Despite the current economic situation, a record number of employers attended the College of Agriculture and Life Science’s career day.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences held their annual career day Tuesday in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union, with over 150 employers in attendance.

Due to the increased number of attending employers this year, some unfortunate ones were forced to huddle outside in a row of tents located on the north side of the Memorial Union during the event.

This increase in employer attendance comes as a surprise considering the recent economic downfalls.

However, agriculture students should not start biting their nails just yet.

“The job market outlook right now is still very good,” said Mike Gaul, director of career placement in the Agriculture Career Services office. “The demand has grown for agriculture students.”

Part of the reason the agricultural-based job outlook is so great is due to the aging of those currently employed at those companies.

“The agriculture industry is top-heavy in the baby-boomer generation,” Gaul said.

Many companies are beginning to realize they need to start looking for younger employees who will eventually take the place of their current, aging employees, Gaul said.

“We are looking for both employees and interns,” said James C. Hardison II, vice president of human resources of the Indiana Packers Corporation. “We are looking for management trainees who have flexibility and are able to understand and grasp opportunities.”

Employers who attended the career day event said students should not be too concerned about the future availability of careers in agriculture.

“When it comes to agriculture, you’re always going to be feeding the world,” Hardison II said.

He said the outlook for agricultural careers is currently better than it was three years ago.

“In the long term, rural areas are really able to carry through tough economic situations,” said Sheila Schmid, human resources representative at Schwartz Farms, Inc.

However, students should still remain cautious when considering the point of time when they actually start looking for a career.

“Students should be cautiously optimistic,” Gaul said. “They should embrace the opportunities now and not wait until spring.”

He said it is important for graduating agriculture students to begin looking for a job right now.

Schmid said students will be able to work their way up in the agricultural job market.

“It may take longer to find the job you want,” Schmid said. “You may have to start out at a job that you don’t want, then work your way up to the job you want. You should not become too easily frustrated during the process.”

Gaul said despite all the talk about the current economic situation and the outlook of careers in agriculture, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences takes pride in the fact that their students do so well in finding careers after graduation.

Furthermore, students from across the nation who are enrolled in their college’s agriculture programs have strong job placement rates upon graduation, Gaul said.

“Agriculture is a good place to be right now,” Gaul said.