Occupation
Farm manager
Farm managers plan and run the production side of a farm or ranch, deciding what to grow or raise and organising the people, machinery, and inputs needed to do it. The work combines hands-on outdoor tasks with budgeting, scheduling, supervision, and record-keeping. Days follow the seasons and the weather rather than a fixed timetable.
Also known as: Agricultural manager · Farm operator · Ranch manager · Farm business manager
Occupation content
Part of Agriculture, animals and environment
What the work involves
- Plan planting, breeding, or harvest schedules around soil conditions, weather, and buyer commitments.
- Assign daily tasks to farm staff and seasonal workers and brief them on equipment and safety procedures.
- Track seed, feed, fertiliser, fuel, and other inputs against the operating budget.
- Inspect crops, herds, buildings, and machinery, and arrange repairs or veterinary attention.
- Maintain production, traceability, and health-and-safety records for buyers, lenders, and inspectors.
- Negotiate with suppliers, contractors, and buyers over inputs, services, and delivery terms.
How people commonly enter
- Working on a farm and progressing from farm worker to supervisor to manager through on-the-job experience.
- A college certificate or diploma in agriculture, farm business management, or animal science.
- A bachelor's degree in agriculture, agribusiness, or agricultural science, often with a work placement.
- Moving across from a related role such as agronomy, livestock buying, or agricultural equipment sales.
Typical training: Varies by employer or jurisdiction
Licensing: Certification common, not usually required
Typical work context
Outdoors · High responsibility · Varied work · Physically active · Team based
Related interests
Enterprising (leading) · Realistic (hands-on) · Conventional (organizing)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
- Planning and scheduling exercises
- Management and supervisory judgment
- Numerical reasoning
- Problem solving
- Safety judgment
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Agriculture, animals and environment.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- US BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers · United States
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- Canada Job Bank — Career planning and occupation search (Farm manager) · Canada
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- UK National Careers Service — Explore careers (Farm manager) · United Kingdom
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Agriculture, animals and environment in Canada, not a figure for Farm manager. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Agriculture, animals and environment family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Agriculture, animals and environment: education pathways
Some roles in Agriculture, animals and environment may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Agriculture, animals and environment: licensing
Find jobs
These are live, user-controlled searches on each source's own site for “ Farm manager”. Novus Learn does not fetch, store, or rank these results, and job availability never changes your exploration match score.
- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
- Search Indeed · International (choose location on Indeed)