PPB February 2021

Fastest-Growing Jobs In Agriculture Farmers’ Market Facts • In 2019, the U.S. was home to 8,140 farmers’ markets • Most markets operate June through September • 21 percent of markets operate all year • Fruits and vegetables comprise the most common food category at farmers’ markets, with 99.6 percent of markets selling produce Sources: National Agricultural Statistics Service, Agricultural Statistics Board, USDA How Much Do People Spend On Food? In 2019, food accounted for 13 percent of American households’ total expenditures, ranking third behind housing (32.8 percent) and transportation (17.1 percent). Source: USDA Economic Research Service Online Grocery Shopping Surges In 2019, most shoppers (81 percent) never shopped for groceries online, according to Gallup. Then, online shopping accounted for about three percent of all grocery sales, or about $1.2 billion, according to Brick Meets Click/ Mercatus. In June 2020, online grocery sales had already hit $7.2 billion. The agriculture field isn’t just ripe with farmers and ranchers—millions of people work in an agriculture- related field, such as food science or agricultural engineering. According to CareerAddict, about one in 12 American jobs exists in a field related to agriculture. See below for some of the field’s high- growth jobs, including their average annual salary. Agricultural lawyer $115,820 Agricultural economist $104,920 Biochemist $91,190 Environmental engineer $86,800 Bioinformatics scientist $80,200 Agronomy sales manager $76,470 Agricultural engineer $74,480 Food scientists $71,990 Animal geneticists $68,840 Agricultural operations manager $61,080 Agritourism Continues To Grow Many travelers are opting to experience daily life on the farm over relaxing at a five-star hotel. According to Future Market Insights, agritourism—which involves touring agricultural areas to view farms and often participate in farming activities—is on the rise. The market is projected to grow 11 percent between 2019 and 2029, reaching $622 billion over the next eight years. Help Wanted According to the Census of Agriculture, the agriculture industry needs young workers. The age of the average farmer is 59.4, with only nine percent of all U.S. farmers age 35 or younger. Younger generations do not often pursue farming for a variety of reasons, including heavy physical demand, unequal work-life balance and a steep upfront investment in machinery. Promotional products distributors can work with farmers and ranchers to address these concerns and educate prospective workers about agricultural careers. Connecting With Kids With promotional products, organizations such as the National 4-H Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) can help spark an interest in agriculture with young people. 4-H serves every county and parish in the U.S. and collaborates with independent programs to empower more than one million youth in 50 countries. AFBF is the nation’s largest grassroots organization of farm and ranch families. The group serves people in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The Top Challenges Farmers Face Through campaigns and programs that educate, modernize and create awareness, promotional products distributors can help farmers address these top-seven issues: 1. Cope with climate change, soil erosion and biodiversity loss 2. Satisfy consumers’ changing tastes and expectations 3. Meet rising demand for more food of higher quality 4. Invest in farm productivity 5. Adopt and learn new technologies 6. Stay resilient against global economic factors 7. Inspire young people to stay in rural areas and become future farmers Source: Sygenta Global Madlen / Shutterstock.com | FEBRUARY 2021 | 47 GROW