Food & Agriculture

Nebraska’s agriculture industry shapes food systems across the world, with companies like Cargill, Tyson Foods, and Conagra leading the charge. These employers offer full-time and part-time roles in many different job types including crop protection, food safety, and even sales representatives.

• Cargill’s Nebraska City protein processing plant has operated out of a 195,000-square-foot facility since 1995, employing over 4,000 professionals across the state.
• Tyson Foods employs thousands at its Lexington, Nebraska plant and regularly gives back to the communities it does business in.
• Conagra’s Omaha campus houses the company’s largest workforce and serves as a hub for Research & Development, IT, HR, Global Business Services, and Supply Chain careers.
• Omaha-headquartered Valmont Industries drives agtech innovation, producing industry-leading mechanized irrigation systems and crop anomaly detection tools.
• German-owned Bayer Crop Science in York County develops and tests new seed products and crop protection products to help farmers in Nebraska and around the world.

Whether you’re hands-on in the field or building the next breakthrough in smart agriculture, these employers offer the chance to be part of something essential, evolving, and globally impactful.

Ranked among the Midwest’s top universities for the agricultural sciences, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln prepares students for impactful careers through its Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the College of Agricultural Sciences. Students gain expertise in food, fuel, water, and landscape systems, while the university’s Agricultural Research Division leads the state’s public agricultural research efforts. The Food Innovation Center at UNL also supports workforce development through hands-on workshops and events.

Several other higher education institutions with programs in agriculture and food production include:

• Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture
• Concordia University
• Northeast Community College

Nebraska’s agriculture education system spans high school through postsecondary, providing a pipeline of talent with strong academic, technical, and career readiness skills. Nebraska Career & Technical Education offers a program of study in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, helping students build a foundation in animal science, agronomy, horticulture, food products, leadership, agribusiness, and other related fields. And if you’re interested in building your own agtech business, The Combine offers incubator space, mentorship, a capital readiness program, commercialization support, and more.

Regardless of your education level, institutions here prepare you with the in-demand skills for everything from agtech jobs to food processing jobs here in Nebraska.

Opportunities to connect, learn, and lead in agriculture are everywhere in Nebraska. From youth conferences to global trade shows, these events highlight the strength and diversity of the state’s ag sector:

• The Nebraska Agribusiness Expo in Kearney is a premier annual event for the agriculture and forestry sectors, featuring industry exhibitions, educational sessions, and meaningful professional connections.
• The Nebraska Ag Expo, held each year in Lincoln, is the second-largest indoor ag show in the U.S. — drawing more than 800 exhibitors from across the country and Canada. It offers cutting-edge ag talks and equipment showcases.
• Nebraska LEAD is one of the nation’s premier agricultural leadership development programs, with more than 1,100 alumni.
• Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island has been connecting agriculture professionals from around the world for over four decades in a one-of-a-kind outdoor expo setting.
• The Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute (NAYI) introduces high school juniors and seniors to the many career paths within agriculture through a weeklong summer experience filled with workshops, speakers, and networking.
• The Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference, hosted by UNL, is an empowering two-day event providing education, resources, and community for women across all roles in the ag industry.