Farm Operations Manager
Impact: Food production, business profitability, environmental stewardship
Oversees the daily operations of farms, ranches, or other agricultural facilities, ensuring efficient production of crops, livestock, and dairy products. This includes planning, organizing, directing, controlling, and evaluating farm functions, often with a focus on sustainable practices.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Extensive
- Team vs solo
- Team-oriented
- Client facing
- Sometimes
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Moderate
- Schedule flexibility
- Rigid
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 50-60 hours per week
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $87,980 per year
- Entry-level
- $65,000 per year
- Senior
- $130,000 per year
- Growth by 2033
- -1% (Decline)
- Demand
- Declining
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- High
- Typical student debt
- $20,000 - $40,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Agricultural Management
- Crop Science
- Livestock Management
- Financial Management
- Equipment Operation
Soft skills
- Leadership
- Problem-solving
- Decision-making
- Communication
- Adaptability
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 7
- Years to senior
- 15
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Farm Hand
- Assistant Farm Manager
- Farm Operations Manager
- Regional Farm Manager
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 15% to low risk due to relationship and judgment components
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Declining
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.4/10
- Meaning
- 3.8/10
- Work-life balance
- 2.8/10
- Prestige
- 6.5/10
- Social perception
- Low