His resume is proof: He graduated from the provincial Taichung College of Agriculture, and the Graduate School of Agricultural Economics at National Chung Hsing University, got his Ph.D. in the same field at Purdue University, served as professor of agricultural economics at Chung Hsing, as a senior specialist of the Joint Committee on Rural Reconstruction, and as president of National Chia-yi Institute of Agriculture.
翻開余玉賢的學經歷，正足以說明他獻身農業的貫徹態度。台灣省立農學院農經系、中興大學農經研究所畢業，而後赴美取得普渡大學農經博士，歷任中興大學農經系講師、副教授、教授兼系主任、農復會技正、農發會企劃組長，以及嘉義農專校長。