Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 11-9013.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $37,380
- Projected change
- −1.6%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 564.69K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
44.7% of the workforce
Growing to 555.38K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Devise and participate in activities to improve fish hatching and growth rates, and to prevent disease in hatcheries.
- Position and regulate plant irrigation systems, and program environmental and irrigation control computers.
- Prepare reports required by state and federal laws.
- Inspect facilities and equipment for signs of disrepair, and perform necessary maintenance work.
- Maintain financial, operational, production, or employment records for farms or ranches.
- Coordinate clerical, record-keeping, inventory, requisitioning, and marketing activities.
- Direct the breeding or raising of stock, such as cattle, poultry, or honeybees, using recognized breeding practices to ensure stock improvement.
- Negotiate with buyers for the sale, storage, or shipment of crops or livestock.
- Coordinate the selection and maintenance of brood stock.
- Analyze soil to determine types or quantities of fertilizer required for maximum crop production.
- Provide information to customers on the care of trees, shrubs, flowers, plants, and lawns.
- Analyze market conditions to determine acreage allocations.
- Supervise the construction of farm or ranch structures, such as buildings, fences, drainage systems, wells, or roads.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $8,693
- 25th percentile
- $19,631
- 50th percentile
- $37,380
- 75th percentile
- $70,712
- 90th percentile
- $160,495
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $37,380 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
−1.6%projected to decline
2025564,685 jobs
2035 projected555,378 jobs
9,307 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 44.7%
- Associate degree
- 23.8%
- Some college
- 18.5%
- Certificate
- 8.8%
- High school diploma or less
- 4.2%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Farm Managers542 postings
- 02Managers177 postings
- 03Account Managers157 postings
- 04Greenhouse Managers136 postings
- 05Agronomy Managers123 postings
- 06Location Managers111 postings
- 07Deli Assistant Managers93 postings
- 08Durable Medical Equipment Technicians90 postings
- 09Dairy Managers87 postings
- 10Assistant Managers84 postings
- 11Sow Farm Managers84 postings
- 12Produce Assistant Managers81 postings
- 13Agricultural Managers78 postings
- 14Activation Managers76 postings
- 15Branch Managers68 postings
- 16Herd Managers68 postings
- 17Orchard Managers67 postings
- 18Ranch Foremen63 postings
- 19Ranch Managers62 postings
- 20Barn Managers59 postings
Top employers
- 01GPAC464 postings
- 02Hansen Agri-PLACEMENT296 postings
- 03Stine Seed138 postings
- 04Albertsons133 postings
- 05PNC133 postings
- 06Lincare89 postings
- 07Foster Farms78 postings
- 08Shaw's Supermarkets68 postings
- 09NPAworldwide62 postings
- 10Parexel59 postings
- 11Lowe's51 postings
- 12Seaboard Foods51 postings
- 13CarMax26 postings
- 14Camp Galileo Summer Quest Pasadena23 postings
- 15Clemens Food Group21 postings
- 16Domino's Pizza21 postings
- 17Farm Service Agency21 postings
- 18Apple19 postings
- 19Aspen Moon Farm19 postings
- 20Galileo Learning19 postings
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