TOP SCHOOLS: Iowa State University (which offers an MBA with a minor in sustainable agriculture), Michigan State University, UC Davis, University of Florida, University of New Hampshire, Washington State University

WHAT IT PAYS: a modest profit, depending on the size of your operation

WHO'D BE INTO IT: big-picture thinkers who care more about where food comes from than how much money they make

HOT SPOTS: depending on your interests and the facilities available, just about anywhere

ROLE MODEL: Loretta Jaus, age 52, organic dairy farmer in Gibbon, Minnesota

PLANETARY POWER: Jaus and her husband, Martin, are wildlife biologists turned farmers who operate a self-sufficient organic operation of 60 cows on 410 acres. They have restored habitat for birds and frogs and removed more than 40 acres from crop production.

WORDS OF WISDOM: "Trust the natural systems. And as the famous quote says, 'Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.'"

LEARN MORE: Get your hands dirty with the Rodale Institute's directory of "campus farms that provide substantial, hands-on, small-scale farming experience to undergraduate and graduate students."