Minnesota ranks 5th in the nation in agricultural products at $16.7 billion. Because of this, agricultural production and processing play a huge role in Minnesota’s economy. The agriculture industry in Minnesota exports around $7.1 billion worth of goods each year. Minnesota is also ranked in the top five for a lot of different agriculture categories, such as first in turkeys raised, second in hogs, third in soybeans, and first in sugar beet processing. Agriculture is so important to Minnesota that the Minnesota Dual Training Pipeline works with different agriculture producers to help determine what the workforce needs and to help create tools to address those needs.
If you are trying to get into agriculture, it's important to understand what you are getting into and what it entails. First, it's important to note that agriculture is the art and science of cultivating soil, growing crops, and raising livestock. The sector of U.S. agriculture extends way beyond farms and includes a wide range of farm-related businesses. An example of this is apparel. Any clothing that is related to animals is considered part of the food and agriculture industries. This sector isn’t the biggest of the seven, but it is an important one. The biggest sector of the seven is, of course, food services and eating and drinking places. These would include restaurants or food carts. These hold around 12 million jobs.
It’s no surprise that Minnesota is one of the top producers of food in the country. Three of the top 10 food companies in America are based here. This includes General Mills, Cargill, and Hormel. There is a deep diversity of farmers across the state. It’s important to note that because of this diversity, farmers are able to make a variety of choices about how and what they farm. Because of the constant changing of consumer demands, the number of organic farms has increased significantly (13% since 2011). The way people farm is also changing; since 2002, 223 Hmong farmers have started operations all around the Twin Cities area. This shows the fantastic diversity and how the area is constantly changing.
Agriculture is a great field in which anyone can find a job. With the constant demand for food and most people wanting the food they eat grown locally, working in agriculture is a great and sustainable job. More than 340,000 Minnesotans have jobs in agriculture. This number doesn’t seem to be shrinking anytime soon. With Minnesota seemingly growing year after year. You can expect that jobs will also continue to be needed. Some jobs to be on the lookout for are farmer, crop duster, or working in production. Companies constantly need people to help harvest and clean the crops. This would be a great way to get into the field while also doing a great job for the state.
At Boots on the Ground, we are a trusted staffing agency connecting veterans and immigrants in Minnesota with skilled blue-collar opportunities. To learn more about how you can get into the agriculture industry or how to help build a stronger workforce in Minnesota, get in contact with us today!