Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources
Are you comfortable working on farms and with animals?
Then you should consider a career in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources.
We only have one planet, with over 7 billion people living here. Everyone needs to eat, and everyone has the right to enjoy the outdoors. Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources focuses on creating sustainable methods to grow and produce food to feed our population while protecting the environment for generations to come.
As our population grows, our farmers and livestock producers are leveraging technology and implementing best practices to produce and grow more food with limited land, grain, water, and energy sources.
There is an increased demand for workers to support the technology, machinery, and power systems that support our ever-growing agribusiness industries.
As we place more demands and stress on our land, forests, and waters, there are new careers in helping monitor, maintaining, and improve our environment so that we don't destroy the only planet we have.
Agribusiness & Food Production Systems
Agribusiness today combines different farming methods, varieties in soil and climate, crop rotation, irrigation and fertilization, as well as finance and operations. Food production facilities convert crops into marketable and consumable food for purchase.
Jobs In Demand:
- Agribusiness Manager
- Agricultural Operations
- Farmer
- Food Scientist
- Grain Manager
- Soil and Plant Scientist
Next Ten Years
- 4.4% Job Growth
- 1,138 New Job Openings
- Source: WORKnet Wisconsin
Annual Salary Range
| Experience Level | Salary Range |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level | $25,235 |
| Average | $44,315 |
| Experienced | $51,220 |
| Source: WORKnet Wisconsin | |
Animal Systems
Livestock production helps to increase the productivity of producing meat, eggs, and dairy products. With the limited supply of land, grain food, and water, implementing best practices, the latest technology, and conservation has become critical to the future of Animal Systems.
Jobs in Demand:
- Animal Breeder
- Dairy Farmer
- Livestock Production Specialist
- Rancher
- Veterinarian
Next Ten Years
- 2.8% Job Growth
- 247 New Job Openings
- Source: WORKnet Wisconsin
Annual Salary Range
| Experience Level | Salary Range |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level | $22,720 |
| Average | $37,680 |
| Experienced | $46,645 |
| Source: WORKnet Wisconsin | |
Plants, Natural Resources, and Environmental Service Systems
A wide spectrum of industries, from agribusiness to construction employ environmental engineers, scientists, and technicians to maintain a balance between industry growth and environmental preservation and sustainability.
Jobs in Demand:
- Environmental Scientist
- Forest and Conservation Technician
- Park Ranger
- Resource Engineer
- Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist
Next Ten Years
- 6.8% Job Growth
- 1,088 New Job Openings
- Source: WORKnet Wisconsin
Annual Salary Range
| Experience Level | Salary Range |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level | $26,640 |
| Average | $26,640 |
| Experienced | $47,475 |
| Source: WORKnet Wisconsin | |
Power, Structural, and Technical Systems
Workers in the Power, Structural, and Technical Systems career pathways keep the farming machines, food production lines, and power systems running. Advancements in agribusiness technology are creating new careers and that require newly learned skill-sets.
Jobs in Demand:
- Agricultural Engineer
- Agricultural Equipment Operator
- Farm Equipment Mechanic
- Geological and Petroleum Technician
- Heavy Equipment Mechanic
Next Ten Years
- 7.7% Job Growth
- 329 New Job Openings
- Source: WORKnet Wisconsin
Annual Salary Range
| Experience Level | Salary Range |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level | $23,145 |
| Average | $34,120 |
| Experienced | $46,645 |
| Source: WORKnet Wisconsin | |
Pathway Specific Courses
| Course Number | Course Name | Department | Pathway | Prerequisite | Suggested Grade Level(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3470 | Anatomy & Physiology I | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Completion of Honors Biology (3221) or Biology (3220) | 10, 11, 12 |
| 3480 | Anatomy & Physiology II | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Completion of Honors Biology (3221) or Biology (3220) | 10, 11, 12 |
| 3490 | AP Biology | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Successful completion of Biology (3220) or Honors Biology (3221) and Chemistry (3330) or Honors Chemistry (3331) | 11, 12 |
| 3530 | AP Chemistry | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Successful completion of Chemistry (3330) or Honors Chemistry (3331) | 11, 12 |
| 3420 | AP Environmental Science | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Successful completion of Biology (3220) or Honors Biology (3221) with a B or higher. Strongly recommend completion or concurrent enrollment in Chemistry (3330) or Honors Chemistry (3331) | 10, 11, 12 |
| 3650 | AP Physics | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Physics (3620) or Honors Physics (3621), and concurrent registration with AP Calculus BC | 11, 12 |
| 3220 | Biology | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | None | 9 |
| 3330 | Chemistry | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Completion of Biology (3220) or Honors Biology(3221) and completion or concurrent enrollment in Accelerated Geometry (2220) or higher. | 10, 11, 12 |
| 8550 | College CEA (Civil Engineering & Architecture) PLTW | Technology & Engineering | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Intro. to Engineering Design (IED 8510), or Instructor Permission. Also, concurrently enrolled in a college preparatory math course; must meet college eligibility requirements to take for college credit. | 10, 11, 12 |
| 3410 | Environmental Science | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Successful completion of Biology (3220) or Honors Biology (3221) | 10, 11, 12 |
| 5110 | French 1 | World Languages | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | None | 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| 3430 | Geology | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | None | 10, 11, 12 |
| 3221 | Honors Biology | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Recommendation of current science teacher and meets science benchmark score on standardized tests | 9 |
| 3621 | Honors Physics | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Completion of or concurrent registration in Honors Algebra II with Trigonometry (2250) | 10, 11, 12 |
| 3560 | Materials Science | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Completion of Chemistry (or Honors Chemistry), or C or higher in Principles of Chemistry and Physics (both semesters) | 11, 12 |
| 3550 | Organic Chemistry | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Successful completion of Chemistry (3330) or Honors Chemistry (3331) | 11, 12 |
| 3620 | Physics | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Successful completion of Algebra II (2340) or concurrent registration in Algebra II/Trigonometry (2250) | 10, 11, 12 |
| 3405 | Zoology & Botany | Science | Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources | Successful completion of Biology (3220) or Honors Biology (3221) | 10, 11, 12 |