Odds of Hanging On
Here's where things get interesting. Advanced degrees are important in this field, but you probably want to work your way toward those over a longer period of time. If you get your schoolin' all at once, you may find you're overqualified for the entry-level farm research gigs that start in the mid-$30,000 salary range.
But that's only one edge of the sword. On the other side of the blade, it might be hard to find a job without those higher-higher-ed degrees. Unless you want to work for a university (which sounds cool to us), your best bet is to get your career going ASAP after your first degree. Then, to hang on, you'll want to keep educating yourself as you move up the farm research ranks.