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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.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Coordinate clerical, record-keeping, inventory, requisitioning, and marketing activities.
    • Analyze market conditions to determine acreage allocations.
    • Determine how to allocate resources and to respond to unanticipated problems, such as insect infestation, drought, and fire.
    • Position and regulate plant irrigation systems, and program environmental and irrigation control computers.
    • Coordinate clerical, record-keeping, inventory, requisitioning, and marketing activities.
    • 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.
    • Coordinate the selection and maintenance of brood stock.
    • Negotiate with buyers for the sale, storage, or shipment of crops or livestock.
    • Replace chemical insecticides with environmentally friendly practices, such as adding pest-repelling plants to fields.
    • Prepare reports required by state and federal laws.
    • Direct and monitor the transfer of mature fish to lakes, ponds, streams, or commercial tanks.
    • Coordinate clerical, record-keeping, inventory, requisitioning, and marketing activities.
    • Analyze soil to determine types or quantities of fertilizer required for maximum crop production.
    • 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.
    • Maintain financial, operational, production, or employment records for farms or ranches.
    • Supervise the construction of farm or ranch structures, such as buildings, fences, drainage systems, wells, or roads.
    • Prepare reports required by state and federal laws.
    • Collect and record growth, production, and environmental data.
    • Direct and monitor trapping and spawning of fish, egg incubation, and fry rearing, applying knowledge of management and fish culturing techniques.
    • Devise and participate in activities to improve fish hatching and growth rates, and to prevent disease in hatcheries.
    • Maintain financial, operational, production, or employment records for farms or ranches.
    • Determine how to allocate resources and to respond to unanticipated problems, such as insect infestation, drought, and fire.
    • Direct the breeding or raising of stock, such as cattle, poultry, or honeybees, using recognized breeding practices to ensure stock improvement.
    • Inspect facilities and equipment for signs of disrepair, and perform necessary maintenance work.
    • Negotiate with buyers for the sale, storage, or shipment of crops or livestock.
    • Provide information to customers on the care of trees, shrubs, flowers, plants, and lawns.
    • Inspect facilities and equipment for signs of disrepair, and perform necessary maintenance work.

    Skills

    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    Abilities

    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    Knowledge

    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    5 years or more work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    89450/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    43/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    3,350
    Yearly Projected Openings
    370

    Personality

    Enterprising: People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Initiative
    • Leadership
    • Persistence

    Tools

    • Adjustable widemouth pliers
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Agricultural tractors
    • Air compressors
    • Air dryers
    • Air pumps
    • Air velocity and temperature monitors
    • Alarm systems
    • Animal husbandry equipment
    • Backhoe boom or boom sections
    • Backhoes
    • Bar code reader equipment
    • Belt conveyors
    • Bench scales
    • Biological filter media
    • Blow torch
    • Broadcast spreaders
    • Cages or its accessories
    • Cargo trucks
    • Centrifugal pumps
    • Claw hammer
    • Clock timers
    • Combine harvesters
    • Commercial fishing nets
    • Commercial fishing reels
    • Composter
    • Conductivity meters
    • Container trailers
    • Cultivators
    • Desktop computers
    • Dewatering pumps
    • Dissolved oxygen meters
    • Dump trucks
    • Egg inspection or collecting equipment
    • Electronic counters
    • Fertilizer spreaders or distributors
    • Floor or platform scales
    • Flowmeters
    • Fog or mist generators
    • Forklifts
    • Gas generators
    • Global positioning system GPS receiver
    • Grease guns
    • Greenhouse irrigation equipment
    • Greenhouse pots
    • Greenhouse ventilation equipment
    • Hacksaw
    • Handheld thermometer
    • Harvesters
    • Haymaking machinery
    • Hoes
    • Hygrometers
    • Incubators or brooders for poultry
    • Irrigation overheads
    • Irrigation trickles
    • Laboratory heaters
    • Laboratory mixers
    • Ladders
    • Lawn scarifiers
    • Lawnmowers
    • Light trucks or sport utility vehicles
    • Livestock identification equipment
    • Livestock trailers
    • Lux or light meter
    • Marine hatchery equipment
    • Milking machines
    • Mowers
    • Notebook computers
    • Oil can
    • Ozone water treatment equipment
    • Personal computers
    • Pipe or tube cutter
    • Pipe wrench or stillson wrench
    • Pneumatic nail puller
    • Portable data input terminals
    • Power chippers
    • Power drills
    • Power meters
    • Power nail guns
    • Power saws
    • Protective gloves
    • Psychrometers
    • Round file
    • Saws
    • Screwdrivers
    • Secateurs or pruning shears
    • Seed drills
    • Shovels
    • Skid steer loaders
    • Snow blowers
    • Snowplow attachments
    • Soil core sampling apparatus
    • Spot welding machine
    • Sprayers
    • Squares
    • Steam autoclaves or sterilizers
    • Stereo or dissecting light microscopes
    • Tablet computers
    • Tongue and groove pliers
    • Transplanters
    • Trenching machines
    • Turbine pumps
    • Ultraviolet wastewater disinfection equipment
    • Utility knives
    • Veterinary castration instruments
    • Veterinary injection or suction unit
    • Water analyzers
    • Water filters
    • Water meters
    • Water sprinklers
    • Water trucks
    • Weeders
    • Wood chisels
    • pH meters

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Cloud-based data access and sharing software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Geographic information system
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Industrial control software
    • Internet browser software
    • Map creation software
    • Mobile location based services software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Process mapping and design software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Time accounting software
    • Web page creation and editing software
    • Word processing software