As a new class of interns descends upon the nation's capital, there has been a flurry of discussion throughout every office building in the city, which usually starts with the same question: What is your major?

While many students come to Washington, seeking the life of a public servant, a career path is ultimately chosen based on factors that sometimes outweigh this passion.

It's a process that occurs year in and year out—high school graduates take out loans and pay up to hundreds of thousands of dollars to pursue a college education, in hopes that whatever degree they receive, will grant them a return on this massive investment.

With data gathered from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Payscale, the Daily Beast recently published an article that attempted to cut the guesswork out of this process, ranking the most "useful" majors for college graduates. These rankings were based on a few, very specific factors:

1. Starting and mid-career salary levels, using the profession most associated with the degree.
2. The expected change in the total number of jobs from 2008-2018.
3. The expected percentage change in available jobs from 2008-2018.

So, data was analyzed, and rankings were made, and coming in as the third most useless major in America? None other than one of the world's oldest professions—agriculture.

At first we were outraged. Here, it seemed, was just another urban media outlet referring to agriculture as useless without really understanding what it does for this country.

After all, how can agriculture be useless? We all eat, we all wear clothes… But when we took a step back we realized—these results were measured by monetary goals alone, and not what each industry contributes to the economy, societal well-being, or national security.

With a median starting salary of $42,300, and a median mid-career salary of $59,700, we can understand why agriculture placed third. If the rankings are based on monetary value alone, the earnings of a farmer can't even come close to competing with the shiny American Express black card of a corporate CEO.

But even theater, literature, and photography—all businesses that are notoriously known for being unreliable—are ranked higher because of the large projected increase in number of jobs in those fields, as opposed to agriculture, which will continue to decline.

From 2008-2018, data shows that the agricultural industry will lose 9,100 jobs, while nutrition will grow by 5,600 and photography will grow by 17,500.

Although it is one of the riskiest businesses out there, unlike becoming a medical doctor or trader, there is a very limited potential for what you can earn as a full-time farmer or rancher.

With only 210,000 farmers holding the thin green line between domestic agricultural production and dependence on foreign countries, we cannot afford to lose a single member of this community.

However, when students consider their options, they see a profession that, despite being an economic engine that is able to operate consistently under budget, continues to be circled by Congressional budget hawks looking to cut small things, like the farm safety net, rather than expensive programs that will make a difference in the deficit.

Students who grew up in rural communities and move to Washington to intern on Capitol Hill, just to see agriculture gutted over and over again, have to ask themselves—do I want to invest in something with no guaranteed return and no strong policy in place when disaster strikes?

"We produce more physical education graduates every year than agriculture grads. And now we're going to have to pay the price," commented legendary investor Jim Rogers on a recent political talk show.

"You can't make any money in farming and that's why no one goes into it and that's why there's no capital."

Mr. Rogers' point? We need young people to say 'Huh, I'm not going to go to Wall Street, I'm going to become a farmer.'

But, according to current stats, they'd be safer as a nutritionist or a fashion designer. Unfortunately, without agriculture, those careers won't last long either.