Agronomists, Consultants, and Agricultural Specialists
Job description
These individuals advise and assist farmers in all aspects of farm management (crops, fertilization, nutrition, marketing, agri-environment, farm management and financing, etc.). They are self-employed or work for:
- Private companies
- Institutions
- Government agencies
- Trade unions
- Producer groups
- Research centres
- Para-governmental organizations
Environment
- Controlled ambient temperature
- Climatic conditions
- Equipment, machinery, tools
- Vehicle or passenger compartment
- Hazardous chemical
- Biological agents
- Odours
- Nontoxic dust
- Humidity
- Uncontrolled ambient temperature
- Hazardous workplaces
- Noise
Main tasks
- Advise farmers.
- Apply the regulatory framework on agricultural activities.
- Prepare and conduct information sessions, consultations, and presentations for farmers and their consultants.
- Conduct research, analyze agricultural data, and draft research reports.
- Consult with researchers, educators, and leaders on farm and agriculture-related issues.
- Maintain records of services provided and results achieved.
- Manage agronomy projects.
- Carry out technology transfers.
- Perform administrative tasks.
- Perform quality control.
Advancement and mobility
- Experience leads to management positions.
- These individuals may specialize in various fields (animal sciences, horticulture, agricultural management, environmental management, etc.).
Hourly wage
The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2022 to 2024.- Minimum
- $25.72
- Median
- $40.00
- Maximum
- $52.30
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects
All of Québec
All of Québec
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
All of Québec
Gender distribution
All of Québec
- 52.8% Female
- 47.2% Male
- 52.8% Female
- 47.2% Male
Job types
All of Québec
- Full time
- Part time
- Full time
- Part time
Yearly wage on 2020
All of Québec
All of Québec
Other characteristics
All of Québec
- None
All of Québec
- None
Sectors of activity
All of Québec
-
NAICS 5416, 541730% of jobs
-
NAICS 111, 112, 114, 1151, 115225% of jobs
-
NAICS 9116% of jobs
-
NAICS 4111% of jobs
-
NAICS 311, 3127% of jobs
-
Others11% of jobs
All of Québec
-
NAICS 5416, 541730% of jobs
-
NAICS 111, 112, 114, 1151, 115225% of jobs
-
NAICS 9116% of jobs
-
NAICS 4111% of jobs
-
NAICS 311, 3127% of jobs
-
Others11% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
Most training programs are offered in French only.
University
Agricultural and forest engineering
Agriculture
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 78.4%
18.9% of graduates pursue further studies
Biological sciences, biology or plant biology
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 31.7%
64.1% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 79.2%
16.9% of graduates pursue further studies
- Bishop's University
- Concordia University
- Université de Montréal
- Université de Sherbrooke
- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
- Université du Québec en Outaouais
- Université du Québec à Montréal
- Université du Québec à Rimouski
- Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
- Université Laval
- McGill University
- Institut national de recherche scientifique
Food sciences and technology
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 58.1%
39.5% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 89.5%
5.3% of graduates pursue further studies
Natural resources or renewable resources
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 75%
25% of graduates pursue further studies
Rural economics
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 68.8%
31.3% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 100%
Also required
- Membership in the Ordre des agronomes du Québec (OAQ [Quebec Order of Agronomists]) to practise the profession and bear the title of Agronomist in Quebec.
- A diploma equivalence may be granted by the OAQ for diplomas obtained abroad or in other disciplines.
- The OAQ may also admit members who are legally licensed to practise agronomy from organizations in other Canadian provinces.
- The OAQ has entered into a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) to allow engineers who have graduated in France to become members of the OAQ.
Sometimes required
- A Class 5 driver's licence is usually required.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
- Science
- Information processing
- Active listening
- System analysis
- Service oriented
- Solving complex problems
- Reading comprehension
- Systems evaluation
- Judgment and decision-making
- Learning strategies
- Critical thought
- Written expression
- Result evaluation
- Mathematics
- Active learning
- Quality control analysis
- Coordination
- Teaching
- Oral expression
- Financial resource management
- Time management
Abilities
- Written comprehension
- Awareness of issues
- Speech clarity
- Oral comprehension
- Verbal skills
- Written expression
- Information organization
- Memorization
- Classification
- Deductive reasoning
- Inductive reasoning
- Mathematical reasoning
- Basic numeracy
- Processing flexibility
- Selective attention
- Control accuracy
- Digital dexterity
- Idea generation
- Hand-arm stability
- Originality
- Perception speed
- Speech recognition
Knowledge and attributes
- Autonomy
- Capacity to adapt
- Knowledge of customer and personalized services
- Respect standards and regulations
- Desire to upgrade one’s competencies
- Sense of observation
- Knowledge of plant and animal production
- Open-mindedness
Interests
- Direct, organize, and manage
- Draft, communicate, and inform
- Work with numbers
- Work in an office
- Carry out research
- Develop and exploit natural resources
- Work in contact with nature and animals
- Assist and advise
- Work outdoors
- Conduct tests and trials, control processes
- Teach or educate
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Enterprising
- People with this profile prefer having responsibilities, influencing others and responding to challenges.
- Investigative
- People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
- Realistic
- People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
Official name of the NOC 21112
Agricultural representatives, consultants and specialists
Job titles
- Agronomists
- Agricultural advisor
- Farm management consultant
- Growers' advisor
- Acreage-quota assignment officer
- Field service agent
- Agrogeologist
- District agronomist
- Extension service agronomist
- Sales agronomist
- Algologist
- Business analyst - economics
- Labour market information analyst
- Business intelligence analyst - economic research
- Risk management analyst
- Economic policy analyst
- Salary analyst - economic policy
- Fiscal economics analyst
- Trade analyst
- Economic analyst
- Anatomist
- Plant anatomist
- Tree grower - nursery
- Clinical research associate
- Astrobiologist
- Bacteriologist
- Bacteriologist - animal health
- Food bacteriologist
- Fishery bacteriologist
- Dairy bacteriologist
- Soil bacteriologist
- Pharmaceutical bacteriologist
- Public health bacteriologist
- Industrial bacteriologist
- Bioinformatician
- Biologist
- Systems biologist
- Cell biologist
- Environmental biologist
- Developmental biologist
- Wildlife biologist
- Aquatic biologist
- Plant population biologist
- Enzymology biologist
- Parasitology biologist
- Medical parasitology biologist
- Veterinary parasitology biologist
- Protozoology biologist
- Research biologist
- Molecular biologist
- Physiological biophysicist
- Botanist
- Economic botanist
- Bryologist
- Clinical research project manager
- Crop-research scientist
- Biomedical nanotechnology research scientist
- Irrigation consultant - agriculture
- Economic advisor
- Field service adviser - agriculture
- Consumer advisor - economics
- Economic policy adviser
- Economic consultant
- Clinical research trials coordinator
- Cytochemist
- Cytogeneticist
- Cytologist
- Cytologist-microbiologist
- Marine mammal trainer
- Ecobiologist
- Ecologist
- Animal ecologist
- Forest ecologist
- Rural ecologist
- Econometrician
- Economist
- Agricultural economist
- Business economist
- Energy economist
- Land use economist
- Health economist
- Investment economist
- Price economist
- Industrial relations economist
- Resource economist
- Forest resources economist
- Human resources economist
- Natural resources economist
- Territorial resources economist
- Transport economist
- Trade economist
- Industrial trade economist
- International trade economist
- Development economist
- Financial market economist
- Welfare economist
- Labour economist
- Tax economist
- Financial economist
- Forest economist
- General economist
- Industrial economist
- Mathematical economist
- Regional economist
- Social economist
- Embryologist
- Entomologist
- Apiculture entomologist
- Enzymologist
- Etiologist
- Soil fertility expert
- Hydroponics operator
- Nursery operator
- Tree nursery operator
- Christmas tree farm operator
- Greenhouse operator
- Horticultural greenhouse operator
- Hydroponic greenhouse operator
- Flower grower
- Molecular geneticist
- Animal geneticist
- Geneticist
- Developmental geneticist
- Population geneticist
- Nursery manager
- Clinical research program manager
- Greenhouse manager
- Helminthologist
- Wildlife helminthologist
- Herpetologist
- Histologist
- Histopathologist
- Hydrobiologist
- Marine hydrobiologist
- Ichthyologist
- Immunologist
- Laboratory immunologist
- Limnologist
- Head grower - cannabis
- Malariologist
- Mammalogist
- Microbiologist
- Mycologist
- Naturalist
- Wildlife naturalist
- Park naturalist
- Nematologist
- Plant nematologist
- Ornithologist
- Osteologist
- Parasitologist
- Forest pathologist
- Nurseryman/woman
- Pharmacologist
- Physiologist
- Cellular physiologist
- Human physiologist
- Insect physiologist
- Plant physiologist
- Molecular physiologist
- Physiologist-biochemist - nuclear medicine
- Phytobiologist
- Plant ecologist
- Plant breeder
- Phytopathologist
- Plant scientist
- Evergreen grower
- Shrub grower
- Hothouse flower grower
- Plant grower - nursery
- Rose grower
- Hydroponics grower
- Protozoologist
- Economic policy researcher
- Government agricultural service district representative
- Agricultural representative
- Agricultural scientist
- Poultry scientist
- Food products scientist
- Dairy scientist
- Crop scientist
- Biological scientist
- Food research scientist
- Domestic animal scientist
- Serologist
- Economic research group supervisor
- Agricultural extension supervisor
- Biology systematist
- Animal taxonomist
- Plant taxonomist
- Biology taxonomist
- Mechanistic toxicologist
- Staff toxicologist
- Toxicologist
- Descriptive toxicologist
- Environmental toxicologist
- Environmental and occupational toxicologist
- Regulatory toxicologist
- Virologist
- Interpretative naturalist
- Zoologist
- Invertebrate zoologist
- Horticulture specialist
Skill type
Natural and applied sciences and related occupations
Related occupations
- Agricultural and fish products inspectors
- Architecture and science managers
- Biological technologists and technicians
- Biologists and related scientists
- College and other vocational instructors
- Government managers - economic analysis, policy development and program administration
- Landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists
- Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers
- Other professional engineers
- Technical sales specialists - wholesale trade
- University professors and lecturers
Last update: January 29, 2026