by our College Data Analytics TeamAre you interested in both the labor and management side of agriculture? Agricultural Production gives you the ability to have a hand in all aspects of farming operations.
A degree in Agricultural Production Operations will prepare you to be both a manager and a laborer. You will study operating systems, quality management, product design, supply chain management, and inventory control along with how to operate equipment and manage facilities and information. Some of your courses will cover accounting, human resources management, marketing, and business planning to prepare you to act as an operations manager. You will learn how to evaluate problems and risks and alleviate those in order to build a strong business.
This is a broad topic and, although it is possible to major in general Agricultural Production, often a school will offer different specialties that a student may concentrate on. Possible concentrations include Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production, Aquaculture, Crop Production, Dairy Husbandry and Production, Horse Husbandry/Equine Science and Management, Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture, and Viticulture and Enology.
A degree in Agricultural Production involves the study of Agricultural Production Operations. Continue reading for the important information every agricultural production major should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering agricultural production programs.
Across the country, agricultural production draws strong interest, with 3,608 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Agricultural Production Schools ranking analyzes these 246 schools to determine the best overall colleges for agricultural production students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of agricultural production programs later in this article.
Programs in Agricultural Production build a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations agricultural production graduates commonly enter.
As an Agricultural Production manager, you must understand all aspects of the farm, determine how to best raise crops or livestock, purchase supplies, maintain facilities, and keep financial, production, and employee records. This career requires a solid understanding of business and strong communication and customer service skills. You must be able to communication effectively with laborers and workers as well as customers. If you choose to work with livestock, you must have a background in animal science. Multi-tasking is also a required skill because you must be able to split your time between outdoor labor and office tasks.
Since this career requires work all over the farm, hours can be long. During planting and harvesting seasons, work days last from sun up to sun down. Other times of the year, days are spent maintaining the farm and repairing equipment. Work on livestock farms is consistent since the animals constantly need caring for. As a manager or supervisor, you will be expected to work long days to ensure everything on the farm is running smoothly.
Agricultural Production Operations managers typically gain experience working on a farm before rising to a management position. It is recommended that you gain experience through a summer job, internship, Co-op or work abroad program before pursuing a management position.
The skill set developed in a agricultural production program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
According to O*NET, a agricultural production major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several agricultural production degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 481 |
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 1,176 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 666 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 1,237 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 35 |
People currently working in careers related to agricultural production tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Master’s degree | 46.2% |
| Doctoral degree | 17.3% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 13.6% |
| Post-doctoral training | 6.8% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 4.7% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 3.2% |
| Less than a high school diploma | 2.9% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 2.5% |
| Some college courses | 1.3% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 1.0% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 0.3% |
| First professional degree | 0.1% |
See the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in agricultural production careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
Studying Agricultural Production will prepare you to manage and oversee all types of farming operations. Some people will choose to be self-employed and run their own farm while others work as managers or supervisors. Due to the ability of farms to increase output with fewer workers, this career is moderately declining and is expected to continue this trend, possibly making it difficult to find jobs.
A degree in agricultural production opens doors to many career paths. Here are some of the most common occupations related to agricultural production.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to agricultural production.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Farm and Home Management Educators | 1,304,119 | 14.0% |
| Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 497,622 | 4.3% |
| Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 297,433 | 4.5% |
| Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals | 232,282 | -1.5% |
| Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers | 231,384 | 14.7% |
| Conservation Scientists | 208,826 | 13.4% |
| Range Managers | 175,572 | 1.3% |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 172,528 | 3.7% |
The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of agricultural production graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $38,195 |
| 4 years | $41,174 |
| 5 years | $47,624 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for agricultural production graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers agricultural production grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Animal Scientists | $93,823 |
| Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers | $84,680 |
| Conservation Scientists | $81,436 |
| Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $79,966 |
| Park Naturalists | $76,516 |
| Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | $66,903 |
| Range Managers | $59,935 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | $59,587 |
With 246 different agricultural production programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased agricultural production school rankings to help you.
If you are interested in agricultural production, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | 9,051 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 8,612 |
| Animal Sciences | 8,295 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | 4,164 |
| Veterinary Medicine | 3,756 |
| Agriculture, General | 3,276 |
| Plant Sciences | 3,261 |
| Food Science and Technology | 2,269 |
| Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services | 1,424 |
| Agricultural Mechanization | 1,378 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
