Irvine-based farm trade organization Western Growers has started an online job board to match up young people who have technological and science backgrounds with jobs in the agriculture field.
“It’s the outgrowth of several years of discussions with our board of directors and many of our members who expressed their concern that the ag sector is finding it more and more difficult to find qualified employees,” Dave Puglia, executive vice president, told the Business Journal.
He said there has been an “explosion of innovation and technology” being used in the agriculture sector and college graduates are in demand for “a very strongly indicated need.”
Puglia cited automated harvest operations as one area where technology comes into play, for example, in the weeding and the thinning to make room for healthy crops.
Another example is reducing or even eliminating pathogens from produce to improve food safety.
“There are small armies of folks younger than me with degrees in biology and other science degrees who are driving that change and it’s all very positive,” he said.
The organization represents growers of fresh fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts. Puglia estimates there are about 2,500 members in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, saying they are “sizable” operations. They provide over half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including nearly half of America’s fresh organic produce.
Crop of Candidates
The Western Growers site is aimed at those seeking jobs within the STEM areas—science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  The job board is initially launching as a complimentary service for all job seekers and employers and is accessible online at agjobboard.com.
“Our new job board connects candidates directly to highly skilled, high-paying jobs and makes the hiring and recruitment process easier for our farmers who are busy trying to feed the nation and world,” said Tom Nassif, president and chief executive at Western Growers.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are 60,000 job openings in agriculture annually with only 35,000 graduates to fill them—many of which are in STEM areas, such as plant and food science, water resources science, engineering and precision agriculture.
The job board showcases STEM jobs and provides a streamlined interface that gives employers and candidates an easy-to-use matching process.
