Agricultural Business Management Major

Agricultural business management is the application of business principles to the agriculture industry

Agricultural business management (ABM) is one of only five professional undergraduate degrees offered at UW–Madison that applies economics, finance, management, and marketing to agriculture and related industries.

As an Agricultural Business Management major you will:

Gain foundational knowledge in agribusiness, economics, statistics, accounting, finance, and management
Explore specialized topics such as business operations, finance and economic decision analysis, analytical and managerial tools, organization of the food system, and commodity markets
Develop an economics-based understanding of how businesses make decisions and minimize risk and how to use applied mathematics and statistics to analyze prices and markets

Career Paths

Agricultural business management graduates are prepared for careers in management, business analysis, marketing, commodities trading, sales, consulting, banking, and finance at agribusiness firms, food companies, tech companies, co-operatives, government agencies, and financial institutions.

Here are just a few examples of what our agricultural business management graduates are doing with their careers:

What CALS alumni do:

Agronomy Account Manager

Brand Distribution Analyst

Sales Manager

Marketing Coordinator

Commodity Merchant

Business Analyst

Project Manager

Where CALS alumni work:

CHS

Cargill

Bayer

John Deere

Hormel Foods

Wyffels Hybrids

AGCO

What can CALS offer you?

CALS students are curious to discover how our living world works and are passionate about using science to improve it.

Our programs span five areas of study and encourage students to pursue their passions in the classroom and beyond. Learn more about how our students are set up for success:

Scholarships
Career Services
Study Abroad
Honors Program
QuickStart – online, summer program for first-year students

Want to learn more about agricultural business management?
Explore admission requirements, course offerings, 4-year plans, and more on UW–Madison’s undergraduate Guide.

view guide

Your CALS Experience

Fund your education

As an agricultural business management student, you can apply to the Renk Scholarship Program offered by the Renk Agribusiness Institute. Join a cohort of Renk scholars and receive tuition support, mentorship, internship and job opportunities, and a network of support.

Get involved. Find your people.

Explore a few of the other agriculture and business-related student organizations at UW–Madison:

Study abroad and gain global perspective

Gain valuable regional experience, world languages, and intercultural knowledge while studying the global and regional issues that impact agricultural markets here in Wisconsin, the United States, and abroad.

Study health and food systems in Ghana, take an international economics course in Denmark, intern with a tea farm in Japan, and so much more. You can also choose from one of UW–Madison’s many semester, summer, and short-term study abroad programs and map your study abroad experience as an agricultural business management major.

Members of the Agricultural Business Management Club placed second at the 2023 North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Ag Business Contest.

Test your skills and compete

Join the UW–Madison team that competes in the annual CME Group University Trading Challenge competition. This simulated trading competition pits hundreds of college teams from around the world against one another as they make real-time commodity trading decisions.

Challenge yourself with case studies, competitions, and events with other ABM majors as a member of the Agricultural Business Management Club, an organization hosted by the Renk Agribusiness Institute on campus.

Gain real-world experience

Engage in economics research on both domestic and international topics working with a faculty in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Explore real-world problems in community economic development, development economics, economics of agriculture, and environmental and resource economics.

Tackle a business problem proposed by industry partners in our experiential learning capstone course, Classroom Consulting. You’ll be matched with a business and have the the opportunity to apply your learnings to a real-world project. Your student team will work alongside a business, create a solution to one of their challenges, and present your project to industry professionals.

Earn a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in 5 years

Agricultural business management students can apply to the 4+1 Accelerated MSPO Pathway program and earn their bachelor’s degree and master’s degree within 5 years. Receive your Master’s of Science in Agricultural Economics—Professional Option just one year after completing your bachelor’s degree.

1 of 5

Professional business degrees offered at UW–Madison

20

Renk Scholars selected each year

100%

Seniors who complete a capstone course

Advisor & Contact Information

Advisors can answer your questions, help you create a degree plan that meets your personal and professional goals, and connect you to resources across the UW–Madison campus.

Incoming students should reach out to CALS Academic Affairs to direct your questions. Current UW–Madison students should schedule with their assigned advisor using Starfish.

CALS Academic Affairs

116 Agricultural Hall
1450 Linden Dr., Madison, WI 53706

academicaffairs@cals.wisc.edu
(608) 262-3003

Agricultural Business Management Advising

424 Taylor Hall
427 Lorch St., Madison, WI 53706

info@aae.wisc.edu
(608) 262-2727