High School

In high school, you should take social studies, laboratory science (biology, chemistry, and physics), mathematics, and, if possible, agriculture, marketing, and business classes. English and composition will be particularly helpful since oral and written communications are central to the work of the agribusiness technician. Also, take computer science classes to familiarize yourself with this technology. Computers are often used in record-keeping and production planning.

Postsecondary Training

After completing high school, training in a two-year agricultural or technical college is necessary. Many colleges offer associates degrees in agribusiness or agricultural management. The programs concentrate on basic economic theory, management analysis, practical problem solving, and intensive communication training, such as public speaking and report writing.

Typical first-year courses in an agricultural or technical college include English, biology, health and physical education, introductory animal husbandry, accounting principles, agricultural economics, microbiology, botany, introductory data processing, soil science, and business principles.

Typical second-year courses include marketing agricultural commodities, farm management, social science, agricultural finance, agricultural marketing institutions, forage and seed crops, personnel management, and agricultural records and taxation.

Other Education or Training

The Agricultural and Applied Economics Association offers continuing education sessions at its annual meeting. Recent topics have included household food waste trends, the use of machine learning and big data, climate change, biofuels, land use and water resource issues, and business economics. Contact the association for more information.

Certification and Licensing

There are no certification or licensing requirements for agribusiness technicians.

Aspiring agribusiness technicians should obtain experience (internships, volunteering, employment) in agriculture and business to prepare for the field.

You must work well with others, including delegating responsibility and establishing friendly relations with farmers, laborers, and company managers. You must be able to analyze management problems and make sound decisions based on your analysis. You must have excellent oral and written communication skills: Technicians are expected to present written and oral reports, offer comments and advice clearly, and, when necessary, train other workers for a particular job.