Business and Management
The Business and Management cluster includes business and management jobs throughout all stages of the food and agriculture value chain, from agricultural inputs and production to food wholesaling and distribution, including the management of renewable natural resources.
In the United States between 2025 and 2030, expect an average of 42,855 annual job openings in business and management with application in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and the environment; and 16,715 graduates with FARNRE business and management degrees entering the food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and environment workforce. Approximately 41% of all FARNRE-related position openings are in Business and Management, making it the largest of the four employment clusters. On an annual basis, food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and the environment graduates will fill 39.0% of available positions in this cluster, with 26.3% (11,276) filled by graduates from allied fields of study, and the remaining 34.7% (14,863) filled by graduates in other fields, more allied graduates than have typically taken FARNRE jobs, and/or those without a degree (Figure 10).
Observations and Trends: Business and Management
Between 2025 and 2030, employment opportunities in business and management are projected to remain the largest share of FARNRE job openings, averaging 42,855 openings per year and accounting for roughly 41 percent of all FARNRE positions. Roughly 39% of business and management cluster openings are expected to be filled by FARNRE graduates, with the remaining 61% being filled by allied fields, other non-allied majors, or those without a degree.
Demand will remain particularly strong for general managers, operations leaders, financial analysts and risk managers as firms adapt to the ever-changing FARNRE economic environment. Technical sales and service specialists will continue to see favorable prospects, especially where solutions combine equipment, inputs and digital tools.
Employers also seek managers who have strong data management and analytics skills to improve decision-making. Nearly 44% (Table 1) of available job positions scraped for this report list data skills as needed (required or preferred) for the role. The theme of data carries over into the marketing and e-commerce roles as these roles are expected to utilize digital platforms, with performance marketing and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems driving hiring trends. New graduates will need to have strong data skills, even in sales roles, in order to make an immediate impact.
Table 1. Skills Mentionad in Job Postings
| Skills Mentioned in Job Posting | Percent of Total Jobs Mentioning the Skill |
|---|---|
| Experience | 95.8% |
| Leadership | 89.3% |
| Communications | 82.3% |
| Education | 82.1% |
| Teamwork | 64.0% |
| Travel | 59.1% |
| Microsoft | 53.4% |
| Quantitative skills | 46.2% |
| Data | 43.9% |
| Public speaking | 41.7% |
| Critical thinking | 28.5% |
| Remote work | 18.5% |
| Programming skills | 12.9% |
Growth is also projected in project management and supply chain management positions, as companies continue to develop more robust supply chain strategies. Consulting and advisory services are likely to expand as food and agribusiness firms seek expertise in a variety of business topics such as transition planning, marketing, and financial management. Because a majority of these positions are filled by allied business graduates, agricultural graduates who complement their training with business analytics or industry certifications will be particularly competitive. Conversely, allied fields who are in competitive industries could benefit from getting experience in agriculture as 95% of the job postings in agriculture mention experience as a desired qualification.
Summary of Business and Management
- Expect continued strength in general management, operations and financial roles, with expansion in risk analytics, credit and insurance driven by a more volatile commodity, trade and interest-rate environment.
- Sales and key account roles remain numerous, especially where solutions integrate equipment, inputs, software and services into bundled value propositions. Data skills, including CRM systems, will be required for sales roles moving forward.
- Marketing and e-commerce hiring should keep shifting toward performance marketing, content strategy and CRM/marketing-automation — blending commercial savvy with light data analytics.
- Data skills (dashboarding, Key Performance Indicator [KPI] design, applied forecasting) will be prioritized as firms scale digital marketing and focus on supply chain logistics.
- Demand for project and product managers will increase as agricultural technology vendors and input manufacturers expand platform features and partnerships.
- Procurement and supply chain management roles will gain prominence with shifting geographical needs and logistics risk.
- Consulting and advisory service positions should grow as firms and farmers need services related to transition planning, financial management and marketing.