A study by the Missouri Agriculture Foundation and the University of Missouri Extension is projecting 13,000 annual job openings in ag over the next decade. MU Extension’s Mark White says Missouri’s agriculture industry is a mix of ag focused jobs like farming and jobs indirectly tied to ag, such as accounting.
White says that pipeline for jobs includes programs like 4-H and FFA that foster interest in the ag sector.
White says businesses like large meat processors have struggled to find employees, pushing them towards automation to fill those jobs. He says the COVID-19 pandemic has sped up that process.