How To Become A Farm Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a farm manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A farm manager is responsible for the management and overall maintenance of a farm, and the farm could be a crop, horticultural, or a livestock farm. The farm manager supervises the fertilizing, planting, spraying, cultivating, and harvesting procedures of crops. Livestock farm managers supervise the general care of animals and are knowledgeable in the control of illnesses.

There are many types of farms that a farm manager might be in charge of running, from factory farming, organic farming, greenhouse farming, or multi-crop farming, and regardless of the type of farm, the manager will need to have some marketing and business knowledge to sell the farm's produce or product to the distributor. Farm managers make many managerial decisions and are constantly taking production and income into account when making these decisions. They have to determine the best time to plant crops, taking into account the time of year, climate, and weather. They have to be prepared for crops that may fail by planning ahead of time so that another crop can make up for any loss of income.

As farms and the methods employed on each become more complex, many farm managers use computers to keep track of the financial and inventory records. Farm managers earn an average yearly salary of $66,478 to $126,047 but predicted job growth has dropped by 6% in the last year. However, if you have inherited a family farm, or are looking for a managerial career in commercial, organic, or livestock farming, this may be a good career choice and can offer many avenues for diversifying and advancement.

ScoreFarm ManagerUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $53,932

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.1

Growth Rate -3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.57%

Asian 1.53%

Black or African American 1.06%

Hispanic or Latino 7.57%

Unknown 2.88%

White 86.39%

Gender

female 26.52%

male 73.48%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress Level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.8

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

2.5

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a farm manager

Explore farm manager education requirements

Most common farm manager degrees

Bachelor's

54.9 %

Associate

17.8 %

High School Diploma

14.5 %

Start to develop specific farm manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Harvest	15.42%
Farm Equipment	8.02%
Safety Standards	7.80%
Beef Cattle	6.44%
Farm Operations	4.78%

Complete relevant farm manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New farm managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a farm manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real farm manager resumes.

Gain additional farm manager certifications

Farm manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific farm manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for farm managers include OSHA Safety Certificate and Certified Agriculture Water Manager (CAWM).

More About Certifications

Research farm manager duties and responsibilities

Manage product quality to guarantee compliance with quality policies, procedures and USDA systems.
Manage two milking facilities and work with heifer grower, crop manager, and building contractors.
Lead farm tours/herb walks to share farm progress and seasonal nature-observations with CSA members and interest members of the community.
Manage pedigree cattle farm by; overseeing breeding production and certify artificial insemination program.

Prepare your farm manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your farm manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a farm manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Farm Manager Resume templates

Build a professional Farm Manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Farm Manager resume.

Apply for farm manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a farm manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do farm managers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Farm Manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2022

Pros

Incubation and rearing of catfish hatchlings.

Cons

Low fertilisation rates, and Mortality of hatchlings.