Careers in Agriculture

In Washington, the agriculture industry is responsible for creating nearly 36,000 jobs and contributes $7.4 billion dollars to the economy. Clearly there are many different job opportunities in the agriculture industry, but today we are going to focus on the job of an agronomist. Agronomists are also known as crop production specialists or crop scientists. Agronomists take on a variety of tasks like improving crop quality, consulting with farmers, analyzing soil, monitoring crop development, and researching. Just like a farmer, a day in the life of an agronomist is always changing! Agronomists frequently work alongside growers, so their schedules and job duties change based on the season. During the spring, agronomists communicate with farmers to help them grow the best crop possible. Other times of year may require more hands-on work in the field. When crops like potatoes are in the ground agronomists search vines for infection and disease then make recommendations to growers on whether or not to apply pesticides or fungicides. During growing season agronomists are also responsible for monitoring crop development by taking weekly samples of plant tissue and soil. This job requires a lot of critical thinking and can be very challenging but also rewarding. If you are interested in the agriculture field, maybe an agronomist position is perfect for you!