Agricultural Production Operations at Ohio State University-Main Campus

With only $12,000 in debt—placing this in the 5th percentile nationally—Ohio State's agricultural production program offers one of the most affordable pathways into farming you'll find. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.35 means graduates can realistically pay off what they owe within a year or two, even on starting wages around $34,000. Among Ohio's five programs in this field, OSU lands at the 60th percentile for earnings, which isn't remarkable but isn't troubling either when paired with such minimal borrowing.

The 15% earnings bump from year one to year four suggests graduates build tangible skills and advance within the industry, though the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these figures could swing significantly year to year. Agricultural production tends to reward hands-on experience and business acumen rather than pure credentials, so this degree serves mainly as a foundation rather than a golden ticket.

The real appeal here is financial: your child can enter farming or agribusiness without the debt burden that plagues many four-year programs. If they're committed to agricultural work and prefer learning by doing rather than spending two more years in classrooms, this represents a practical, low-risk entry point into the field.