# Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products

> 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/buyers-and-purchasing-agents-farm-products
- SOC code: 13-1021.00
- Career family: Business and finance
- Median annual pay: $77,710 (10th percentile $48,380, 90th percentile $128,870)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +6.0%
- Openings a year: 47,200
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections
- Pay and outlook are for the broader BLS group "Buyers and purchasing agents".

## Interest profile (code ECR)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 59 |
| Investigative (I) | 14 |
| Artistic (A) | 1 |
| Social (S) | 12 |
| Enterprising (E) | 65 |
| Conventional (C) | 63 |

## What you'd do

- Working with Computers (importance 100/100)
- Getting Information (importance 89/100)
- Processing Information (importance 87/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 84/100)
- Analyzing Data or Information (importance 79/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 75/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 74/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 74/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 74/100)
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People (importance 72/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Negotiation, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making, Writing, Complex Problem Solving, Coordination, Monitoring

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, Food Production, Sales and Marketing, Economics and Accounting, Transportation, English Language, Mathematics, Production and Processing, Public Safety and Security, Law and Government

## Also called

Buyer, Buying Agent, Cattle Broker, Cattle Buyer, Chicken Buyer, Clean Rice Broker, Cotton Buyer, Cotton Purchasing Agent, Cow Buyer, Egg Buyer

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Agricultural Business and Management](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/0101) (CIP 0101, 394 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Cornell University-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cornell-university-new-york-710) | Agricultural Business and Management | $101,659 | $145,218 | $13,000 |
| [California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo SLO](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo-slo-360) | Agricultural Business and Management | $62,504 | $88,396 | $14,167 |
| [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign-main-campus-2927) | Agricultural Business and Management | $64,122 | $86,646 | $15,340 |
| [University of Missouri-Columbia Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-missouri-columbia-main-campus-2965) | Agricultural Business and Management | $57,745 | $82,831 | $16,375 |
| [University of Wisconsin-Madison Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-wisconsin-madison-main-campus-3084) | Agricultural Business and Management | $56,426 | $81,655 | not reported |
| [University of Idaho](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-idaho-2924) | Agricultural Business and Management | $54,297 | $80,690 | not reported |
| [Montana State University Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/montana-state-university-main-campus-1755) | Agricultural Business and Management | $39,686 | $79,621 | not reported |
| [Mississippi State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/mississippi-state-university-1732) | Agricultural Business and Management | $47,637 | $78,998 | $20,500 |

## Related careers

- [Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/wholesale-and-retail-buyers-except-farm-products): $77,710 median pay
- [Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/purchasing-agents-except-wholesale-retail-and-farm-products): $77,710 median pay
- [Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/farmers-ranchers-and-other-agricultural-managers): $89,900 median pay
- [Purchasing Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/purchasing-managers): $148,080 median pay
- [Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sales-representatives-wholesale-and-manufacturing-except-technical-and-scientific-products): $72,080 median pay
- [Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/securities-commodities-and-financial-services-sales-agents): $78,660 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.