Agricultural Business

About the Department

Srini Konduru, Department Chair
Leon S. Peters Building, Room 302
559.278.2949
FAX: 559.278.6536
fresnostate.edu/jcast/agbs

Join the leader in science, technology, and management. The award-winning Agricultural Business Program at California State University, Fresno is a pacesetter – having been recognized by the Agribusiness Education Project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and comprised of agricultural industry leaders and higher education scholars from around the country.

Students are our priority. We have an open door policy. Each student is given a faculty adviser who is easily accessible and provides academic and career counseling. Ag One Grants for academic fees and books are available. Call 559.278.2061 for scholarship information and application.

The agricultural business curriculum is a comprehensive and integrative program of economic principles and business application with a problem-solving orientation and a practical experience emphasis:

• The Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business combines core undergraduate courses in agricultural business (AGBS) with basic business management and agricultural science foundation courses. This undergraduate major allows you to emphasize a career specialty, such as agribusiness management, agricultural finance, agricultural marketing, farm management, or food industry management.
• Certified Minor Programs. A Minor in Agricultural Business is available for students majoring in agricultural sciences, business, and other fields.
• Complementary Fields of Study. Agricultural business students wishing to enhance their major with a technical field should consider a minor in such closely allied disciplines as animal science, family and consumer sciences, food and nutritional sciences, and plant science. A supplementary Minor in General Business is available through the Craig School of Business.

Interesting Classes You Might Take

• Survey of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness
• Farm Management
• Food and Fiber Industry Management
• Farm Accounting

What You Can Learn

• Consumer supply and demand functions
• Techniques for analyzing efficient farm resource usage
• Farm labor laws and government regulations
• Physical and economic factors affecting land values

Instructional Facilities

• Modern Computing Facilities. Labs are used to teach students computerized farm accounting systems, agricultural enterprise spreadsheets, agribusiness simulations, commodity trading, and to expose them to planning and decision-making aids as part of their professional expertise.
• Institute for Food and Agriculture (IFA). Organized to promote the economic efficiency, profitability, and competitiveness of California agriculture, IFA uses faculty expertise and student assistance to address problems and opportunities in farm management, agribusiness finance, commodity marketing, agricultural trade, natural resources, and labor management. Seminars are held periodically on topics of concern to farmers and agribusiness managers. An annual Agribusiness Management Conference is co-sponsored with industry to explore current issues and report the economic outlook of the state’s agricultural sector.

Professional Preparation

• Students establish credibility with prospective employers by participating in the following occupationally related activities.
• Agricultural Business Club. Students plan field trips, invite industry speakers to meetings, organize the annual alumni dinner, hold a newcomer picnic, support a campus job fair, and sponsor career preparation workshops.
• National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA). The Fresno State chapter of NAMA organizes field trips, brings in guest lecturers, and prepares students to participate in various national competitions organized by NAMA.
• Industry internships. Opportunities exist for many career positions through management training programs with agricultural business firms and support institutions. The department coordinates internships on a competitive basis and grants academic credit in the major for this supervised experience (AGBS 194).
• University Agricultural Laboratory Project. Students gain farming experience through participation in the faculty supervised, student project program and concurrent enrollment in an Enterprise Management course (PLANT, ASCI 196). Such a course is highly recommended and can be used in the major.

Faculty

Faculty members are broadly trained with advanced degrees from top-ranked universities across the nation, and are highly experienced as teachers, consultants, and researchers. They bring practical insight to the classroom by being professionally active in service to California farms and agribusinesses, industry organizations, government agencies, and professional associations. Forming a strong advisee-adviser relationship with any one of the faculty can help you match your career goals with appropriate coursework.

Career Opportunities

Welcome to the Department of Agricultural Business at Fresno State! Our campus is in the heart of the Central Valley, home to some of the highest valued crops in the USA. Our program has great opportunities for student internships and future employment with the agricultural and food industries. In the most recent graduation rate report from the University’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Ag Business majors, on average, completed the degree in less time than any other major on campus.

What You Can Do

• Production Supervisor
• Grower Relations Manager
• Produce Sales Person
• Pest Control Adviser
• Agriculture Credit Analyst
• Government Policy Analyst

Programs

• Agricultural Business, B.S.

• Agricultural Business, Minor