The Agricultural Industry
Agriculture is much bigger than just farming! While production agriculture (raising plants and animals for food, fiber, and fuel) is what most people think of, it's only a small part of the industry—less than 2% of Americans work directly in farming.
The agricultural products we grow are called commodities, and they require many steps after harvest before reaching consumers. All the businesses, services, and processes involved in getting agricultural products from the farm to your table are part of agribusiness—where over 45% of all Americans work!
Agriculture has many facets beyond farming. These include agricultural education, law and policy, animal science, aquaculture, biotechnology, communications, food science, forestry, marketing, natural resources management, plant science, and soil science. Each area offers unique career opportunities.
Fun Fact: One American farmer produces enough food and fiber for 155 people! This incredible productivity is possible because of advances in agricultural science and technology.
The production side of agriculture includes services (mechanics, irrigation managers, loan officers), supplies (fertilizers, chemicals, machinery), and research (geneticists, scientists). Post-harvest activities include processing (packaging, canning, freezing), marketing, research (food scientists, chemists), and transportation of products around the world.