A nationwide survey conduced on behalf on Land O'Lakes Inc., has revealed that there is a lack of young people considering working in the agricultural industry; only 3% of college grads and 9% of Millennials surveyed have or would consider a career in agriculture.
When compared to other industries, respondents were least likely to indicate that they have or would consider a career in agriculture (6%), with healthcare and technology at the highest career interest (each at 21%); followed by education (20%); marketing and sales; finance; and manufacturing and engineering (all at 12%).
USDA job reports underscore these findings: more than 20,000 agriculture jobs go unfilled each year. Despite this fact, the majority of survey respondents – 54% – think it is difficult or very difficult for recent college graduates to get a job in agriculture.
“We will need to produce more food in the next 40 or 50 years than in the previous 500 years combined,” said Lydia Botham, executive director, Land O’Lakes Foundation. “Our priorities are clear – we must focus on attracting the next generation of ag workers to the highly skilled, well-paid career opportunities. Failing to do so may lead to severe consequences.”
According to the survey, 76% of respondents do not think or are not sure if a career in ag pays well. This misperception is prevalent across geographies (85% in the Northeast, 82% in the West and 71% in the Midwest and South).
However, 35% of Millennials – significantly more than any other generation – think ag careers do pay well, (compared with 21% of Generation X and 17% of Baby Boomers), which may be a promising sign of attracting college students to the field.
To attract new college graduates, Land O’Lakes, Inc. created the Global Food Challenge –Emerging Leaders for Food Security program to engage future leaders in the challenges and opportunities facing agriculture.
The yearlong fellowship program provides selected college students the opportunity to learn more about global food security, and includes travel to U.S. farms, to Washington, D.C., to understand policy, and to smallholder farms in rural Africa.
Source: Land O’Lakes/farmfutures.com