Students with agricultural knowledge are highly sought after in the field of agricultural sales and business. Careers within these areas offer the unique opportunity to combine the technical, communication, and problem-solving skills you’ve learned in the field with a strong business acumen.
What is Agricultural Sales?
According to AgCareers.com and Indeed, agricultural sales representatives can work with a variety of different companies to sell agricultural equipment, materials, and services to businesses and farms. The day-to-day responsibilities of an agricultural sales representative may include:
- Establishing and maintaining relationships with customers to sell more products and better serve their needs
- Following customer leads and attending events such as trade shows to find new customers
- Working closely with clients to learn their needs and demonstrate the solutions your company offers
- Negotiating a sales price
- Ensuring the goods or services are delivered properly and the customer is satisfied
- Using reports to track and analyze sales data
Agricultural sales personnel use their skills to connect with customers and find them the solution that is best for their agricultural needs.
What is Agricultural Business?
There are even more opportunities within business to combine analytical and problem-solving skills with agricultural knowledge. Many organizations that serve customers in the agricultural sector hire individuals with this knowledge in order to ensure their business can better understand these customers’ needs. Positions in agricultural business may include:
- Finance & Credit Analysis
- Marketing
- Purchasing
- Operations
- Data Analysis & Technology
- And many more!
These are only a small sampling of the many opportunities within agribusiness that could be interesting to students looking to use their agricultural knowledge in a business setting.
Where Can I Find Internship & Job Opportunities in Agricultural Sales & Business?
A helpful job search and career exploration resource is AgCareers. This is a valuable website with information for students interested in agricultural career paths. This site includes:
- Comprehensive job and internship boards with opportunities within both agribusiness and sales
- Career profiles with information on the types of jobs, career pathways, and skills available within agriculture
- Educational degree program information
- Career fairs for the agricultural industry
Other career resources, such as Handshake, Indeed, and LinkedIn, can also be helpful when searching for these positions. Browsing agricultural business and sales opportunities or reaching out to alumni with experience in these areas can be great ways to identify potential career paths and apply to positions in these fields.
Check out these resources and schedule a Career Coaching session for more information on using your agriculture degree for a career in agricultural sales and business!
Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh from Pexels
