Missouri Business Trends in Agriculture

William Woods Business

The 2012 Agriculture Census Full Report released last May, revealed a number of interesting business trends across the nation and state-wide. Nationally, there is an overall increase in organic sales, use of renewable energy and direct selling.

In Missouri, more farms are selling value-added products such as beef jerky, fruit jams, jelly, floral arrangements, cider and wine. With over 3,900 farms selling value-added products, Missouri is one of the top 5 states by number of farms that capitalized on this opportunity.

Also, for the first time ever, soybean and corn comprised more than 50 percent of all grain cropland harvested. Corn and soybeans are two of the top five commodities by value of sales. And just last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that Missouri farmers are on track to harvest record crops of corn and soybeans.

Though much of industry’s focus has been on how to produce more with less, there are certainly business opportunities inherent with the pressing need for accelerated growth. To meet the needs of a rapidly growing population, the agriculture industry is expected to double its production by 2050.

For students in the William Woods MBA program, this may translate to potential employment opportunities in the future. For example, U.S. Department of Agriculture, (USDA) offers a number of career tracks in agribusiness with positions such as Agricultural Marketing Specialist, Agricultural Program Specialist, Loan Specialist, Trade Specialist and more.

 

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