There are a lot of recruiters in the industry that hire agricultural engineers such as manufacturers of irrigation and drainage system, federal research agencies, state research agencies, local research agencies, regulatory and education agencies, manufactures of measuring and control systems, consultants, utility agencies, and alternate fuel producing companies. An agricultural engineer has to research machinery developments and see the prevailing market trends, so that they can develop a machine which is useful to the market. They also have to demonstrate and sell new equipment and parts to the companies, so that their product gains recognition.
Agricultural engineers must have a sound knowledge of math, physics, chemistry, computer science, communications, and economics. They should be enthusiastic for solving problems that need lot of mental activity. They should have studied subjects like heat flow, environmental engineering, water movement, fluid mechanics, instrumentation, controls, properties of agricultural materials, engineering analysis, and engineering design. They don't have to manufacture the product, but have to take care of the service and repair. It requires making maintenance checks on electrical, electronic, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems and also installing machinery on-site, as it involves technical know-how. They also have to inspect and test equipments so that they ensure proper functioning along with training machine operatives and agricultural workers.
Increasing competition and latest technology has created a need for a number of agricultural engineers who can develop new machines and technologies, which can help in growing the agriculture business. They need a lot of agricultural engineers for using biosensors to analyze the optimal treatment given to crops. They are needed to develop more new techniques by which the companies can use fewer resources to get higher output.
Once an agricultural engineer has started to work he can go for further training and development courses like they can take NVQ test. After this, one can register with the Engineering Council as this will give the agricultural engineer the recognition as an engineering technician. They can also register for a membership of IagrE. This association is related to further development of an agricultural engineer, which can help them record their career progression.
The average salary range is $36,000-$45,000 for the agricultural engineer. This will increase with the years of experience.