Agricultural Consultants

The work of agricultural consultants is, naturally, heavily dependent on the employment of farmers and farm managers, and the U.S. Department of Labor predicts employment for these workers to decline by 5 percent through 2032. As farms consolidate and there are fewer families, the need for agricultural consultants may also decline. However, consultants may find opportunities working with rural nonfarming families and various suburban and city residents interested in specialty areas such as urban horticulture and gardening. Over the past decade, the public's growing desire for organic, locally grown food has enabled owners of small farms to sell directly to customers through regular farmers' markets and community-supported agriculture cooperatives, especially in urban areas. Agricultural consultants are vital in educating farmers about these opportunities.

As the farming industry becomes more complex, consultants with the most thorough education and training will have the best job prospects. The idea of agricultural consulting programs is spreading to many foreign countries. Job opportunities may come from a need for U.S. county and federal agents to assist their counterparts in other countries in setting up and operating agricultural consulting programs.