Agribusiness technicians Job Description: Duties, Education, Training and Certification Requirements, Job Outlook and Salary
Submitted by: Gypsy Santiago
Job Overview: Agribusiness technicians, who are also known as agricultural business technicians, work by combining their knowledge in business and agriculture to help companies with farms and other agricultural businesses. They can either represent farmers or farm production companies, or work under a company that sells agricultural products. Some technicians find work in banks, loan companies and other non-farm industries but provide financial assistance to farms.
Education, Training and Knowledge Requirements: Important courses in high school include chemistry, biology, physics, laboratory science, social studies, mathematics, agriculture, English, computer and business. You should then obtain a two-year or technical course in agriculture, agricultural management or agribusiness. To complete these courses, one will be required to complete subjects in animal husbandry, accounting, agricultural economics, botany, soil science, microbiology, business, data processing, agricultural marketing, taxation and finance, seed and forage crops, as well as farm management, among others.
Skills & Abilities: Technicians in this field must possess excellent interpersonal skills, effective written and verbal communication skills, management and leadership skills, sound judgment, problem-solving and analytical skills, teaching skills and ability to establish friendly relations with laborers, farmers and other employees within the company.
Duties: The job of agribusiness technicians vary widely, depending on the industry of the company they are employed in.
They may work directly in farms and agricultural companies to help with livestock, grain or dairy farm production. When these technicians choose business management, he/she will be responsible in overseeing budget, handling staff and supervising farms and other agricultural companies. For those good in marketing, a suitable job within this field is a farm sales representative, who is responsible for finding the best markets of the farm or company’s produce.
Agribusiness technicians also help in developing and setting up record-keeping systems, creating customized programs, and analyzing output in using computer programs. Some work in quality control (called agricultural quality control technician) and are usually employed by another company. Dairy production field contact technicians serve as the middleman of farms and dairy companies, while poultry field-service technicians represent food-processing companies and make sure farms comply with laws and agreements involving efficiency, sanitation, facilities and other factors.
Earnings & Job Outlook: Agricultural business technicians find work in commercial farms, credit unions, farm supply stores and equipment dealerships, credit institutions, banks, agricultural chemical companies, government agencies, federal lending institutions, grain elevators and fertilizer plants, among others. Employment in this field remains very good, since about 21% of the country’s labor force work in agriculture. In 2004, salaries of agribusiness technicians range between $22,000 and $41,000.
Gypsy Santiago is a professional resume writer and career search strategy/career branding coach with years of experience in assisting job seekers prepare for the job market. She helps create career-targeted resumes, provides useful tips about career transition, offers future career ideas and guide jobseekers about effective job search techniques.
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Word Count: 446 Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 Time: 3:52 AM
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