Farming

1. **Job Description** - One might not consider farming to be a career for the more academically inclined, but you would be wrong. Farmers use science every day. Even though a farmer's day mostly includes feeding animals, cleaning pens, and in the case of most small scale farms, taking care of crops. A lot of chemistry goes into each of those things. The feed needs to have certain nutrients, and a balance of proper ingredients is required. Cleaning doesn't really reguire any knowledge of chemistry, but it includes knowing whether of not cleaning products should be used. Growing crops require a vast amount of skill in chemistry. The soil has to have proper nutrients and it has to have a pH that is compatible with the crop being grown. The farmer has to know at what time of the year their fields are good for planting, harvesting, and all of the other steps in growing crops. Veterinary knowledge is also needed in order to recognise and treat animal's health problems. The average farmer has to deal with more than this, but that only includes knowledge of the animals that they have and observation of behavior. It also includes upkeep of the farm. Commercial farms on the other hand have much more chemistry to worry about. Often times larger farms use unnatural aides in order to get more product from their plants or animals. I would talk about these things, but they are cruel and unimportant. Chemistry is an important part of farming. __Example__  A farmer must know when to plant, harvest, and sell his/her crops to maximize profit. In order to get the greatest yield farmers often add //fertilizers// to the soil to replenish vital nutrients removed by the previous season’s crop. 2. **Personality Characters** - People that chose this job tend to vary inpersonality depending on their specialization. Almost all farmers tend to be some of the nicest people you will ever know. In my personal experience I have came across dairy, beef, poultry, horse, goat, and sheep people. I don't know enough goat or sheep people to correctly discribe their personalities. Horse people tend to think that they are much more important than they are, but they are generally good people, but they are where the exeption to the most farmers are nice rule tends to appear, but generally they are good people. Draft horse people however are different. They are extremely helpful and calm. I once went to the farm show with my horses and was in a barn with miniature and draft horses. I have minis, but I spent my time with the draft horse people. Poultry people tend to be a little on the wild, crazy side, but they are generally fun people. Beef people are for the most part calm and friendly, but they can at times be overconfident and ignoring that can be hard, but sometimes it is still worth it. I personally have more experience with dairy people and I has observered differences in people that have certain breeds. There are so many Holstein people that they vary greatly in personality. They tend to be very kind and helpful people, but they can be different. Brown Swiss people tend to be rather calm. Guernsey people have similar personalities to Holstein people. Jersey people will either act like Holstein people, or in a lot of cases, horse people. I am not around people with other breeds enough to say anything, but I do know some very nice milking Shorthorn people. I would like to note that I drew these conclusions from personal experience and they **__DO NOT__** discribe all farmers, but here in western PA this is how it seems to be. I do not wish to offend anyone.
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3. **Working Conditions/ Places of Employment** - The condition of the workplace generally depends upon you. It is the farmer's responsibility to keep their farm clean and safe. There are laws and codes that try to help protect from contamination and things like that. It is crucial to the animal's health that their living quarters are kept reasonably clean. There are farms all over the world. People would not be around if there were no farms, and that is why if you decide to become a farmer you can work almost anywhere that you can live. The only exceptions are cities, bad soil, and bad climate. Farming may be hazardous to your heath, but every job has its risks. Machinery and animals can cause injury, but farming can also be good for your health. Most jobs done on the farm involve physical work, and very often those jobs are outside in the fresh air. Outside and in the barn are where farmers spend most of their time. Farms are usaully personal or commercial businesses. People that farm usually have a personality that is grateful of everything they have, so complaints generally don't occur.

4. **Job Outlook** - In today's society farming is not a high status job, and for that reason the need for farmers is higher. Farmers are going into retirement, changing jods, and fewer people are becoming farmers. The world will never not need farmers.

5. **Salary Information**-Full-time, salaried farm managers had median weekly earnings of $1,001 in May 2006. The middle half earned between $766 and $1,382. The highest paid 10 percent earned more than $1,924, and the lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $572. Incomes of farmers and ranchers vary greatly from year to year because prices of farm products fluctuate depending upon weather conditions and other factors that influence the quantity and quality of farm output and the demand for those products. A farm that shows a large profit in one year may show a loss in the following year. Farmers, however, often receive government subsidies or other payments that supplement their incomes and reduce some of the risk of farming. Price supports for dairy farmers, though, are being phased out and may result in lower incomes for these farmers. Many farmers—primarily operators of small farms—have income from off-farm business activities or careers, often greater than that of their farm income.

6. **Recommended Education and Training**-Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural managers need managerial skills to organize and operate a business. A basic knowledge of accounting and bookkeeping is essential in keeping financial records, and knowledge of credit sources is vital for buying seed, fertilizer, and other needed inputs. Workers must also be familiar with complex safety regulations and requirements of governmental agricultural support programs. Most farmers receive their training on the job, often by being raised on a farm. However, the completion of a 2-year associate degree or a 4-year bachelor’s degree at a college of agriculture is becoming increasingly important for farm managers and for farmers and ranchers who expect to make a living at farming. A degree in farm management or in business with a concentration in agriculture is important. Students should select the college most appropriate to their interests and location. All State university systems have at least one land-grant college or university with a school of agriculture. Common programs of study include agronomy, dairy science, agricultural economics and business, horticulture, crop and fruit science, and animal science. For students interested in aquaculture, formal programs are available and include coursework in fisheries biology, fish culture, hatchery management and maintenance, and hydrology. Agricultural colleges teach technical knowledge of crops, growing conditions, and plant diseases. They also teach prospective ranchers and dairy farmers the basics of veterinary science and animal husbandry. Students also study how the environment is affected by farm operations, for example, how the various pesticides affect local animals. New farmers, ranchers, and agricultural managers often spend time working under an experienced farmer to learn how to apply the skills learned through academic training. Those without academic training often take many years to learn how weather, fertilizers, seed, feeding or breeding affect the growth of crops or the raising of animals in addition to other aspects of farming. A small number of farms offer formal apprenticeships to help young people learn the practical skills of farming and ranching.

Farmers, Ranchers, and Agricultural Managers." __U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics__. 07 Apr. 2009 [].

__PRISM Partnership for Research In Science & Math Education__. 07 Apr. 2009 [].

"Salary, Wages, Pay: Farmers, Ranchers, and Agricultural Managers." __Job Bank USA: Employment, Job Search, Careers, Computer Jobs__. 07 Apr. 2009 []. "Job Outlook and Forecast For Farmers, Ranchers, and Agricultural Managers Jobs." __Career Test | Career Counseling & Coaching__. 15 Apr. 2009 . "Farm rancher or agricultural manager-- Job training, employment, job outlook and earnings." __Edinformatics -- Education for the Information Age__. 15 Apr. 2009 .