Agriculture Grads in High Demand

Many Grads are Interested in Day-to-Day Farming

By Jessica Theisman, Associate Editor

There is a big demand for college graduates with agricultural degrees, especially in plant and crop sciences. California Ag Today spoke with Shannon Douglass, first vice president of the California Farm Bureau Federation and a recruiter for CalAJobs, about the need for agriculture grads.

Shannon Douglass, First VP of California Farm Bureau Federation and recruiter for CalAgJobs

“I often encourage people to minor in crop science,” Douglas said.

If you are a business major, having some background in crop science is beneficial. As a farm manager, understanding the crops are going to be vital.

“I encouraged animal science majors to think about getting a minor in crop science to understand what we are feeding those animals that they are studying, because that is a huge piece of California agriculture,” Douglass said.

Everything from agronomy and soil science to irrigation and pest control management are vital. Many college graduates are interested in being involved in the day-to-day farming operation.

“I talked to a class at Chico State a couple of weeks ago, and there are a lot of young people that they really want to be in the farming,” Douglass said.

Many students do not want to be in sales, but a large majority would like to be the farmers themselves.

“I really encourage them that you can absolutely be a day-to-day farmer and not necessarily a farm owner,” she said.

Douglass is also a recruiter for CalAgJobs.

“It is a private company, and we work with internships as a grant-funded project. In fact, it is completely free for both the employer and the student to use,” she explained.

These internships are a tool in helping to get those that are in college to look at these ag careers, particularly in specialty crops and crop science overall. Internships can be a wonderful gateway into long-term careers.

“The second part of our website is a classified type job-posting service,” she said.

CalAgJobs uses social media and targeting along with a weekly email.

“Another part of our business is the recruitment services that we offer. We work with employers who need more help on some of these really tough to fill jobs,” Douglass said.

CalAgJobs does their best to help fill those employment opportunities to help others run their farms.

For more information on internships or job postings, visit CalAgJobs.com.

California Ag Today2018-06-27T16:27:37-07:00June 27th, 2018|

Seek out CalAgJobs for Opportunities

Job Possibilities in Agriculture

By Jessica Theisman, Associate Editor

California Ag Today recently spoke with Shannon Douglass, co-owner and recruiter for CalAgJobs. She spoke about the job possibilities in agriculture and the vast amount of positions.

“There are a ton of great jobs in agriculture, especially for people coming right out of school or even those high school students right now that are thinking about what their career options might be after college,” Douglass said.

CalAgJobs wants all to consider the opportunities available in agriculture. Technology is now a huge part of agriculture that is being implemented all over.

“There is a lot of opportunity for people who want to work in food production, that in some ways, that aren’t necessarily in the field. There are a whole lot of people supporting the farmer these days,” Douglass explained. “Not all high paying agricultural jobs require a college degree. It all depends on the goal of the company and the variety of jobs. There is a lot of work in the technical trade field, from welding to any type of mechanist experience. There is also opportunities for those who have production experience but do not have a degree.”

Although you do not need one, having a degree is beneficial for a variety of positions.

“There is a lot of opportunities to people that do have a degree somewhere related to crop or soil science or agronomy,” Douglass said. “All across the spectrum, we have opportunities for people in agriculture with great long-term career opportunities.”

For more information: https://calagjobs.com/

California Ag Today2018-02-06T16:26:41-08:00January 25th, 2018|

CalAgJobs: Big industry Needs

CalAgJobs Connects Job Seekers

By Brian German, Associate Broadcaster

The men and women in the California agriculture industry help provide food to consumers all around the world. That makes it even more important to prepare the next generation of farmers and ranchers to fill that role.

Shannon Douglass is the Director of Outreach at CalAgJobs – a company that connects those looking for ag careers with employers who are looking to find long-term team members. Some people think about agriculture in terms of being a shrinking industry, but Douglass explained that California agriculture is as vibrant as ever. “Farms themselves are getting larger, and we need people who are those professionals, who can help the farmers and help those farms continue,” she said.

Throughout the state, agricultural companies face unique needs that require specialized knowledge. CalAgJobs was established with a goal to link passionate and qualified people with great ag careers. “We think it’s really important to be encouraging people in college, especially, to be looking at internships in agriculture so eventually they’ll look at those jobs,” Douglass said.

The team at CalAgJobs believe that agriculture is more than just a job – it’s a way of life. Douglass indicated that a tremendous number of opportunities available for those who are interested in studying agriculture. “We end up with about 4.5 job opportunities for every crop science grad in California; especially in crop science, the jobs are huge,” Douglass said.

To search for employment using CalAgJobs, go to their website here.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-12-31T12:14:17-08:00December 31st, 2016|