Agriculture as a college major?

[buckeyefarmer]

Found out recently there are student loan forgiveness programs. If you go to work for certain govt jobs, they forgive your loans as part of their compensation.

 

[ih330]

My experience. Grew up on a part-time 80-acre farm in Minnesota, beef cow/calf, hay & row crops. BS Agricultural Business/Economics, and MS Journalism & Mass Communication both from Iowa State University, Ames Iowa. 30-year-plus career includes working for USDA in three different Iowa field offices (great small town lifestyle). Working for public relations/advertising agencies in Chicago, Cedar Rapids and Minneapolis. 22 years working in brand-&-product management for three different ag equipment manufacturers plus a 6-year-stint with a feed ingredients manufacturer. Opportunities provided have included working with some wonderful customers, great colleagues and products; international travel to Canada, Germany and Japan; and receiving the Honorary America FFA Degree.

 

[oosik]

Found out recently there are student loan forgiveness programs. If you go to work for certain govt jobs, they forgive your loans as part of their compensation.

Yes - my next door neighbor's son got a degree in Ag Science and worked for USDA for five years to pay of his student loan. It was a situation that was entered into before he started college. It was a good deal for him - he got his loan paid off - it was a good job - he didn't have to eat dirt for five years - he didn't get rich but he got excellent experience in the field of his choice. At the end of the five years he was promoted into some kind of regional agricultural specialist position.

 

[smstonypoint]

BS Agricultural Business/Economics

That makes at least two of us.

Did you have a class under Earl Heady?

Did the faculty ever discuss the "butter versus margarine" issue at Iowa State (https://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1168&context=annals-of-iowa)?


Steve

 

[bigtiller]

Yes - my next door neighbor's son got a degree in Ag Science and worked for USDA for five years to pay of his student loan. It was a situation that was entered into before he started college. It was a good deal for him - he got his loan paid off - it was a good job - he didn't have to eat dirt for five years - he didn't get rich but he got excellent experience in the field of his choice. At the end of the five years he was promoted into some kind of regional agricultural specialist position.

Excellent!!!

 

[MossRoad]

Found out recently there are student loan forgiveness programs. If you go to work for certain govt jobs, they forgive your loans as part of their compensation.

Yes, I've heard of that too. My oldest kid is looking into it. One of them is if you work for a not-for-profit for X years you can get the loan forgiven, as I recall.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Former coworkers wife is a lawyer, getting her loans paid for..

 

[smstonypoint]

This thread came to mind when I read the following item.

Janitorial Studies in South Korea, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty

Steve

 

[om21braz]

Both my son and his wife graduated from NC State with BS in ag-related fields. Both are currently employed locally. Son is golf course superintendent and daughter-in-law is FFA teacher. If they would have been willing to stay in Raleigh or move elsewhere, many opportunities were open to both right after graduating. Just getting the education these days seems to be key, otherwise options are limited. There were several graduating with them that were going to be full-time farmers. I wish your son the best in his choices - but AG in general appears to have a good future.