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.
Most important skills
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Coordination
- Judgment and Decision Making
Key knowledge
- Administration and Management
- Production and Processing
- Biology
- Mathematics
- Personnel and Human Resources
- English Language
- Food Production
- Economics and Accounting
What the work involves
- Conduct inspections to determine crop maturity or condition or to detect disease or insect infestation.
- Conduct or supervise stock examinations to identify diseases or parasites.
- Determine types or quantities of crops, plants, or livestock to be grown and raised, based on budgets, federal incentives, market conditions, executive directives, projected sales volumes, or soil conditions.
- Determine, administer, and execute policies relating to operations administration and standards, facility maintenance, and safety.
- Direct crop production operations, such as planning, tilling, planting, fertilizing, cultivating, spraying, and harvesting.
- Evaluate marketing or sales alternatives for products.
- Hire, supervise, and train support workers.
- Monitor activities, such as irrigation, chemical application, harvesting, milking, breeding, and grading, to ensure adherence to safety regulations or standards.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Enterprising, Realistic, Conventional.
Qualifications and licensing
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers: no education distribution in the dataset.
- Licensing for Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Moderate | Lower on contact with others than 59% of occupations compared | — |
| Dealing with the public | Moderate | Lower on dealing with the public than 55% of occupations compared | — |
| Teamwork | High | Higher on teamwork than 66% of occupations compared | — |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very high | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 84% of occupations compared | — |
| Time pressure | Low | Lower on time pressure than 77% of occupations compared | — |
| Conflict situations | Low | Lower on conflict situations than 65% of occupations compared | — |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Very low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 84% of occupations compared | — |
| Consequence of error | Moderate | Higher on consequence of error than 54% of occupations compared | — |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: low
- Conflict situations: low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very low
- Consequence of error: moderate
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Is this career right for me? Find jobs with conditions you prefer
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O*NET-SOC 11-9013.00 · SOC 11-9013 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8