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Horticulturist vs agronomist

The differences between horticulturists and agronomists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a horticulturist and an agronomist. Additionally, an agronomist has an average salary of $51,288, which is higher than the $36,583 average annual salary of a horticulturist.

The top three skills for a horticulturist include GRASS, irrigation systems and horticulture. The most important skills for an agronomist are harvest, field testing, and technical support.

Horticulturist vs agronomist overview

HorticulturistAgronomist
Yearly salary$36,583$51,288
Hourly rate$17.59$24.66
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs327208
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

What does a horticulturist do?

The primary role of a horticulturist is to care, maintain, and cultivate plant propagation. Horticulturists may work in various environments with plants such as garden centers or arboretum. These professionals use scientific knowledge about plant cultivation and propagation. They provide technical information to farmers and flower and vegetable growers. Part of their job is to perform disease and pest experiments and investigations with improved plant varieties with greater disease resistance. Also, they may assist in the regeneration of degraded land in the mining industry.

What does an agronomist do?

Agronomists are professionals who are experts in finding ways to maximize crop production from a given acreage of soil. These agronomists must maintain a deep understanding of soil productivity principles by performing experiments to determine plant nutrients and soil health. They must collaborate with farmers and crop researchers to assess the crop production of the farm and conduct a detailed analysis of crop data. Agronomists must also develop methods to protect crops from diseases, weeds, pests, and harsh climate change.

Horticulturist vs agronomist salary

Horticulturists and agronomists have different pay scales, as shown below.

HorticulturistAgronomist
Average salary$36,583$51,288
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $60,000Between $25,000 And $104,000
Highest paying CityWellesley, MAWilmington, DE
Highest paying stateConnecticutConnecticut
Best paying companyStanford Health CareBayer
Best paying industryGovernmentGovernment

Differences between horticulturist and agronomist education

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

HorticulturistAgronomist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorPlant SciencesPlant Sciences
Most common collegeCornell UniversityCornell University

Horticulturist vs agronomist demographics

Here are the differences between horticulturists' and agronomists' demographics:

HorticulturistAgronomist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 59.4% Female, 40.6%Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 9.1% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black 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%
LGBT Percentage19%19%

Differences between horticulturist and agronomist duties and responsibilities

Horticulturist example responsibilities.

  • Manage payroll processing and all aspects of accounts receivable and payable.
  • Operate snow plows, snow blowers and large salt sprayers.
  • Maintain all flower beds, landscape areas, and turf grass areas.
  • Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers.
  • Maintain inventory and help with Quickbooks.
  • Provide assistance with loading and unloading pigs.
  • Show more

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

Horticulturist vs agronomist skills

Common horticulturist skills
  • GRASS, 13%
  • Irrigation Systems, 9%
  • Horticulture, 9%
  • Grounds Maintenance, 7%
  • Mowing, 6%
  • Plant Material, 4%
Common agronomist skills
  • Harvest, 31%
  • Field Testing, 16%
  • Technical Support, 12%
  • Agronomy, 12%
  • PowerPoint, 8%
  • AG, 3%

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