Why is there a slowdown in ag careers?

Workforce recruiters are having a hard time placing workers in rural America. On the service side, they say jobs are plentiful, but applications are few and far between.

“They think it’s an unglamorous job, possibly. They want to be more involved in a sales role or management, but like anywhere else, I think the place to be in employment right now is in service, whether it’s the retail agronomy, whether it’s starting as a technician at an implement dealership, if you have the training and skills, you can advance quickly in that industry or outside of Ag, like electricians, those types of things, are also service repair work where we’re always going to need them,” said Tammy Jensen, president of AgriCareers Inc.

Jensen encourages young farmers to stick with it and to always be willing to do more. Right now, the average age of the U.S. farmer is around 60 years old.

Related Stories
The Fertilizer Research Act, reintroduced by Sens. Grassley, Ernst, and Baldwin, would direct the USDA to study and publish public reports on competition and pricing trends in the fertilizer market.
U.S. aquaculture may gain competitive ground as harmful subsidies are phased out abroad, but producers should monitor shifts in import supply chains and trade enforcement closely.
Producers may need to prepare for margin pressure in livestock feeding, while dairy farmers could benefit from stronger product demand.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today issued a new memorandum to modernize and strengthen America’s wildfire prevention and response system.
National Sorghum Producers CEO Tim Lust said farmers face a challenging year with strong supply, murky trade conditions, and uncertain access to their largest market: China.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

We spotlight a student from Illinois who is helping to launch a middle school chapter and teaching younger students about the impact of agriculture in their communities.
FarmHER Annaliese Wegner joined us to dish about her episode of Dirt Diaries, talk about her own podcast, and other exciting moments ahead for Ag’s Most Okayest Farm Girls.
AFBF Associate Economist Samantha Ayoub joins us to dive into H-2A visa program changes and what can be done to ease the pressure on producers.
As the government shutdown pushes the farm economy closer to the brink, Sens. Grassley and Ernst of Iowa are raising their voices for agriculture.