THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY WERE TO (1) IDENTIFY PRESENT AND EMERGING AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS OTHER THAN FARMING FOR WHICH VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IS NEEDED AND (2) DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF PERSONS PRESENTLY EMPLOYED AND NEEDED IN THE FUTURE. BUSINESSES IN THE STATE IN WHICH EMPLOYEES WOULD FIND A KNOWLEDGE OF AGRICULTURE USEFUL OR NECESSARY WERE SELECTED AND STRATIFIED INTO 55 OCCUPATIONAL SUBFAMILIES ACCORDING TO THE TYPE OF BUSINESS AND GEOGRAPHICAL SUBDIVISION, THEN INTO EIGHT OCCUPATIONAL FAMILIES. THE DISPROPORTIONATE RANDOM SAMPLE METHOD WAS USED IN DRAWING THE SAMPLE. DATA WERE OBTAINED THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH RESPONSIBLE PERSONS REPRESENTING 267 OF THE 2,053 BUSINESSES EMPLOYING 32,776 PERSONS. IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT 5,050 PERSONS WERE EMPLOYED WHO WOULD FIND THE KNOWLEDGE OF AGRICULTURE USEFUL OR NECESSARY IN THEIR OCCUPATION, AND THAT 2,154 ADDITIONAL AND REPLACEMENT EMPLOYEES WOULD BE NEEDED DURING THE NEXT 5 YEARS. TABLES EXPLAIN THE NEEDS OR LACK OF NEEDS OF VARIOUS OCCUPATIONAL FAMILIES. OF THE 5,050 PERSONS NEEDING AGRICULTURAL COMPETENCIES, 2,610 OR 51.7 PERCENT WERE EMPLOYED AT PROFESSIONAL, MANAGERIAL, AND SUPERVISORY LEVELS OF EMPLOYMENT. TO MEET EMPLOYMENT NEEDS, EACH OF DELAWARE'S 16 HIGH SCHOOLS WITH DEPARTMENTS OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE SHOULD HAVE 34 GRADUATES EACH YEAR. (PA)