DATA WERE SECURED BY PERSONAL INTERVIEW FROM 152 FARM-BASED BUSINESSES TO DEVELOP TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES FOR MAKING A SURVEY OF NONFARM AGRICULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES IN THE BATON ROUGE METROPOLITAN AREA. SEVEN MAJOR OCCUPATIONAL FAMILIES WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE AGRI-BUSINESS COMPLEX. A TOTAL OF 2,811 EMPLOYEES WAS CATEGORIZED INTO NINE LEVELS OF EMPLOYMENT AND 225 TITLES WITH AN AVERAGE OF 12 PEOPLE IN EACH JOB TITLE. EMPLOYEES IN MOST AGRICULTURAL JOB TITLES NEEDED TRAINING IN ONE OR MORE PHASES OF AGRICULTURE. THE AVERAGE MONTHLY SALARY WAS APPROXIMATELY $600 TO $700 FOR PROFESSIONAL, TECHNICAL, MANAGERIAL, AND SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES, AND BETWEEN $200 TO $400 FOR CLERICAL, SALES, SKILLED, AND SEMISKILLED WORKERS. A HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION WAS REQUIRED FOR AGRI-BUSINESS EMPLOYEES EXCEPT FOR A FEW SEMISKILLED AND UNSKILLED WORKERS. COLLEGE DEGREES WERE DESIRABLE FOR SEVERAL EMPLOYEES IN THE HIGHER JOB TITLES, AND ON-THE-JOB TRAINING WAS REQUIRED OF MOST EMPLOYEES TO ADVANCE WITHIN THEIR JOB TITLES. EMPLOYERS INDICATED THAT MANY EMPLOYEES ATTEND INSERVICE INDUSTRY SHORT COURSES OR PURSUE ADVANCED DEGREES IN AN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE TO ADVANCE TO ANOTHER LEVEL OF EMPLOYMENT. THIS PH.D. DISSERTATION, SUBMITTED TO LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY, IS AVAILABLE AS 65-6186 FOR $5.75 ON MICROFILM AND FOR $20.30 AS XEROXED COPY FROM UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS, INC., 300 NORTH ZEEB ROAD, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 48106. (WB)