Jamison Murry, Soil Conservationist Pine Bluff, AR

As a child, Jamison Murry considered being a dentist, fireman or a police officer like his dad as a future career. Until he was introduced to farming and realized he wanted to take a different route studying the science behind production agriculture.

“There was something about that dirt, there was something about a freshly tilled field and big equipment that I loved,” Murry said.

He learned a lot about agriculture and himself while earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and his master’s degree from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. After graduating, he went to work for the United States Department of Agriculture, where he learned even more.

“I was able to gain insight into what this area needed and the government assistance they didn’t know about,” Murry said. “I was able to get my hands dirty and actually put boots to the ground.”

As a soil conservationist for the National Resource Conservation Service, Jamison works with farmers, land owners and ranchers to help them be profitable and sustainable. He applies his technical knowledge of working with dirt to encourage young people to consider a career in agriculture. He believes the next generation of agriculture will be driven by technology and young people can make a difference.

“I like to inspire as many young people as I can to go into agriculture,” Murry said. “They think it’s just horses, tractors, plows, slinging dirt or planting crops but that’s not it. If you hop on a tractor today as opposed to 40-50 years ago, you’re in a cockpit versus a tractor now.”

To learn more about career opportunities in agriculture, click here.

To find college majors in agriculture and salary information, visit MyMajors.com.