A pesticide application truck, with long structures at its back, sprays pesticides on the crops. A combine harvester truck threshes grains on land.
Farmers and ranchers are natural inventors. Farming and raising livestock is tough, so farmers and ranchers have constantly sought ways to reduce the labor needs and improve efficiency and safety on the farm, in the forest, or in the greenhouse. This spirit of innovation drives the power, structural, and technical career pathway.
The screen displays an illustration reading, “Career Pathways.” In this circular diagram, various career options are listed:, Animal Systems, Biotechnology Systems, Environmental Service Systems, Food Products and Processing, Natural Resource Systems, Plant Systems, Power, Structural, and Technical Systems, Agribusiness Systems. Highlighting “Power, Structural, and Technical Systems” at the end.
The Power, Structural and Technical, or “PST,” pathway includes all careers dealing with the mechanics and non-living technology within agriculture.
A tractor with a harrow tool drives between crops, tilling the surface. An image of various grain storage structures appears on the screen. A drone lifts from the ground and flies in the air. A robotic planter works on a plant tray in a greenhouse.
The PST pathway is perfect if you love working with equipment and designing systems. The pathway focuses on the power used in agriculture, like tractors, combines, and earthmovers. It also deals with designing structures, including grain storage, greenhouses, and rooftop gardens. Finally, the PST pathway provides careers in the technology of agriculture that may include working with GPS, drones, self-driving tractors and harvesters, and robotic planters in a greenhouse
A bulldozer clears crop leftovers from the field. A technician diagnoses an agricultural tool, installed on the wall of a greenhouse.
In this pathway, you will learn skills such as how to select and use tools and heavy equipment appropriate for installing field drainage, building a retention pond, or tilling a field. You may also perform routine service and maintenance on equipment and energy systems, so your skills may also include using diagnostic equipment, computers, and tools.
A smiling woman stands by a wall thinking. Four images appear on the screen in succession. The first image features a garden shelter. The same screen continues, with the second showing a technician welding. In the third, a woman and an old man stand on a farm looking over a laptop screen. The last one shows three individuals standing in a solar plant looking over a device. They all wear safety gear.
Examples of SAEs in the pathway span wide interests. For instance, a student could build garden sheds for homeowners, work for a welding shop in an agricultural setting, or provide basic internet and email training for agricultural producers. Additionally, as the world turns to sustainable energy sources, this pathway is primed for work with solar and wind farms and conservation of energy in all aspects of food production.
A picture of a farm building comes on the screen, well-equipped with sprinklers and lights. There are plants on the tables. A closeup picture of a lighting fixture installed in a greenhouse. A warehouse-like place appears on the screen, with various machines, pumps, and large trolleys.
You could also research the types of farm technology used in your area or research the energy usage of different types of lighting in farm buildings or greenhouses. You could even start with your school’s agricultural shop and provide an analysis for how to reduce energy costs.
An electrician inspects wiring using a voltage tester. A large machine flashes on the screen, displaying the name of the company and the person who built it.
If you enjoy working with your hands and learning about agricultural energy, technology, and building systems, you may find a match with a Power, Structural and Technical SAE. Ultimately, an SAE will allow you to learn skills that can be used in your power, structure, and technology career in agriculture.
Two men sitting in a lab are occupied on the computer screen in front of them. One of them makes a thoughtful face. A woman works on her laptop in the field. Cows stand on the farm. A radio frequency monitoring machine appears on the screen along with its tag.
One example of a career in this pathway is an Information Technology Programmer. Programmers ensure that writing, testing, and maintenance of computer programs and applications are analyzed to meet user and process needs. In agriculture, programmers are needed to customize sensors and automated feeding systems to the farm, because no two farms are identical. For example, a large beef farm might need radio frequency identification tags on their animals to track and monitor them.
An engineer appears on the screen, taking notes in her notepad. Two men stand near a tractor examining its machines. A screen shows a man welding a metal frame.
Other careers include Electrical Engineer, a person who designs electrical systems, and oversees the system’s maintenance and installation. A Maintenance or Service Technician is a person who performs basic repairs on engines, transmissions, and various agricultural implements and lawn and garden equipment. Another career in this pathway is a welder, someone who welds frameworks for buildings and other structures.
A large agricultural machine appears on the screen. An engineer works on his laptop standing in a farm with a solar panel beside him. Many windmills stand in front of him.
Education required in this pathway can include on the job training or post-secondary schoolwork, depending on the career choice.
A man drives a pesticide sprinkler truck. Two men inspect an agricultural truck. A man drives a tractor in the farm with a large piece of agricultural equipment.
If you are interested in the technology and mechanical systems that enable agriculture to be highly efficient and effective, then this career pathway might be for you. Specialists in the agricultural mechanics area do not necessarily make farm products like corn, beef, and flowers, but their work makes those products (and many others) possible.