Farm Manager Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a farm manager. Feel free to use our farm manager job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a farm manager.
Who is a Farm Manager?
A farm manager is an individual who manages daily operations at an agricultural production site. They typically manage financial and administrative tasks. However, on smaller farms, they might also help with duties like planting. They may also work in a nursery, greenhouse, or commercial farm. Local farmers may also need to have a manager who oversees and manages the farm’s business operations.
You will usually be involved in either animal production or dairy production as a farm manager. However, it is possible to work with all three. Farm livestock tends to include pigs and cows as well as sheep. Crops can include cereals, rapeseed oils, vegetables, and salad. Your responsibilities include planning and implementing strategies to maximize yield, managing farm administration, working machinery, and managing staff and businesses.
Farms are usually managed by single-owner farmers or management companies. They must comply with regulations established by the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs for safe, high-quality product that is environmentally sustainable.
Farm managers are responsible for managing large commercial farms and performing other duties. They are responsible for ensuring that the farm is profitable and runs efficiently. The type of farm they manage will affect their day-to-day activities.
Farm managers plan and implement harvesting and planting schedules. They also ensure that staff has the information they need. The farm managers visit each division to inspect the crops and animals, and conduct soil and water testing. Assistant farm managers oversee a daily stocking of fertilizers, pesticides, and other supplies. Farm managers plan upgrades and repairs as well as equipment and machinery replacements.
Farm managers are responsible for overseeing all aspects of farm operations. To implement best practices, it is important to stay current with developments in agricultural science.
A farm manager must also be able to sell farm produce to a food distributor as well as market and maintain a steady income for the farm. This requires some business and marketing knowledge.
These duties include managing staff, maintaining client and vendor relationships, budgeting, administrative duties, and general farm maintenance scheduling.
Farm Manager Job Description
Below are the farm manager job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a farm manager job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a farm manager include the following:
- Analyzing current operations, crops, livestock, personnel, and financial documents, and recommending improvements.
- Planning and scheduling for planting and harvesting, and making sure staff know what to expect.
- Visiting the various divisions to inspect crops and livestock and performing water and soil tests.
- Replenishing supplies such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and other materials.
- Scheduling maintenance and repairs.
- Marketing and selling farm products like fruits, vegetables, and meat.
- Ensuring that all employees adhere to safety and health regulations.
- Assisting in the training and recruitment of new staff.
- Working with senior staff to create budgets and financial reports.
- Building professional networks and staying abreast with developments in agriculture science.
- Planning finances and production to ensure farm progress within budget parameters
- Performing practical tasks such as operating machinery, driving tractors, feeding animals, or spraying the fields.
- Marketing the products of the farm
- Purchasing supplies such as fertilizer and seeds
- Arranging the maintenance and repair of farm buildings, machinery, and equipment
- Planning activities for trainee staff and mentoring and supervision
- Monitoring and maintaining the quality of your crops or livestock by monitoring its yields
- Making contingency plans and understanding the impacts of the weather
- Making sure your products are available for auctions or markets deadlines
- Ensuring that your farm activities comply with all applicable government regulations
- Monitoring animal welfare and health, including liaison with vets
- Keeping abreast of the latest pests and diseases.
- Applying safety and health standards to the entire farm estate
- Protecting the environment and maintaining biodiversity
- Keeping financial records current
- Planning the operation of the farm
- Selling or buying animals
- Keeping records of livestock, crops, and financial transactions
- Supervising and recruiting staff
- Deciding which crops should be planted and their quality, quantity, and mode of harvest.
- Creating detailed plans for the planting and harvesting of crops and working with farm operators to execute them.
- Preparing and planning the financial reports, setting up a budget limit for different farm activities, and maintaining farm activities following the budgeted parameters
- Performing laborious farm tasks like driving tractors and operating machinery on the field, spraying fertilizers, managing livestock, and other such activities.
- Hiring full-time or temporary field workers to till the ground, manage harvest, feed livestock, and any other minor duties that may be required.
- Buying farm supplies such as seeds, pesticides, food for livestock, and organizing the repair and maintenance of field equipment, machines, buildings, etc.
- Managing sales and marketing farm products such as crop harvest, livestock, and dairy production.
- Planning the production yield according to the scheduled time so that it can be sent at market auctions by the deadline.
- Monitoring the yield and production of crops and livestock, as well as maintaining their health and welfare according to the regulations from regulatory authorities.
- Monitoring the safety and health of farmworkers, keeping track of their health and safety, and if necessary, undertaking environmental protection activities.
- Monitoring all production activities and making sure they are in line with production goals.
The duties of farm managers can also vary depending on which farm they are working for.
This include:
- Crop Farms
This farm manager is specialized in cultivating cultivated plants, which are primarily harvested for fuel, food, and clothing. Most crops are vegetables, cotton, fruits, and grain. This type of farm manager is responsible for cultivating, tilling, fertilizing, and spraying crops. They are also responsible for crop storage and packaging after the harvest.
- Horticulture
Horticulture can be defined as the branch that deals with the science, art, and business behind plant cultivation. This type of farm manager oversees the production and distribution of ornamental plants as well as nursery products, such as flowers, shrubbery and fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and herbs.
Although there are some differences between horticultural and agronomic crops, it is not clear what the difference is. Agronomic crops are harvested for humans and animals and go through multiple processes before being consumed. A corn crop can be used to make high fructose corn syrup or cow feed. A horticultural crop can be harvested fresh for human consumption, usually with crops such as herbs, fruits, and vegetables.
- Aquaculture
Aquaculture farmers raise aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. It could take place in fresh, marine, and brackish water. These farm managers manage the stocking, feeding, and raising of these aquatic species for sale or recreational fishing.
- Livestock
This farm raises domesticated animals to be used as labor or to make food and fiber. One farm may specialize in one type of livestock while others might specialize in multiple types. Many livestock farms raise cows, chickens, and sheep. The farm managers are responsible for keeping the animals healthy and feeding them. They ensure that the barns, pens, and coops in which they live are clean and well-maintained. They oversee all breeding activities.
The type of farming you are involved in will also affect the duties that a farm manager must perform. These farming techniques include:
- Collective farming
Collective farming is a combination of different types of agricultural production that takes place on the same property. Farmers can work together on independent farms. It is also called communal farming.
- Factory Farming
Also known as intensive farming, factory farming is the practice of raising livestock like cattle, poultry, or fish at higher densities than traditional agriculture. It is designed to produce as much meat, milk, and eggs as possible. Sometimes, animals are even pushed to the limits. To increase production, chemicals and hormones are used. Many opinions are divided on whether this method of farming is ethical and sustainable.
- Organic farming
Organic farming is the opposite of factory farming. Organic farming relies on methods such as crop rotation and green manure, compost, and biological pest control.
- Multi-crop Farming
Multi-crop agriculture is when more than one crop can be grown in the same area during the growing season. This can be seen on a smaller scale in small properties such as vegetable gardens. This type of farming is based on a strategy. To prevent pests from being attracted to tomatoes, marigolds can be planted alongside them.
- Vertical farming
Vertical farming, a new type of farming, involves growing plants in a skyscraper greenhouse. This kind of farming is less intensive than traditional farming because the plants are vertically oriented.
- Greenhouse Farming
Greenhouse farming is the cultivation of plants in enclosed spaces using greenhouses. This gives you greater control over the growing environment. To preserve delicate plant life, greenhouses harness natural sunlight and heat it within the structure.
Qualifications
Experience in farming and technical skills are just as important as academic qualifications. Some employers will consider you only if you have previous experience.
A degree is highly valued and most farm managers have at least an HND/foundation degree in agricultural management or another related field.
This field may include:
- Agricultural engineering
- Crop management
- Farm business management
- Horticulture
- Land/estate management.
If you are interested in the academic route, further study is possible to MSc and Ph.D. levels in relevant fields. However, this typically leads to teaching or research posts rather than farm management.
Essential Skills
- Analytical, problem-solving, and judgment-making skills
Farm managers are responsible for making decisions. These can sometimes be achieved using rational, optimizing methods. Others require the ability to weigh pros or cons in an ambiguous or uncertain situation. This requires a high degree of judgment or intuition.
They must also develop judgment-making skills. This includes the ability to deal with uncertainty and ambiguity.
- Social Skills
A successful farm manager has a wide range of skills that are crucial in these activities: communication, delegation, negotiation, conflict resolution, persuading and selling, as well as using authority and power.
These skills are crucial for dealing with members of staff, contractors, and shearing teams as well as agents and neighbors.
- Emotional resilience
Farm managers work in situations that involve authority, leadership, power, conflict, meeting deadlines and targets, as well as uncertainty and ambiguity.
A successful farm manager must be able to deal with stress. Being resilient means that the farm manager can feel the stress but not become irritable or sluggish.
- Inclination to respond to events with proactivity
Successful farm managers have a purpose or goal in mind. They don’t just respond to the demands. They can’t plan everything in advance. At times, they have to respond to immediate needs. However, an effective farm manager can look at the long-term when responding to such situations.
How to Become a Farm Manager
Step 1: Get a degree
Farm managers with postsecondary education are increasingly in demand due to the increasingly technical and financial complexity of modern farming. Many schools offer bachelor’s degrees in agricultural and agribusiness management. These programs prepare you to make daily decisions on farms or for roles such as sales or policy-making. Many programs cover agriculture, animal science, economics, and government policy.
Step 2: Get work Experience
You may have learned the skills needed to manage a farm if you were raised on one. If you are interested in farming as an adult, an internship or practicum could be a good option. Trade associations, state and federal agricultural agencies offer opportunities. Many bachelor’s degrees include field experience courses.
Step 3: Pursue a job
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 888,300 farm and ranch managers were employed in 2020. However, figures for farm managers are not available. The BLS predicts that this group will lose 1% of its workforce between 2020-2030, with 882,600 jobs. This is due to the consolidation and expansion of small farms into larger holdings by corporations or other absentee owners as well as the ability to produce high levels of farm product with fewer workers.
Farm managers may be in demand from private and corporate owners looking for someone to manage their business. New programs are available to assist small farmers in niche markets.
Step 4: Keep up to date with developments
Technology, farming practices, government agricultural policy, and farm commodity markets all change constantly. Farm managers need to keep up with these changes. The American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers offers continuing education seminars and courses in management. The courses include topics such as land management, valuation and assessment of intangible assets, property risks assessment, and conservation policy.
Step 5: Get certified
Certifications such as Accredited Farm Manager (AFM), from ASFMRA, can help you improve your professional standing. You must have completed four agriculture land management courses, have at least four years’ farm management experience, and submit a farm management plan sample to be eligible for the AFM examination. You will need to pass the AFM exam to test your knowledge about farm planning, agricultural tax policy, and market planning.
Where to Work as a Farm Manager
These are some of the possible jobs you might find:
- Large estates
- Institutes for scientific research
- The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, (DEFRA).
- Large food-producing companies
- Smaller farms
- Fresh produce companies
- Farm management companies.
Farm Manager Salary Scale
In the USA, the average annual salary for a farm manager is $80,833.