News_

Agriculture careers

Harvest your career opportunities with us

Whether you'd like to join the forefront of agricultural research or improve food security to make the planet a better place, studying agriculture will give you highly sought-after skills for a huge range of careers.

Is agriculture a good career choice?

Agriculture is a good career choice if you're interested in food, fibre, bioenergy, supply chains, agribusiness, and protecting the environment. According to Graduate Careers Australia, agriculture is a major contributor to the Australian national economy. Its 126,000 full-time farmers annually produce $137 billion worth of product, which is 12 percent of Australia’s gross domestic product. Agriculture and its related industries support 1.6 million Australian jobs.

The skills I picked up from my degree such as laboratory skills, statistical analysis, disease and weed identification to name a few, I use every day in my job.

Georgia Readett, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture alumna

Georgia Readett, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture alumni. — Georgia Readett, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture alumna

"A Bachelor of Science in Agriculture is a demanding course but certainly a rewarding one. Like in any science degree, the practicals are long but the most enjoyable part of the course, especially if you are a practical learner like me. Some of the practicals were off campus at the University of Sydney farms," explains Georgia.

What are the career opportunities in agriculture?

In Australia, most of the careers opportunities in agriculture are in the private sector, including agribusinesses, private consultancies and laboratories. There are also some graduate positions in CSIRO, state and federal government departments. Overseas, there are opportunities in government departments of agriculture, non-government organisations (NGOs), agribusiness and CGIAR.

Agriculture careers - tech — Produce needs to be marketed, processed, packaged, transported and sold.

Agricultural employment opportunities

Production
Employment can be directly on farms or in agribusinesses that service farms. These include farm consultants, agribusiness, commodity market services and financial or banking advice.
Research
Australia’s productivity is driven by research and development, which ranges from plant and animal breeding, pest, weed and disease management, nutrition, farm systems to farm business economics.
Natural resource management
Farmers are our frontline environmentalists, they dedicate a huge amount of resources managing pests and weeds, soil, natural vegetation and water.
Food services
Farm production is only the beginning, most commodities need to be marketed, processed, packaged, transported and sold.
Education and training
Knowledge and skills development through schools, universities and adult education.
Policy
People with agricultural knowledge are sought in the public and private sectors for policy formulation and management, including trade policy, biosecurity, industry policy and commercial advice.

What's the starting salary in agriculture?

The starting salary as an agriculture graduate generally starts around $50-60,000 p.a. and this quickly increases to >$70,000 p.a. with 2 to 3 years of experience.

Online resources for money matters

What qualifications do I need for agriculture?

Change the world by undertaking an agriculture and food course. Develop expertise in the multidisciplinary world of agriculture, as you examine how living systems are managed, how they interact with the environment, and how they contribute to our economic and social systems.

Undergraduate courses