporations or landowners. You will make sure that the ground is fertile and that it is disease free while also investigating market and soil conditions and the ongoing production needs of your employer. To build it simply you will need the following skills to get the job done. Planning, organizing, directing and controlling crop production. Number 4 agricultural veterinarian with an average salary of $112,000 for the win. As a veterinarian you will need to work with ranchers and livestock producers in order to make sure that their animal's health is in check. At the same time you will need to provide them with medical care in case they come with any disease or injuries. Agricultural veterinarians also aid in pathogen prevention, animal vaccinations and pretty much any other sort of examinations and treatments of animals. It is a very sought after job though so keep that in mind as you will not find a job opening all that easily unless you are properly qualified for it. Number 3 natural sciences manager with an annual salary of $129,100. Natural sciences managers need to supervise scientists and make sure that everything they do is up to par with the health and safety regulations. On top of that as a natural sciences manager you will also need to go over chemists, physicists and biologists. For the most part you will need to coordinate any and all projects that they go through as well as coordinating the testing, quality control and production they're undergoing. Number 2 clinical research coordinator with an annual salary of $129,000. While it is an extremely well-paying job being a clinical research coordinator also comes with its fair share of risk as working in this field implies that you'll be administering clinical trials on a daily basis. Besides that you will also need to collect data, inform the participants of the progress and the studies objectives as well as giving them questionnaires to go over. So it should go without saying that you will need to be up to date with the current standards of care, consent and documentation procedures. At number 1 we have biostatistician with an annual salary of $145,184. The biostatistician job is by far the most well-paying job in the agriculture and farming industry and for good reason too. As a biostatistician you will need to help answer pressing research questions in medicine, biology and public health which means that you will need to oversee any progresses in the field and make sure that they're risk-free. So if a new drug hits the scene you will need to conduct countless tests on it to make sure that it doesn't cause any other diseases or side effects while you also examine people that are currently suffering of severe illnesses in order to dictate how much time they still have left and how you can postpone that as much as possible. Now that we've come to the end of our list I guess suddenly working in the agricultural and farming industry doesn't seem that bad now does it? It's almost as if even though we've evolved quite a lot over the past couple of decades now we still need agriculture to survive as a species. As such getting a job in this industry is sure to pan out quite nicely for you as long as you do put in the time and effort of course. If you like this video don't forget to give up a thumbs up and subscribe and we will see you next time.