Agribusiness career discussion guide

Use this guide at any point in exploring the agribusiness career pathway. We recommend that students complete the Student Interest Survey on GrowNextGen to enhance classroom discussion.

Discussion questions

1. Professionals in this field are interested in helping farms be as profitable as they can be. They have a keen business sense, and work hard to maximize resources, efficiency and profit. What skills and interests do you have that might fit a career in agribusiness?

2. There are many ways to get involved in agribusiness, even before you graduate. You could join a school club, contact one of the GrowNextGen Industry Leaders, or help coordinate a field trip. Brainstorm several “next steps”, including courses you might take at your high school or career technical center.

3. Science and Math are important to careers in agribusiness. Make one connection between math or science, and agribusiness. For example, have you encountered statistical analysis in math class? How could the statistical analysis of data help you in a career as a farm operations manager?

Problem solving
Each career path contains unique problems to solve. Below are a sampling of real-world challenges that professionals in agribusiness may encounter.

1. Consumer demand dictates what goods and services sell best. What crops and goods could a farm cultivate that would appeal to our current culture?

2. What strategies and technologies can farms employ to streamline their operations, and turn the best profit for their goods? For example, a farm manager could employ data analysis tools to assess the farm’s profitability.

3. Agritourism is a growing sector of agriculture. How could a farm incorporate a profitable wing of agritourism into its operations, in addition to the goods and services it already provides?