Agronomists/Agronomy major?

Question

Hey everyone- I'm quite interested in an agronomy degree. I am really interested in the natural sciences and especially plant and animal science, so I think this might be a good job for me. Is anyone out there an agronomist or is knowledgeable about it? I'm very interested in the plant breeding and research aspect of it. I'd like to work on a team that breeds and researches better plants to help world hunger- It concerns me a lot. Is there opportunity for travel? Maybe even to one of these countries with hunger problems to research or help out? (I noticed there are a few B.S. in agronomy research jobs in Hawaii- Cool!) How about work in a large city? I love the farm life but i'd love to get out and live in a city at least once. How about the future job prospects and average salary? Also, what's it really like to work as an agronomist? Haha, one thing that baffles me is what in the world do they do in the winter?! If anyone could give me some info that would be great. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

There are several areas of emphasis in agronomy - sales, research, consulting, teaching and extension.  You can take your pick as to which one suits you best.  Plant breeding does have opportunities for travel.  Besides putting out research plots over a wide area, to see how a potential variety performs in multiple environments, there are opportunities to attend scientific meetings in various places around the world.  Most of the jobs are in more rural areas, naturally, but many jobs tend to be centered around cities like St. Louis or Des Moines (headquarters for two of the bigger seed companies), or college towns.  Job prospects are pretty good right now, especially if you have molecular genetics training to go along with classical genetics training.  Average salary tends to be better with companies than universities starting out, but there is a  higher level of stability with universities.  During the winter, there are meetings, data analysis, greenhouse crossing activities or winter nurseries ( often in the southern hemisphere if working for a North American company).

Answer 2

I know that some agronomists can travel. If you try hard enough, you can do whatever you want. Just keep in mind a lot of research positions will need at least a Master's, if not a Ph.D degree. My mom's coworker has a daughter that is an agronomist and she works for the state of South Dakota- she makes quite a bit of money and she also really likes her job. I also have a friend that's an agronomist in Minneapolis/St.Paul MN- so yeah, there are some chances for urban work in the agronomy field. Work in Hawaii sounds really cool! Maybe you could even get an internship there? A lot of colleges have overseas internships they can get you set up with- could you look into that possibly? Good luck!