2021 Salary Survey Results

37% of respondents said local competitors have a strong influence on what they offer entry-level employees.
37% of respondents said local competitors have a strong influence on what they offer entry-level employees.
(Farm Journal)

This past March, The Scoop sent its annual survey via email to its audience to learn more about the compensation benchmarks in ag retail—particularly for entry-level sales agronomists and applicators/machine operators. All respondents held management positions at ag retail companies or locations. Almost half of the 275 respondents were from five states: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Indiana. 

In addition to the insights provided on this page and the next, here are a few other findings beyond entry-level positions.

  • For sales agronomists, 80% of respondents offered bonuses in 2020.
  • For applicators/machine operators, 67% of respondents offered those roles bonuses in the past year.
  • For the first time, the survey asked for the top salary of any employee with one of the two roles:
    • The average top salary for a sales agronomist was $89,892,
    • For applicators/machine operators, the average highest salary was $59,039. 

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