Sustainability
Outdoor
Green Jobs

Agriculture and Natural Resources Career Pathways

Steward Colorado's natural resources through farming, ranching, forestry, and conservation. Growing focus on sustainable practices.

AGRIBUSINESS SECTOR
$40 billion
Colorado's agribusiness sector is worth $40 billion with strong food-and-beverage exports and craft-brewing strength.
DIRECT EMPLOYEES
173,000
Colorado agriculture directly employs 173,000 people across farming, ranching, food processing, and related businesses.
FARM AND RANCH LAND
Vast acreage
Colorado has extensive farm and ranch acreage supporting both traditional agriculture and organic production.
CRAFT-BREWING ECONOMY
Leader
Colorado is distinguished for its craft-brewing strength and organic-product acreage within the broader ag economy.

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Explore My Colorado Journey Career Pathways

Learn how to browse Agriculture and Natural Resources careers, compare pathway levels, and use Colorado labor-market information to plan your next step.

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Explore Colorado Agriculture and Natural Resources

What to know about Agriculture and Natural Resources

A quick look, straight from Colorado’s industry data.

Significant

Agriculture in Colorado contributes $47 billion annually to our economy and employs more than 195,000 people.

Connection

The Agriculture and Natural Resources industry is linked with several other key industries including hospitality, tourism, energy, manufacturing and bioscience because of the similarity in some production processes, raw materials used, and environmental impact.

Specialized

There are a wide variety of specialized agriculture products in Colorado, created on farms, ranches, and in greenhouses as well as leveraging our Natural Resources. Colorado's forests and farms can also provide a helpful carbon sink, reducing Green House Gases.

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About this pathway

Abundance: Colorado has a strong Agricultural heritage and abundant natural resources, as well as great depth in natural and organic foods, craft beverages and great restaurants using local produce.

Significant: Agriculture in Colorado contributes $47 billion annually to our economy and employs more than 195,000 people.

Connection: The Agriculture and Natural Resources industry is linked with several other key industries including hospitality, tourism, energy, manufacturing and bioscience because of the similarity in some production processes, raw materials used, and environmental impact.

Specialized: There are a wide variety of specialized agriculture products in Colorado, created on farms, ranches, and in greenhouses as well as leveraging our Natural Resources. Colorado's forests and farms can also provide a helpful carbon sink, reducing Green House Gases.

Roles in this pathway

Salary ranges are career-ladder estimates. Occupation pages show unique job postings where available.

Role	Track	Level	Typical education	Salary range
Animal Breeder	Technical	1	High school / GED	$36k–$48k
Animal Caretaker	Technical	1	High school / GED	$30k–$40k
Entry-level Natural Resources	Technical	1	See role page	$0k–$0k
Farmworker and Laborer: Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse	Technical	1	High school / GED	$29k–$39k
Farmworker: Farm, Ranch, and Aquaculture Animals	Technical	1	High school / GED	$28k–$38k
Grader and Sorter, Agricultural Products	Technical	1	See role page	$27k–$37k
Landscaping and Groundskeeper Worker	Technical	1	High school / GED	$39k–$52k
Logging Equipment Operator	Technical	1	High school / GED	$42k–$56k
Tree Trimmer and Pruner	Technical	1	High school / GED	$44k–$60k
Veterinarian Assistant and Laboratory Animal Caretaker	Technical	1	High school / GED	$34k–$46k
Agribusiness Entry-level	Technical	2	See role page	$0k–$0k
Agriculture Equipment Operator	Technical	2	High school / GED	$33k–$44k
Environmental CAD/GIS	Technical	2	See role page	$0k–$0k
Environmental Techs	Technical	2	See role page	$0k–$0k
Farm Equipment Mechanic and Service Technician	Technical	2	Associate degree	$55k–$74k
Fishing and Hunting Worker	Technical	2	High school / GED	$0k–$0k
Agribusiness Mid-level	Technical	3	See role page	$0k–$0k
Agriculture Inspector	Technical	3	Bachelor's degree	$45k–$61k
Mid-Level Landscaping	Technical	3	See role page	$0k–$0k
Mid-level Natural Resources	Technical	3	See role page	$0k–$0k
Veterinarian	Technical	6	A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from a s…	$91k–$123k
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Supervisor	Management	4	High school / GED	$45k–$60k
First-line Supervisor of Transportation and Material-moving Machine and Vehicle Operators	Management	4	See role page	$57k–$77k
Farmers, Ranchers, and Agricultural Managers	Management	6	High school / GED	$34k–$46k
Agriculture Technician	Specialist	2	Associate degree	$43k–$59k
Forest and Conservation Technician	Specialist	2	Associate degree	$45k–$61k
Hydrologic Technician	Specialist	2	Associate degree	$50k–$67k
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians	Specialist	2	Associate degree	$41k–$56k
Animal Scientist	Specialist	3	Bachelor's degree	$49k–$67k
Environmental Engineer/ Scientist	Specialist	3	See role page	$0k–$0k
Hydrologist	Specialist	3	Bachelor's degree	$90k–$121k
Soil and Plant Scientist	Specialist	3	Bachelor's degree	$55k–$75k

Role

Track

Level

Typical education

Salary range

Animal Breeder

Technical

High school / GED

$36k–$48k

Animal Caretaker

Technical

High school / GED

$30k–$40k

Entry-level Natural Resources

Technical

See role page

$0k–$0k

Farmworker and Laborer: Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Technical

High school / GED

$29k–$39k

Farmworker: Farm, Ranch, and Aquaculture Animals

Technical

High school / GED

$28k–$38k

Grader and Sorter, Agricultural Products

Technical

See role page

$27k–$37k

Landscaping and Groundskeeper Worker

Technical

High school / GED

$39k–$52k

Logging Equipment Operator

Technical

High school / GED

$42k–$56k

Tree Trimmer and Pruner

Technical

High school / GED

$44k–$60k

Veterinarian Assistant and Laboratory Animal Caretaker

Technical

High school / GED

$34k–$46k

Agribusiness Entry-level

Technical

See role page

$0k–$0k

Agriculture Equipment Operator

Technical

High school / GED

$33k–$44k

Environmental CAD/GIS

Technical

See role page

$0k–$0k

Environmental Techs

Technical

See role page

$0k–$0k

Farm Equipment Mechanic and Service Technician

Technical

Associate degree

$55k–$74k

Fishing and Hunting Worker

Technical

High school / GED

$0k–$0k

Agribusiness Mid-level

Technical

See role page

$0k–$0k

Agriculture Inspector

Technical

Bachelor's degree

$45k–$61k

Mid-Level Landscaping

Technical

See role page

$0k–$0k

Mid-level Natural Resources

Technical

See role page

$0k–$0k

Veterinarian

Technical

A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from a s…

$91k–$123k

Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Supervisor

Management

High school / GED

$45k–$60k

First-line Supervisor of Transportation and Material-moving Machine and Vehicle Operators

Management

See role page

$57k–$77k

Farmers, Ranchers, and Agricultural Managers

Management

High school / GED

$34k–$46k

Agriculture Technician

Specialist

Associate degree

$43k–$59k

Forest and Conservation Technician

Specialist

Associate degree

$45k–$61k

Hydrologic Technician

Specialist

Associate degree

$50k–$67k

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

Specialist

Associate degree

$41k–$56k

Animal Scientist

Specialist

Bachelor's degree

$49k–$67k

Environmental Engineer/ Scientist

Specialist

See role page

$0k–$0k

Hydrologist

Specialist

Bachelor's degree

$90k–$121k

Soil and Plant Scientist

Specialist

Bachelor's degree

$55k–$75k

Agriculture and Natural Resources Career Pathways

Explore My Colorado Journey Career Pathways

What to know about Agriculture and Natural Resources

Significant

Connection

Specialized

Student Support Services

College Scorecard

Apprenticeship Directory

Apprenticeship Intermediaries

ICAP Resources

Interest Assessments

Agriculture and Natural Resources Career Pathways

About this pathway

Roles in this pathway (32)

Roles in this pathway