Career-PathGPS
← All education and training
Career

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

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.

Kinds of work

  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $89,900 Median per year · $43.22/hr Most earn $54,320–$160,020

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Coordinate clerical, record-keeping, inventory, requisitioning, and marketing activities.
  • Inspect facilities and equipment for signs of disrepair, and perform necessary maintenance work.
  • Supervise the construction of farm or ranch structures, such as buildings, fences, drainage systems, wells, or roads.
  • Manage nurseries that grow horticultural plants for sale to trade or retail customers, for display or exhibition, or for research.
  • Collect and record growth, production, and environmental data.
  • Direct the breeding or raising of stock, such as cattle, poultry, or honeybees, using recognized breeding practices to ensure stock improvement.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Numerous Job Openings

United States
3% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 70,800 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Self-employed (their own business)66.9%
  • Crop production18.4%
  • Animal production and aquaculture12.3%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degree

Farm and ranch managers usually need a bachelor's degree plus hands-on work in agriculture, so this is not a straight-out-of-school job for most people. Hands-on experience varies a lot by operation, and the data I have doesn't give a typical number of years.

  1. Bachelor's degree in agriculture, agronomy, or animal science

    4 years

    You learn crop and livestock science, farm business, and management, and internships during college give you real field experience.

  2. First-Line Supervisor of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers

    2-4 years

    You lead crews, schedule daily work, and learn how a farm actually runs day to day, which builds the people and operations skills managers need.

  3. Farm Manager

    Varies

    You plan and run the whole operation, including hiring, budgets, crop or livestock decisions, and marketing.

Where it can lead

  1. Director of Farm Operations

    Varies by operation of experience first

    You oversee several farms or a large operation, set long-term strategy, and manage other managers instead of only one site.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take biology, chemistry, and mathThese classes build the science and numbers skills you'll use in crop planning, soil testing, and farm budgets.
  • Join FFA or a similar agriculture clubClubs like FFA teach leadership, public speaking, and farm projects, and many schools offer them.
  • Get a summer job on a farm, ranch, or nurseryWorking with crews and equipment gives you real experience and shows you what daily farm work involves.
  • Raise a project animal or plant a gardenCaring for your own crops or animals helps you learn record-keeping and decision-making on a small scale.

In college

  • Major in agriculture, agronomy, or agricultural businessA major built around farm science and business gives you the degree most farm manager jobs expect.
  • Take accounting and farm business management coursesMoney management is a big part of running a farm, and these courses prepare you for budgets and planning.
  • Complete an internship on a working farm or with an agriculture companyInternships give you hands-on experience and contacts, which often matter when you apply for your first management job.
  • Work a campus job at a university farm or greenhouseCampus farm jobs let you practice crop and livestock work while you study, and they're easy to find at many schools.
  • Join an agriculture student club or organizationClubs help you build leadership skills and meet people already working in the industry.

Tips for getting started

  • Get paid or volunteer work on a working farm, ranch, or greenhouse as early as you can. Employers in this field value hands-on experience as much as the degree.
  • Learn basic business skills like budgeting, record-keeping, and marketing, since managers handle money and sales as well as crops or livestock.
  • Check your state's pay and job numbers on this career's page on the app, since local pay and openings can differ a lot from the national view.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

Related careers