Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers
Management
Day-to-day decisions cover how a farm, ranch, greenhouse, nursery, timber tract, or fish site uses land, water, plants or stock, and labor. Work includes setting planting or care schedules, regulating irrigation and climate controls, recording growth and production data, and directing workers through planting, harvest, and daily chores. When insects, drought, fire, or disease hit, resources have to be shifted and the plan changed. Nursery work may mean growing plants for sale or research; aquaculture work covers spawning, hatching, rearing, and moving fish to ponds, streams, or tanks. Suits people who like hands-on production work and making decisions when weather and biology do not cooperate.
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$89'900
Median Wage Market Position
$89'900
What you might do
- Record growth, production, and environmental data
- Decide how to allocate resources on the farm
- Choose greenhouse, hydroponic, or outdoor growing setups
- Set irrigation systems and climate-control computers
- Respond to insect damage, drought, and fire
- Direct fish hatching, rearing, and transfer
Skills that matter
- Recording growth and environmental data
- Allocating resources during drought or fire
- Setting greenhouse planting and care schedules
- Directing hatchery spawning and fry rearing
- Adjusting irrigation and environmental controls
- Supervising planting, harvest, and hatchery crews
AI & the future of this role
Field conditions, livestock care, equipment, and weather keep much of the work hands-on and hard to fully automate. Sensors and planning tools may sharpen decisions on inputs and timing, but operational judgment and labor oversight still anchor the role.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details