Submitted by Cate Sprout, Staffing Manager, Human Resources, CHS Inc.
Contrary to what you may have recently read in the press, there is a big demand in the workforce for college graduates with agricultural degrees.
We see it every day as we work to recruit the best and brightest new graduates for the wide range of positions we have at CHS. We regularly hire ag grads with degrees in agronomy, plant science, business, ag economics, marketing, animal science and a wide array of related fields.
Our company, along with the agricultural industry, is growing. That growth mirrors Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers, which project jobs for agricultural and food science majors will grow by 16 percent between 2008 and 2018. That’s faster than the average for all occupations.
But it won’t be just industry growth driving the future demand for ag grads. Baby boomers will start to retire in the next few years. With nearly half of all ag workers now 55 years old or older, there will be a growing number of agricultural-related positions to fill in the coming decade.
CHS annually recruits for full-time positions and internships at 24 universities—both two- and four-year institutions—throughout our trade territory. For those graduates without much hands-on experience, we also hire trainees for 12- to 18-month programs in precision agricultural technologies, crop nutrient sales, grain terminal management, grain merchandising, cooperative management, and credit and finance.
For anyone with an interest in agriculture and a willingness to learn, the future looks very bright.
