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.
- Median pay
- $89,900
- Doing it now
- 788,700
- By 2035
- Down 3.4%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
a year
across the country
70,800 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- 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.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Agricultural Business and ManagementSee 137 colleges that teach it
- Agricultural Production OperationsSee 68 colleges that teach it
- Animal SciencesSee 105 colleges that teach it
- Plant SciencesSee 92 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Leading and persuading
Hands-on and practical
Organised and precise
Careers like this one
- First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers$59,320
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$79,920
- Construction Managers$114,990
- First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$93,530
- First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers$58,430
- Industrial Production Managers$126,060
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $89,900 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.