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Career Exploration

Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products

Also called: Buyer, Grain Buyer, Grain Merchandiser, Purchasing Agent

What they do:

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.

On the job, you would:
  • 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.
On the job, you'll need:

Math and Science

  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Business

  • customer service
  • accounting and economics

Transportation

  • movement of people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Basic Skills

  • talking to others
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Social

  • bringing people together to solve differences
  • talking people into changing their minds or their behavior

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • use rules to solve problems
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information

Math

  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide
  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem

Enterprising

People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.

  • Stress Tolerance
  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Integrity
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Initiative

Data base user interface and query software

  • Amazon Web Services AWS software
  • Oracle Database

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Enterprise resource planning ERP software

  • Microsoft Dynamics GP
  • SAP software

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Below Average.

New job opportunities are less likely in the future.

Median Annual Salary: $67,620

Education

Bachelor's degree is usually needed.