Farmer
Farming is one of the noble professions in the world. They are responsible for serving food to the world, by producing grains, eggs, dairy products and meat. The job of farmer is physically demanding and extremely challenging. Though it is one of the difficult careers to pursue, it is enjoyed by millions of people across the world.
American farmers run some of the highly prolific farms in the world. Most of the farmers also sell their produce to some foreign countries. As farming is complex business which involves production of grains to selling it in the market, most of the farmers use computers and advanced machinery in entire process. Famers also have to supervise their workers, as during busy seasons a farm may need more than 200 workers.
To become a successful farmer, it is necessary to understand nature of career. The compensation is often less, hours are long, work is extremely hard and there are very few thanks. One must be self motivated and disciplined to run his farm successfully. The best thing to do is to work with some other farm for initial years. Learn as much as you can about utilization of machinery, how to care for crops and animals and keep in touch with other farms in your territory. After getting some experience you able to decide whether farming is right career option for you.
Requirement: Students who want to become farmer must enroll for some classes in biology, agriculture and life sciences. Farmers must aware about plant disease, crops and growing conditions of grain to take right decisions. Some farms also provide apprentice programs for novice farmers. A fundamental knowledge of animal care and veterinary science is essential for dairy and livestock farming. Farmers should be efficient while using tools, machinery and fixing things. Besides this, they must have some business skills and know about bookkeeping and accounting. Resolving conflict and managing people is also important, if one has to run his farm successfully. Most of the people learn about farming while growing up their own family farm. Some learn in farming clubs such as 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA).
Payment: The income of farmers varies from year to year. It may show profit in one year but loss in next year. Farmers usually get some government subsidies to meet their expenses and reduce risk in initial investment. Some farmers work in other people's farm and earn salary. During May 2008, the average yearly income of farm manager was around $62,000 in US.
Some universities and colleges in Missouri which offer curriculum in the field of Agriculture include -
Associate:
- Missouri State University-West Plains
Bachelor's Degree:
- Lincoln University
- Missouri State University-Springfield
- Southeast Missouri State University
- Truman State University
Master Degree:
- Northwest Missouri State University
In next few years, low prices of goods will force some farmers to go out of the business. Small farms will be integrated into bigger farms. The number of farm workers who work for somebody else is estimated to decline in coming years.