Agricultural Scientists

Employers

According to the Department of Labor, in May 2023, approximately 15,800 soil and plant scientists, 14,100 food scientists and technologists, and 2,460 animal scientists were employed in the United States. Agricultural scientists work primarily in education and manufacturing and for federal, state, and local governments. They work within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, regional extension agencies, and soil conservation departments. Scientists with doctorates may work on the faculty of colleges and universities. Researchers work for chemical and pharmaceutical companies, agribusiness, and consulting firms. Agricultural scientists also work in the food processing industry.

Starting Out

Agricultural scientists are often recruited before graduation. College and university career services offices offer job information, and students may arrange interviews with recruiters who visit the campus.

Direct application may be made to the personnel departments of colleges and universities, private industries, and nonprofit research foundations. People interested in positions with the federal government may contact the local offices of state employment services and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (https://www.usajobs.gov) or federal government one-stop career centers located in various large cities throughout the country. Private employment agencies are another method that might be considered. Large companies sometimes conduct job fairs in major cities and advertise them in local newspapers' business sections.