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Crop Production

Types of Degrees Crop Production Majors Are Earning

Those studying Crop Production can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	57
Associate’s Degree	270
Bachelor’s Degree	30
Master’s Degree	158

What Crop Production Majors Need to Know

Studies in Crop Production develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Crop Production graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Crop Production emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Crop Production program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Crop Production careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Crop Production graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.1 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Crop Production professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
ServiceNow	Data base user interface and query software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Order management software	Procurement software	—
Kahoot!	Multi-media educational software	—
Image editing software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Crop Production graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Future Farmers of America Advisor (FFA Advisor)
• Home Improvement Advisor
• Feed Management Advisor
• Cooperative Extension Agent
• Agriculture Consultant
• Farm Management Specialist
• Home Advisor
• Resource Management Specialist
• County Home Demonstrator
• 4-H Agent
• Cooking Instructor
• Extension Service Specialist
• Feed Advisor
• Extension Worker

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Crop Production graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	57.8%
Doctoral degree	13.7%
Bachelor’s degree	12.6%
Post-doctoral training	5.3%
Postsecondary certificate	3.2%
Less than a high school diploma	3.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.4%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%
Some college courses	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Crop Production?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 45.5% women and 54.5% men among Crop Production graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	235	45.5%
Men	281	54.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Crop Production graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	206	39.9%
Asian	14	2.7%
Hispanic or Latino	260	50.4%
Black or African American	6	1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.6%
Two or More Races	12	2.3%
Race Unknown	13	2.5%
International Students	2	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Crop Production Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Crop Production graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$38,195
4 years	$41,174
5 years	$47,624

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,624 — roughly 25% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Crop Production Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Crop Production. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Crop Production Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Crop Production graduates earn a median of $41,174 four years after completion — roughly 8% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Agricultural Production Operations	01.03
Agricultural Production Operations, General	01.0301
Agricultural Production Operations, Other	01.0399
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture	01.0308
Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production	01.0302
Apiculture	01.0310
Aquaculture	01.0303
Dairy Husbandry and Production	01.0306
Horse Husbandry/Equine Science and Management	01.0307
Viticulture and Enology	01.0309
Agronomy and Crop Science	01.1102
Animal Sciences, General	01.0901

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.