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:

Agriculture

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

Food and Beverage

What CALS alumni do:

Business Development Manager

Brand Distribution Analyst

Sales Manager

Marketing Coordinator

Commodity Merchant

Business Analyst

Where CALS alumni work:

PepsiCo

Molson Coors

Hormel Foods

United Wisconsin Grain Producers

Financial

What CALS alumni do:

Financial Specialist

Account Manager

Business Analyst

Financial Advisor

Sales Representative

Risk Management Consultant

Where CALS alumni work:

US Bank

Compeer Financial

Northwest Mutual

Edward Jones

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:

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

Your CALS Experience

Professional business degrees offered at UW–Madison

Renk Scholars selected each year

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