The science of soil and crops. You tell farmers what to plant, what to feed it and why the yield dropped.
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Pay, the path, pros and cons and the facts on one printable page. Counsellors: send it to a student from your own email in one click.
The median pay is about $78,850 a year. Across everyone in the job it runs from about $48,680 at the lower end to about $138,120 at the upper end. The source is listed under Sources at the end of this page.
4 to 6 years after high school, on the usual route.
$30,000 to $57,000 all in for tuition, fees, exams and kit. Living costs are not counted.
No. There is no license to hold, though many employers still ask for training or a certificate.
Very high demand nationally, from government outlook data. Demand varies by region, so check your area.
Or read the whole thing here
What you earn and what it costs to get there.
Median
$78,850
Bottom tenth
$48,680
Top tenth
$138,120
These are the national numbers for soil and plant scientists, the wider group the federal wage survey counts agronomists inside. The median is $78,850 a year. The bottom tenth earn $48,680 or less and the top tenth $138,120 or more, in 2025 figures.
$48,680 to $61,660
What the bottom tenth to bottom quarter of soil and plant scientists earn, 2025
Field agronomist and crop scout jobs at farm supply companies are a common start. Many of them come with a truck.
$107,140 a year
The median for soil and plant scientists in Washington, DC (District of Columbia), the highest of any state or district
Florida ($103,240) and Alaska ($100,320) come next. Wyoming is the lowest, at $55,680. Regional agronomy managers, seed company researchers and independent consultants work at this end. Independent consultants charge per acre and carry the slow years themselves.
Roughly, all in
$30,000 to $57,000
Tuition, fees, exams and kit. Not rent, food or travel
The low end is two years at a community college then two years at an in-state public university, plus the two Certified Crop Adviser exams and the annual fee that keeps the certification alive. The high end is a full four years of in-state public tuition at the upper end of the range. A master's degree often adds nothing at all, because assistantships usually cover tuition and pay a stipend on top. Agriculture colleges, counties and commodity groups run their own scholarships, so file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and then chase those awards as well.
Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year. Pell Grants do not have to be repaid, and agriculture colleges run their own scholarships too.
A company truck
Field agronomists drive all day. Most employers supply the vehicle and the fuel card.
Harvest bonus
Retailers often pay a bonus tied to acres served or product moved.
Federal jobs come with a pension
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) hires soil scientists and agronomists with a federal retirement plan and health coverage.
Slow winters
The job is seasonal in shape. January and February are for planning, training and conferences.
The exact path from high school to qualified.
A four-year science degree, then a summer or two of real field work.
High school diploma
Grade 12
Biology and chemistry matter most. Agriculture classes and a Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter help you get noticed.
Bachelor's degree
4 years
Agronomy, crop science, soil science or plant science. Land-grant universities run the strongest programs.
Summer internships
Each summer
Crop scouting, detasseling, or a research plot job. This is how almost everyone gets hired.
First job
Right after graduation
Field agronomist, crop scout, seed sales agronomist, or a research technician.
Certified Crop Adviser
2 to 4 years in
A voluntary credential from the American Society of Agronomy. Two exams plus work experience. Many employers expect it within a couple of years.
Biology
Plants, pests and soil life are the whole job.
Chemistry
Fertilizer, soil pH and pesticide chemistry are chemistry.
Math and statistics
You will compare test plots and argue about whether a difference is real.
Agriculture or earth science
A head start on soil, weather and machinery.
You can call yourself an agronomist the day you are hired. What is regulated is what you touch. Recommending or applying pesticides for hire needs a state pesticide applicator license, run by each state's department of agriculture. A handful of states, including Texas and Wisconsin, also license professional soil scientists. The Certified Crop Adviser credential is voluntary but it is the one the industry actually checks for.
Land-grant universities, the public schools Congress created in 1862 to teach agriculture.
Midwest
Iowa State University, Purdue University, University of Illinois, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Kansas State University
South
Mississippi State University, University of Georgia, Auburn University
West
University of California at Davis, Washington State University, Colorado State University
Two-year start
Many community colleges run agriculture transfer programs that feed straight into these universities.
Things you don't need, but that help.
Certified Crop Adviser
The standard badge in the field. Two exams, an ethics pledge, and continuing education every year.
State pesticide applicator license
Required in every state to recommend or apply restricted-use chemicals for hire.
Remote pilot certificate
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 test lets you fly a drone commercially over fields. It takes a paid knowledge test at an approved center.
Precision agriculture skills
Yield maps, variable-rate seeding and soil sampling software.
A driver's license and comfort on gravel roads
You will drive a lot.
A summer on a farm
Employers trust people who have actually been in a field in July.
Geographic information systems (GIS) software
Mapping skills help you stand out in an interview.
Spanish
Useful on most large farms and in produce regions.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) hires soil scientists, mostly through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. You map soils, write conservation plans and help farmers get federal cost-share money. The pension, the stability and the loan repayment help are real. Jobs are posted on the federal government's official hiring site.
Day to day, pros and cons, where you'd work.
Out of the truck by 7am. Walk fields in a zigzag, counting plants, digging roots, flipping leaves for insects and disease. Pull soil cores. Text a farmer a photo of what you found and what you would do about it. Afternoon: write recommendations, order product, answer three calls about a sprayer that is already in the field. The day ends when the light goes.
The good
The hard parts
Things people don't tell you.
O*NET OnLine (the Department of Labor's occupation database) counted about 19,900 soil and plant scientists in 2025. It projects growth of 7 percent or more by 2035, much faster than average, with about 1,400 openings a year.
The Morrill Act of 1862 gave every state federal land to fund a college teaching agriculture and engineering. That is why almost every state has a big public university with a serious agronomy department.
Every list is built from the same numbers shown above, so you can see where this career sits next to the others.
Farming, forestry and fishing first, then the rest of the field. See every career in science and environment.
Last checked October 2026. Pay figures are typical full-time annual amounts in United States dollars, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data and published pay scales. They vary by state, employer and experience. Tuition is for in-state students at public schools unless the card says otherwise. How every figure on this site is sourced and checked.
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