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Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling

Types of Degrees Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling Majors Are Earning

Those studying Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	28
Associate’s Degree	114
Bachelor’s Degree	4
Master’s Degree	97

What Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Transportation — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Persuasion — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Selling or Influencing Others	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	3.9 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Customer relationship management CRM software	Customer relationship management CRM software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Oracle Database	Data base user interface and query software	—
Salesforce software	Customer relationship management CRM software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Dynamics GP	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling graduates include:

• Livestock Commission Agent
• Importer
• Consignee
• Sporting Goods Sales Representative
• Plastic Products Sales Representative
• Church Furniture Sales Representative
• Inside Salesperson
• Novelties Sales Representative
• Malt Liquors Sales Representative
• Bottle Sales Representative
• Field Marketing Representative
• Cordage Sales Representative
• Wool Merchant
• Tobacco Products Sales Representative
• Customer Account Technician

What Can You Do With a Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	6.0%	$29,657	$23,253–$36,061

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	39.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	31.5%
Some college courses	10.5%
Doctoral degree	7.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.7%
Post-doctoral training	3.8%
Master’s degree	2.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 44% women and 56% men among Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	107	44.0%
Men	136	56.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	226	93.0%
Hispanic or Latino	4	1.6%
Black or African American	2	0.8%
Two or More Races	1	0.4%
Race Unknown	7	2.9%
International Students	3	1.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling 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	$49,730
4 years	$57,738
5 years	$66,345

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $66,345 — roughly 33% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling. 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	2	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 Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Farm Supply Retail/Wholesaling graduates earn a median of $57,738 four years after completion — roughly 52% 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
Agricultural Business and Management	8,612
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations	3,573
Agriculture, General	3,276
Agricultural Business and Management, General	2,188
Agricultural Economics	1,768
Agricultural Production Operations, General	820
Farm/Farm and Ranch Management	668
Agricultural Mechanization, General	502
Agricultural and Food Products Processing	168
Agricultural Business and Management, Other	137
Agricultural Power Machinery Operation	94
Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding	39

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.