Post job

Agronomist vs plant breeder

The differences between agronomists and plant breeders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an agronomist and a plant breeder. Additionally, a plant breeder has an average salary of $78,129, which is higher than the $51,288 average annual salary of an agronomist.

The top three skills for an agronomist include harvest, field testing and technical support. The most important skills for a plant breeder are harvest, greenhouse, and data management.

Agronomist vs plant breeder overview

AgronomistPlant Breeder
Yearly salary$51,288$78,129
Hourly rate$24.66$37.56
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs2088,845
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

Agronomist vs plant breeder salary

Agronomists and plant breeders have different pay scales, as shown below.

AgronomistPlant Breeder
Average salary$51,288$78,129
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $104,000Between $51,000 And $119,000
Highest paying CityWilmington, DEPhiladelphia, PA
Highest paying stateConnecticutMassachusetts
Best paying companyBayerNufarm
Best paying industryGovernment-

Differences between agronomist and plant breeder education

There are a few differences between an agronomist and a plant breeder in terms of educational background:

AgronomistPlant Breeder
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorPlant SciencesPlant Sciences
Most common collegeCornell UniversityCornell University

Agronomist vs plant breeder demographics

Here are the differences between agronomists' and plant breeders' demographics:

AgronomistPlant Breeder
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 83.6% Female, 16.4%Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 9.3% White, 73.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 5.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 78.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage19%19%

Differences between agronomist and plant breeder duties and responsibilities

Agronomist example responsibilities.

  • Lead a 4 to 8 man teams (depending on location) in construction of greenhouse and irrigation systems.
  • Lead all agronomy relate functions including fertility management, irrigation.
  • Perform routine and recurring techniques using a variety of specialize equipment such as autoclaves, microscopes, pipettes, and centrifuges.
  • Pass the Iowa CCA exam.
  • Use maps efficiently and GPS technology.
  • Follow USDA mainland shipment laws and regulations
  • Show more

Plant breeder example responsibilities.

  • Manage daily operations of USDA facility.
  • Maintain an OSHA compliant work environment, enforce affirmative attendance policy, maintain complete inventory records and met/exceed production goals.
  • Travel and work with vendors on equipment upgrades in the extrusion process and tooling rebuilds.

Agronomist vs plant breeder skills

Common agronomist skills
  • Harvest, 31%
  • Field Testing, 16%
  • Technical Support, 12%
  • Agronomy, 12%
  • PowerPoint, 8%
  • AG, 3%
Common plant breeder skills
  • Harvest, 38%
  • Greenhouse, 22%
  • Data Management, 16%
  • DNA, 9%
  • Capital Budgets, 7%
  • Plant Selection, 4%

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs