Discover Careers in Agriculture!

In the next five years . . .

We will have more people retiring from the ag sector than incoming employees to fill their positions. What can we do about that?

Career Connections can help students with the following:

Introducing positions that are not traditional “ag” jobs
Locate and secure internships
Identify events and conferences that connect to a student’s chosen pathway
Provide opportunities to visit with industry professionals; to ask questions and learn more about educational commitments and work/life balance
Encourage students to split up when they go to conferences and meetings; to meet new people and not only make connections, but follow-up on those connections.

Are you an advisor or faculty member looking to get your students more involved in the ag industry?

Kansas Corn’s Career Connections team can provide an on-campus or virtual visit to give students an opportunity to learn about the corn industry and the multifaceted career paths it provides. Our program can also bring local industry professionals to your campus. Whether you’re looking to open minds in a classroom or at a club meeting, scheduling a Career Connections event can benefit you. The process is simple, fill out the request form below and let us help you plan the rest.

We had a great turnout and students took away some valuable information. Everyone that presented encouraged students to take more ag business classes and diversify more. It was nice to hear what others had done since graduation, and it was really cool to have some FHSU Grads available for the discussion.
- Stephanie Eckroat, Ellis County Collegiate Farm Bureau Coordinator

Career profiles feature professionals in the many sectors of the corn industry

Professional Career Profiles

Professionals from the corn and agriculture industries share their stories here! This is a great resource for students and educators. Simply choose a field of interest and read the profiles highlighting that person’s job, career path and advice for college students.

Agronomy

Katie Harness

Major:

I attended Western Illinois University, I majored in agronomy with a minor in animal sciences.

Job Overview:

I work for Frontier Ag Inc in western Kansas/eastern Colorado as a sales agronomist and precision ag specialist. I program for Frontier Ag Inc’s precision ag technology. I create management zones with veris cart data and satellite imagery, after assessing this data I then make a prescription for the field.

Looking back, which class do you believe was the most beneficial to your current career?

The most beneficial class I took was IPM which stands for integrated pest management. In this class, we did a lot of scouting and learned about all the different diseases, insects and weeds. This course allowed me to have some hands-on experience and helped me to better understand chemicals and their active ingredients.

Are there any classes that you wish you would have taken? What are they?

I wish I would have taken some extra plant breeding classes, I knew the basics but not the specifics. Knowing this topic better would have helped me out earlier in my career.

Tell me a little about how you “landed” your current job and the career pathway that led to it.

I had some internships throughout college where I gained more crop scouting experience. I started out after college as scale help with Frontier Ag Inc. Through this, I gained a perspective that allows me to see the company as a whole. One of the sales staff took me under their wing and trained me and helped me grow in the sales aspect, since I knew the agronomy. I then was able to manage my own territory and was doing well at that. During the time that precision technology was taking off, I was asked to facilitate and create the precision ag program. This has been a great opportunity for me to bring this program to life for Frontier Ag Inc.

What does an average day look like for you? What time do you get to work? Make it home? Any weekend work?

There are no typical days in my job, but most days I start around 7 a.m. and can get finished anywhere from 5-10 p.m. I make a list each day, and those things need to get done. Sometimes things do not go as expected and can take a little longer. My job is immensely rewarding, and I enjoy helping farmers each and every day.

Are there things that you wish you had known about your career path/current job before pursuing or accepting your current position?

My instructors prepared me well for the field, but I do think it is important to realize how many hours you will be fitting in. I have no set time off every day, and I realize that could be difficult for many.

What advice would you give to a college student interested in pursuing a career in your field?

I would tell college students to take internships and even take internships that are outside of your comfort zone. As a freshman, I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian, but after taking a crop scouting internship, I fell in love with this sector of agriculture. When I stepped outside of my comfort zone and took on an internship in a field I did not think I wanted to pursue, I was able to find what I truly enjoyed.

Lucas Haag

Job Description

My job title is Northwest Area Agronomist. I provide leadership for extension agronomy efforts in the 26 county area I’m in charge of in northwest and north-central Kansas. I work with producers, industry people and of course our local agents in being proactive in educating about current issues we see in crop production. One of the unique things about my job is I’m in a 100% extension appointment but with that I do a fair bit of applied research because we need that research in order to have something to talk about. Predominately my work is in corn, wheat, sorghum and emerging crops in the northwest area, such as field peas.

Education/Major

Precision agriculture is what I’m most passionate about. My undergraduate degree is from K-State from the College of Agriculture and I majored in Agricultural Technology Management (ATM). They don’t offer a graduate degree in ATM so following the field of precision ag the next step for me was to get a Masters degree in agronomy. After working in research for several years I decided to go back to campus and complete my Ph. D in agronomy with an emphasis in crop ecology from Kansas State University as well.

Most beneficial class

I think there was three classes I really find beneficial.

Intro to Ag Economics because having an understanding of what drives producers to grow a certain crop and knowing how microeconomics plays a role in how producers make decisions is important.
From the machinery side of things BAE 350, which was overall machinery systems design class. That was really good from a technical stand point.
Probably the other one was a natural resource economics class in the ag economics department. With water being the huge issue it is in Western Kansas, putting economics to the conservation or planned management of a shared natural resource is a very beneficial skill to have.

Class they wish they would have taken

I was able to sneak through grad school without taking biochemistry and I wish I would have actually taken that. We do a lot in terms of understanding plant water stress or heat stress, I have training in the physiology but it would be helpful to have a better understanding of the biochemistry involved.

Career Path

Throughout pursuing my undergrad, I helped pay for school by selling seed corn. Then I worked as a graduate research assistant during graduate school and worked for three years full time at the Tribune research station as the assistant scientist after getting my Master’s degree. I was managing trials and running field research on both dryland and irrigated cropland. And then as I was finishing my Ph.D. I applied for this job, interviewed and got it. I’m also still very involved in my family’s farming and ranching operation.

Piece of advice for college students

My piece of advice for college students would be don’t be afraid to take some coursework that’s a little bit outside of what you’re wanting or what your normal interests are. What I’ve learned is there’s other things you can learn from other industries or other segments of the ag industry. There’s always things we can learn, bring it them and apply it to our daily operations. I think there’s value in stretching the boundaries and taking some classes outside of our comfort zone. Also, get involved in clubs. I was active in the ATM club and the Rodeo club, both were great experiences that also forged lifelong friendships.

Kim Kohls

Education/Major

K-State, Masters- soybean inoculants – plant physiology
College of the Ozarks- Undergrad- general ag w/emphasis in agronomy and horticulture

Most beneficial class

All of my agronomy classes helped to get the broad knowledge- which has been very helpful in extension. Crop Physiology was important to me in learning how a plant responds and grows- It was my favorite class and definitely helps with what I do now. It has helped me to diagnose a problem in a field like yellowing or insect disease pressure.

Class they wish they would have taken

Doing some more within soils – I would like to have a better understanding. It can make or break what’s going on in the field. Biology- a few more plant or botany classes would have been good as well.

Career Path

Growing up on a farm I’ve always had a love for plants. That really directed my college courses and now career. My background on the farm gave me confidence to go into agriculture- I saw a lot of opportunities in agronomy.

I was a 4-Her so I have been around extension all my life. I didn’t see the crop side as much when I was young- but through my graduate work at K-State it gave me the whole picture of extension. I loved the teaching aspect- so those experiences added up to the interest in extension. Service for the community and strong focus on education is what ultimately drew me to that job.

Piece of advice for college students

Take advantage of as many opportunities are presented to you that peak an interest. Doing an internship is REALLY beneficial. Job shadow- if you want to ride along a field tours or see what I do- many people are okay with that. Don’t be afraid to ask- the answer isn’t always no. Get as many experiences as you can. Make goals early- Find what interests you and then explore what career options are within that interest. It’s never too early to start exploring what’s out there for careers

For those looking at careers in extension, for many it’s not always lifetime career, if you want to get a strong base in a lot of different things, extension is a great way to get a base knowledge. So many opportunities presented for continuing education. This will assist me moving forward even if it’s not in extension.

Commodities and Trade

Kyle Adams

Job Description:

Commodity marketing manager

Most beneficial class:

Commodities trading class- The set up of the class was really neat, we could purchase up to 3 shares, put in money, and make a recommendation to buy or sell. It gave me real life experience that you don’t always get.

Class they wish they would have taken:

Accounting – detailed advanced accounting classes are helpful in the business world as you are dealing with fiscal year end and other financial statements.

Career Path:

I grew up with my dad as a coop manager, and when I was younger worked for a dairy farmer with crop land. After taking a trading class & some other experiences I was drawn in to look at commodity marketing. I had an Internship with FCC now is FC Stone, they are a commodity brokerage company that works with coop and private elevators and I did a lot with hedging. My internship led to full time position.

FCC- 9 months

Leroy Coop Grain Division Manager 1.5 years

Cargill- Topeka- 6 years

Lyons- Kansas Coop 9 years

Piece of advice for college students:

Network and really get to know your classmates. It’s easy to go to class- but you will be surprised when you go to meetings down the road at how many of those same people you went to college with. If you network now you are setting yourself up to be successful in your career path.

Take a little while to figure out what you enjoy and what you’re good at.

Bill Holbrook

Education/Major

BS Agricultural Economics, MBA Finance

Most beneficial class

Trading in Commodity Futures

Class you wish you would have taken

Foreign Language

Career Path

Market analyst for Farmland Industries working with all business units (fertilizer, petroleum, feed, grain).

Piece of advice for college students

Pursue opportunities to learn about as many business aspects as possible, beyond your job description. Also, seek out mentors with the industry you are working.

Equipment

John Teeter

Job Description

I am Director of Operations and Branch Coordinator of the Ulysses location. My day to day job consists of many different layers. I work on new product development and work with each location’s branch manager to make sure that they are taken care of. I’m there for them to answer any questions they may have about their employees, equipment, jobs, service and any other need they have. I also go and visit customers to see what we can do to help them and better serve them as a business.

Education/Major

My Bachelor of Arts degree was in pastoral studies with leadership development and then my Master of Arts degrees in Christian studies with leadership development.

Most beneficial class

I would say the most beneficial class I took was on ethics in leadership and the philosophy of leadership behind the ethics. It has helped me to look at the whole picture of the business and realize how ethical leadership impacts ethical business. If you have people who are ethical in business you’ll have good relationships with customers and most importantly employees, because they are your number one asset. Customers may be “always right,” but if you don’t also take care of your employees then you can’t properly take care of your customers. And that’s just doing ethical business whether it’s in the irrigation world or your personal life at home.

Class they wish they would have taken

Classes that pertain to human resource development would probably be very helpful. In this job, you’re dealing with people, laws and paychecks. Some businesses are lucky to have a person or even a whole staff devoted to human resources but the average small business like ours you’re left to learn that yourself. I wish I had taken more classes to help me out with some of those layers of the business.

Career Path

Teeter Irrigation Inc. started in 1977 and this year 2017 we are celebrating our 40th year in business. I was born into this business and have spent more than 20 years working in different sectors of the business. I have learned literally every facet of it over that time, and I am still learning today. I did take a 10 years of my life to work as a pastor in several small rural churches. This was a rewarding and enlightening time in my life. Through my seminary education during those years, I recognized that I could do more good outside the church walls to help people reach their full potential. I now “in my current job” get the opportunity to help over 4,000 customers, 100 employees, and many others by making an impact. I am blessed!

Piece of advice for college students

Finish college now, don’t wait until later on in life to finish. If you aren’t going to finish now, take the time to think about it long and hard before you go back so when you do go back you can give it all you’ve got. Don’t just go through the motions of school, don’t make it just another piece of paper to go on your wall. Get as much knowledge there while you can, because knowledge is what helps grow our country, lives and impacts our families.

Ethanol

Derek Peine

Job Description

I’m the CEO of Western Plains Energy, LLC (ethanol production facility) in Oakley, Kansas. My role includes responsibility over the entire operation including areas such as production, sales, grain procurement, safety, and financials. In the end, everything falls underneath my responsibility.

Education/Major

I went to Kansas State University and majored in Chemical Engineering.

Most beneficial class

I would say math and science courses. While I don’t have a particular class, having a solid understanding of science and engineering helps me understand the production side, helps me with troubleshooting problems, and provides me with a solid basis for investigating new technologies and potential projects.

Class they wish they would have taken

I wish I would have taken more business classes. I have thought many times over the years that I should go back and get a Master’s in Business Administration. Unfortunately, I have just haven’t ever dedicated the time to do it.

Career Path

I graduated from K-State in 1997 and spent eight or nine years at Cargill managing different unit operations. During those years I learned how to manage people, how to manage specific unit operations, how to improve efficiency of those unit operations and how to look at a project with business sense. Then I worked in the ethanol industry for the next three to four years focused on the startup of a new ethanol company and on the engineering and construction side of building new ethanol plants. I found the opportunity to participate in starting a brand new company as very rewarding. There were so many things to learn and figure out, but it was also a very rewarding experience to get to be a part of setting a culture of a new company. After that, I went into some consulting roles within the engineering and project development side of the ethanol and broader renewable energy industry. In 2012, I was given the opportunity to move to Australia and work in an ethanol plant there. It was an incredible experience for which I will always be grateful. In 2013, I came back to the United States and started working for Western Plains Energy.

Piece of advice for college students

Get involved in outside activities and work really hard to get internships. Don’t be afraid to contact many different companies and ask for internships even if they aren’t advertising. Come with more than just a resume, reach out and promote yourself with an idea of how your skills can benefit that specific company and their needs. And don’t focus on one specific career path, be open on how your skills, experiences, and passions can provide value to various industries and career paths. Particular to the ethanol industry, we offer a huge opportunity to be involved in agriculture many different ways.

Finance and Risk Management