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Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products: Career Profile

Purchase farm products either for further processing or resale. Includes tree farm contractors, grain brokers and market operators, grain buyers, and tobacco buyers. May negotiate contracts.

What Tasks Do Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products Take On?

The day-to-day responsibilities of buyers and purchasing agents, farm products include:

• Purchase, for further processing or for resale, farm products, such as milk, grains, or Christmas trees.
• Arrange for processing or resale of purchased products.
• Negotiate contracts with farmers for the production or purchase of farm products.
• Arrange for transportation or storage of purchased products.
• Maintain records of business transactions and product inventories, reporting data to companies or government agencies as necessary.
• Review orders to determine product types and quantities required to meet demand.

Skills and Knowledge

Successful buyers and purchasing agents, farm products rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Key Skills

The abilities that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Types of Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products Jobs

People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:

• Agriculture Industry Coordinator
• Agriculture Industry Specialist
• Buyer
• Buying Agent
• Cattle Broker
• Cattle Buyer
• Cattle Dealer
• Cattle Shipper

How Many Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products Are There?

There are about 492,666 buyers and purchasing agents, farm products working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +6.9% over the projection horizon.

How Much Do Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products Make?

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$109,813
Hourly median	$52.79
10th percentile	$69,502
25th percentile	$89,657
75th percentile	$129,969
90th percentile	$150,124

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

Tech Stack

• Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Web Services AWS software (hot technology)
• Project management software: Atlassian JIRA (hot technology)
• Web platform development software: Google Angular (hot technology)
• Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
• Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
• Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
• Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
• Data base user interface and query software: Oracle Database (hot technology)
• Customer relationship management CRM software: Salesforce software (hot technology)

Work Environment

The on-the-job environment of buyers and purchasing agents, farm products reflects the following characteristics:

• Telephone Conversations
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• E-Mail
• Contact With Others
• Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals

Education and Training

Most buyers and purchasing agents, farm products positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.

Related Careers

Similar Occupations

• Purchasing Managers (Primary-Short)
• Supply Chain Managers (Primary-Long)
• Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers (Primary-Short)
• Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products (Primary-Short)
• Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products (Primary-Short)
• Customs Brokers (Supplemental)
• Logisticians (Primary-Long)
• Logistics Analysts (Primary-Long)

Top Programs to Study For This Career

Aspiring buyers and purchasing agents, farm products often complete programs in:

Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences

1 programs across 1 majors

• Agricultural Economics

Sources

Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 13-1021.00 (Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products).