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Crop Management

Crop Management

The Division of Plant Sciences is currently in the process of condensing the seven majors down to four. Crop Management and Plant Protection majors are being combined to form Crop Management.

Crop Management Courses

What can see but cannot speak, respond to vibrations but cannot hear, and is all around us? Plants! If you have eaten today, it’s only possible due to plants. With the world’s population soon to reach 7 billion and the cost for fossil fuels continuing to rise, improved crop production and the use of crops as biofuels, plastics, inks and for generation of medicinal compounds may be the key to sustaining life on earth. 

Crop management involves the supply of nutrients for plant growth, identification and management of plant pests (weeds, diseases and insects), improvement of soil factors (pH, organic matter) and tolerance to environmental stresses (temperature, water, salinity). Students can pursue training in agronomic (e.g. soybeans, corn, alfalfa) or horticultural (e.g. tomatoes, melons, squash) crops, or even participate in discovering the crops of tomorrow.

Vocations in crop management range from becoming agronomists, consultants and farmers to becoming technical specialists in industry, extension or government agencies (NRCS, USDA). Crop managers can work in rural or urban areas and focus on plants early in their growth cycle (seed) or at maturity (crops as grains for feed or food or as oils for feed or fuel). 

Come explore an emphasis area with a myriad of possibilities and a job waiting after graduation.

Salary information:

Job Title Average Salary Low Salary High Salary

Agronomist $38,545 $30,000 $48,000
Conservation/Environmental Technician $36,625 $33,000 $38,000
Crop Scout/Consultant $38,300 $31,200 $47,000
Farming Operation $36,571 $20,000 $45,000
Precision Ag Specialist $37,000 $37,000 $37,000
Research Technician $40,327 $32,500 $45,000
Sales Representative $45,906 $30,000 $55,000
Seed Production $47,667 $44,000 $52,000