Keeping Agriculture Great…Tips for Attracting Quality Talent
Compiled by the AGRI-SEARCH Team

The secret to keeping American agriculture the leader in feeding a hungry world lies in attracting new talent into our industry. Over the next decade, this will be especially important to replace a large number of retiring ag professionals.

Following are just a few conversation starters we can use to help attract quality talent to agriculture:

1. “Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man.” – George Washington
2. Did you eat today? Then you participate in agriculture. That is because agriculture is the basic source of the food supply for every country in the world.
3. Agricultural products make up the raw materials for numerous products we all use every day: food, shelter, clothing and many others.
4. Agriculture is a stable industry the world cannot live without; it isn’t going anywhere (not even in a pandemic). The population continues to grow and so does the need for food and drink to satisfy every hungry mouth.
5. People in agriculture are passionate about what they get to do to feed the world. There is also a degree of trust and integrity that many industries no longer have. Typically, in agriculture your word and a handshake still mean something.
6. Agriculture offers great opportunities to be outdoors, work with your hands, and watch the hand of God impact each crop year in a unique way.
7. Agriculture is a broad field with endless career opportunities. No matter what your talents or career interests are, agriculture has a career path for you. There is no skillset that is not needed.
8. There is a huge need to keep up with and advance science to meet the world’s demand for more and higher quality food. If you are interested in engineering and technology, agriculture has a spot for you.
9. Agriculture is family oriented. Even with the busy seasons, ag careers often offer more flexibility during the off season to spend time with family.
10. Feeding the world is truly agriculture’s mission. The U.S. annually exports more food and fiber than we import. In 2019, American farmers exported about $134.5 billion worth of products and in 2020 US ag exports are expected to hit $137 billion. What a story to be a part of!