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Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate the management or operation of farms, ranches, greenhouses, aquacultural operations, nurseries, timber tracts, or other agricultural establishments. May hire, train, and supervise farm workers or contract for services to carry out the day-to-day activities of the managed operation. May engage in or supervise planting, cultivating, harvesting, and financial and marketing activities.
Other titles employers use
Aquaculture Director · Farm Manager · Farm Operations Technical Director · Fish Hatchery Manager · Greenhouse Manager · Harvesting Manager · Hatchery Manager · Hatchery Supervisor
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Collect and record growth, production, and environmental data.
- Manage nurseries that grow horticultural plants for sale to trade or retail customers, for display or exhibition, or for research.
- Direct and monitor trapping and spawning of fish, egg incubation, and fry rearing, applying knowledge of management and fish culturing techniques.
- Direct and monitor the transfer of mature fish to lakes, ponds, streams, or commercial tanks.
- Determine how to allocate resources and to respond to unanticipated problems, such as insect infestation, drought, and fire.
- Determine plant growing conditions, such as greenhouses, hydroponics, or natural settings, and set planting and care schedules.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to persuading, practical and organizing work.
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Management of Personnel Resources
Subjects to know
- Administration and Management
- Production and Processing
- Biology
- Mathematics
- Personnel and Human Resources
Useful strengths
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.2 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 3.4 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 4.8 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 3.1 | Some of the day |
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Data base user interface and query software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Electronic mail software
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software
- Web page creation and editing software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 292,570
- Job openings each year
- 30,360
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 1.3%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 292,570 | 30,360 | 1.3% |
| California | 95,300 | 9,590 | −5.0% |
| Indiana | 86,560 | 8,550 | −8.3% |
| Iowa | 84,390 | 8,610 | −2.3% |
| Ohio | 78,230 | 7,950 | −3.1% |
| Illinois | 63,810 | 6,690 | 3.5% |
| Florida | 49,430 | 5,080 | −1.0% |
| New York | 46,210 | 0 | — |
| Arkansas | 40,310 | 4,080 | −4.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 30,700 | 3,070 | −6.1% |
| Virginia | 28,520 | 2,890 | −4.0% |
| North Carolina | 28,100 | 2,820 | −5.5% |
| Wisconsin | 26,120 | 2,740 | 3.7% |
| South Dakota | 22,750 | 2,420 | 6.6% |
| North Dakota | 20,790 | 2,050 | −8.3% |
| Arizona | 20,580 | 2,120 | — |
| Oregon | 18,950 | 1,970 | 1.1% |
| Tennessee | 17,950 | 1,720 | −13.6% |
| Missouri | 16,440 | 1,690 | — |
| Minnesota | 16,260 | 1,630 | −5.4% |
| Alabama | 16,250 | 1,670 | −1.1% |
| Nebraska | 13,570 | 1,440 | 7.0% |
| Puerto Rico | 13,490 | 1,430 | 6.6% |
| Colorado | 11,390 | 1,150 | −3.6% |
| Kansas | 9,090 | 940 | 1.2% |
| Massachusetts | 8,060 | 850 | 5.5% |
| Michigan | 7,580 | 810 | 8.4% |
| Mississippi | 6,930 | 720 | 3.0% |
| South Carolina | 5,520 | 550 | −8.2% |
| Kentucky | 4,530 | 470 | 1.8% |
| Connecticut | 4,190 | 440 | 3.2% |
| Nevada | 3,870 | 470 | 63.3% |
| Maryland | 3,660 | 380 | 1.7% |
| Washington | 3,350 | 370 | 5.7% |
| Louisiana | 3,120 | 320 | −2.5% |
| Utah | 2,980 | 290 | −13.4% |
| Idaho | 570 | 60 | −1.7% |
| New Jersey | 260 | 30 | −3.7% |
| Alaska | 40 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Texas A & M University-College Station
- Degrees each year
- 922
- Admit rate
- 63%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Iowa State University
- Degrees each year
- 541
- Admit rate
- 89%
- Annual cost after aid
- $15,000
University of California-Davis
- Degrees each year
- 450
- Admit rate
- 42%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
- Degrees each year
- 447
- Admit rate
- 40%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 387
- Admit rate
- 71%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
Texas Tech University
- Degrees each year
- 375
- Admit rate
- 71%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Degrees each year
- 497
- Admit rate
- 44%
- Annual cost after aid
- $8,000
Kansas State University
- Degrees each year
- 383
- Admit rate
- 79%
- Annual cost after aid
- $15,000
Compare every college offering agricultural production operations