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Agricultural and Food Scientists by Taylor Tate
Report:
Introduction
Agricultural and food scientists are a big part of the nations food industry. If you were to become an agricultural and food scientist you will be testing foods to make sure they are safe, creating innovations, such as biotechnology, to reduce the rate of malnourishment all over the world, creating ways to improve farm animals and crops quality , and inventing special ways to improve food preservation technique. If you are looking to find a job in the field of agricultural and food science, it helps to be interested in using science to improve people's health, and be able to pay attention to detail, and the big picture.
Findings
Specifically, agricultural and food scientists play an important role in cultivating the nation's food supply by guaranteeing agricultural productivity and food safety. An agricultural scientist works towards finding new ways to improve farm crops and animals' quality. They also create newer and safer ideas to control pests and weeds that ruin their crops, and conserve soil and water. Agricultural research scientists spend their time researching ways to convert raw agricultural crops into ones appealing to the consumer and healthier for them. Some agricultural scientists even search for ways to turn agricultural crops to fuel [Anonymous A, 8].
Food scientists/ technologists work with the food processing industry, universities, and the Federal Government to crate and improve food products. They incorporate what they've learned of chemistry, physics, engineering, biotechnology, microbiology, and others, to create new ways to preserve, package, store, and deliver food products. Other food scientists do discovery research such as uncovering new food sources, testing food content to look for fat, vitamins, sugar, and protein, or searching substitutes to replace harmful additives. Some even try to make improvements in traditional food techniques like baking, blanching, canning, drying, evaporation, and pasteurization. There is also a section of food scientists that inspects food processing stations and making use they are sanitary, safe, and that waste management standards are met [ Anonymous A, 12].
If one was to choose this path of work, they must keep in mind that it's not the quickest path. Most times, agricultural or food scientist positions require a bachelor's degree in agricultural science at least. For some research positions, even a Ph. D. is required. Some classes one would take to become a food scientist are food chemistry, food analysis, and food processing, but remember, those are only a few of the options. A few courses one would study to become an agricultural scientist are physical and life sciences, plant pathology, and biochemistry. If one were looking for a doctoral degree in this field, they would have to take additional courses, do fieldwork, and do their own lab research. A bachelor's degree in agricultural/ food science generally takes about 4 years, and a masters could take one or more additional years [ Anonymous E, 2, Chaitt, 2011, 5].
Most colleges and universities offer programs that can earn you a certificate, an associates, or a bachelor's degree in general agriculture. One college with a good agricultural program is Clemson University; College of agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences. The current tuition for this college is an annual fee of $13,000 for masters student, and $17,000 for PhD students. Another good college to consider would be Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College located in Tifton Georgia. The total expenses of the year 2009-2010 for an off campus, in-district was $15,113 a year. For an off campus, in-state student was also $15,113, and the total expenses for an off campus out of state student was $21,089 a year.
In 2009, studies showed that the average annual salary for food scientists and technologist was $64,370. In May 2008, the average annual salary for a food scientist or technologist was $59,520. For an agricultural scientist, the average $58,390 in May 2008. The below average salary was between $44,150 a year and $78,080. The above average salary was more than $105,340 a year. Even more recently, studies show that the middle half range of food scientists was between $38,166-$80,3336 as of April 19, 2011[ Anonymous A 13 & 14].
The demand for this job is very high, and will most likely continue to increase. The reasoning for this is because there is a large need for the things that an agricultural and food scientist are experts in. If we did not have agricultural and food scientists, we would not be eating foods that were safe to eat, and we probably would not even get food into out grocery stores and local markets. This being because food scientists are the people who preserve, process, and package food that goes into the stores. They are also needed all over the world where people are struggling to find food to eat. Agricultural and food scientists really help these people, because the techniques and innovations they come up with to preserve food are making it easier for these people to keep from being malnourished. Also, employment of agricultural and food scientists is expected to grow about 16% between 2008-2018 due to our growing population. Layoffs are also very unlikely to happen to agricultural and food scientists because food is a very stable demand [Floros,2010 1].
Currently, agricultural and food scientists are creating some very impressive and helpful innovations for people all over the world. One very popular innovation is biotechnology. Biotechnology is when agricultural scientists use plants to produce food, such as insect-resistant corn, that keeps plants from getting contaminated. Professionals say that these biotechnology crop are beneficial to consumers, producers, and the environment. Some might think that consumers would find this to be weird, and feel skeptical about eating it, but it seems that consumers are not concerned about it all that much. Scientists preferred to stay on the safe side, just in case there are any risks with biotechnology, but so far, so good. Many environmental and food advancement groups have shown their concerns about the crops made using biotechnology, but this protesting was mostly only in England. Therefore, it is not affecting the U.S. very much at all. Biotechnology can be used to help many people who are malnourished because the extra nutrients put in them, can help nourish those unfortunate populations [Chassy, 2002 1& Welch, 2002, 2 & Falk, 2002 2].
Conclusion
There is clearly a lot of
hard work that comes with being an agricultural or food scientist. It takes a
lot of time and work to get through the schooling depending on which path you
take, but in the end it's pretty much worth it.
The pay is good, the hours are good, and the job seems pretty
interesting overall. If one is not interested in spending a decent amount of time in school, and working really hard, this job is definitely not for them.
There are many benefits to this job, as well as disadvantages. Agriculture and food scientists have a lot of responsibility, and if I had this job I do not think I would be able to handle it very well. I also do not think I would be very good at this job, because I am just not a science type of girl. I do think it is interesting to learn about, but I do not think that I would actually be able to live my life doing this career. I have a lot of respect for these people though, because they are doing good things for other people and the environment.
Bibliography:
1. Anonymous A, 2009,
'Agricultural and Food Scientists' http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos046.htm
2. Anonymous B, '
Career: Agricultural and Food' Scientist'
http://www.collegeboard.com/csearch/majors_careers/profiles/careers/105519.html
3. Chassy, 2002,
'Food Safety Evaluation of Crops Produced through Biotechnology' http://www.jacn.org/content/21/suppl_3/166S.full?maxtoshow=&HITS=
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6.Kesavan, 2007
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7. Chaitt, 2011
http://organic.about.com/od/careersinorganics/tp/10-Top-Careers-In-The-
Organic-Industry.htm
8. Anonymous E,
http://www.iseek.org/careers/careerDetail?id=3&oc=100229Education%20&%20Training