Buyers and purchasing agents for farm products source, negotiate, and procure agricultural commodities for businesses. You need a bachelor's degree and strong analytical skills. The work is detail-oriented, relationship-driven, and essential to the food supply chain.
Pathly builds you a free, personalized roadmap and helps your counselor champion you along the way.
You source and purchase farm products for food processors, distributors, retailers, and other agricultural businesses. Your day involves gathering market information, evaluating suppliers and product quality, negotiating contracts, and making purchasing decisions that balance cost, quality, and timing. You communicate regularly with farmers, vendors, and colleagues to understand needs and track orders. You monitor market trends, prices, and transportation logistics to secure the best value. Strong math skills help you analyze costs and contracts, while attention to detail ensures accurate record-keeping and compliance.
Core work activities
Career video courtesy of CareerOneStop.
Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products earn a median of $77,710 a year, based on 2025 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and location.
The outlook is strong. Employment is projected to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than average for all occupations, with about 52,200 openings a year.
Top skills
Knowledge areas
You'll need a bachelor's degree to enter this field. Focus on coursework in business, agriculture, economics, or supply chain management. During your studies, develop skills in mathematics, data analysis, and communication. Internships with agricultural companies, food distributors, or purchasing departments provide valuable experience. Entry-level positions as junior buyers or purchasing assistants help you learn the market, build supplier relationships, and understand agricultural commodities before advancing to full buyer roles.
Most people enter this career through a bachelor's degree program in business or agriculture. Since timing and program focus matter, Pathly can map the buyer and purchasing agent, farm products path that fits you with your counselor to map out the right educational path for your goals.
You're enterprising, analytical, and comfortable with negotiation and decision-making. You thrive in fast-paced environments where you influence outcomes through strategy and relationship-building.
Reading about a career is the easy part. Turning it into a plan is where most students get stuck. Pathly takes you from curious to a clear next step, and gives your counselor the insight to champion you along the way.
Start with a quick quiz and assessments that surface your personality, your EQ, and what really motivates you, so your next steps are built around who you actually are.
Your free AI guide weighs this career against your strengths and goals, and surfaces the colleges, trades, and scholarships that match, so you know if it truly fits before you commit.
Get a personalized, step-by-step plan to reach this career, with the training, coursework, and credentials tracked in one place. Link your school or IEC and your counselor in the loop.
Last updated July 1, 2026.
Data sources. Career details from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Salary and outlook figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 wages; 2024–2034 projections), delivered via the CareerOneStop API. Certification, licensing, wage, and outlook data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).