A farm manager is an individual who is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of a farm. This includes overseeing the planting and harvesting of crops as well as supervising employees who work on the farm. In an agricultural setting, a farm manager is often distinguished by their blue coveralls and straw hat.
Who is a Farm Manager and What Do They Do?
A farm manager can either be an employee of the company that owns all or a share of the land where crops are grown, or they can be employed by a temporary agency, such as one specializing in providing workers for agricultural ventures. The responsibilities of this position typically include overseeing the labor force and making decisions about what needs to be done when problems arise with machinery or crop yield.
In the past, farm managers were typically known for having a very forthright personality that made them able to assert and maintain control over their employees through a combination of honesty and hard work. This remains true even in the modern era, although a farm manager is often expected to pay more attention to enterprise matters such as the yield of crops, the cost of labor, and their ability to generate revenue.
The term “farm manager” can also refer to an individual responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of a particular agricultural enterprise. For example, individuals employed as CEOs in agricultural enterprises would commonly be considered farm managers because they oversee all aspects of the business operations.
Duties of a Farm Manager
The duties of a farm Manager are:
- Preparing budgets
- Setting prices
- Overseeing farm operations, such as workers, rental property, and crops.
- Maintaining personal finances and business relationships
- Managing daily farm tasks
- Arranging for supplies, maintaining buildings and equipment, and making day-to-day decisions regarding farm operations
General managers have a variety of other responsibilities.In the case of the manager of a cattle ranch, the duties might include horse training, purchasing supplies and equipment, and marketing animals or products.
Ultimately, in any managerial role, it is important to ask yourself what your goal is for the company. What projects do you want to see completed? How much profit do you want to generate? What skills are needed for a successful operation? All these questions are important to answer before creating a manager’s position.
Kinds of Farm Managers
Farm managers are classified as follows:
- Farm managers in agriculture are those that manage agriculture, which is the cultivation and production of crops and livestock.
- Agricultural engineers: those who design and implement methods of animal husbandry, crop management, and other related activities.
- Farm technicians are those who provide technical assistance to farmers and farm managers to enable them to control the processes or conditions affecting their fields or animals. These people are also involved in applying chemical, mechanical, biological, or nutritional technologies.
- Agrarian specialists: Those experts or professionals that have graduated from agricultural programs at universities with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy (agriculture), animal science (animal husbandry), or agricultural engineering.
- Farm managers in animal husbandry are those who manage the composition and conditions of their animals and thereby participate in the production of meat.
- Animal husbandry specialists are those who deal with animal breeding, selection, feeding, and training.These professionals are usually graduates of these courses or are farm managers who have acquired temporary or permanent positions within the agricultural services industry.
- Animal farm managers: those in charge of regulating the feeding regimens of their animals in order to produce a certain amount of meat.
- Farm managers in animal production are those that manage the rearing systems for egg-laying hens (broiler chickens), meat (poultry), or dairy.
How Farm Managers Make Money
Farm Managers earn money in the following ways:
- The market gardeners sell their produce straight to consumers, either directly at the farm gate or through a farm shop, or they take part in farmers’ markets.
- Many farmers have shops where they sell farm produce directly to the public.
- They also sell their products to wholesalers, who supply them to shops and supermarkets.
- Many market gardeners have an allotment where they grow vegetables for sale on site, while others have a stall at the market where they can display and sell their produce directly to customers, as in urban sites like Tbilisi, Batumi, etc. Farm managers help in organising these sales as well, earning more for extra work done.
- The small farmers are those who are very limited in resources but can make large profits from a small area of land. This is a good opportunity for farm managers to earn by managing these lands as well.
- So they have to market their produce, do live-in marketing, or sell the animals they raise themselves, farm managers organise farm sales.
- The main way they make money is by selling Farm products through different channels.
- The small farmers use farm shops, giving the farm managers the opportunity to expand and create revenue.
- They have an area and a barn where they sell their produce directly to customers who come to the farm for fresh products, for example, in nearby towns in Azerbaijan, helping farmers earn too.
Skills Needed for Farm Management
The following skills are needed for farm management:
- Sound business planning
- Excellent organizational skills
- strong knowledge of financial matters
- Understanding the factors that influence yield and profitability, such as crop rotations, irrigation practices, fertilization management, soil fertility, and fertilizer use
- A solid grounding in sustainable development principles.
- Sound management of labor and capital
- Excellent marketing skills.
- Information processing,
Farm managers also need good communication skills because they must answer questions from scientists about farm operations for research purposes.
Who can be a Farm Manager?
Those who can be farm managers are:
- Experienced farm managers, farmers, or people who have lived on a farm their entire life.
- Professionals who have taken a training program and completed it satisfactorily
- Non Professionals who have extensive experience working in agricultural fields and are willing to undergo extensive training with an agribusiness
Benefits of Being a Farm Manager
The benefits are:
- You make more money than a typical farm job.
- You get to grow your own food.
- The work is fun, interesting, and varied.
- You have more time off than you do in a normal job.
- You get to keep learning new things.
- You get to care for the land and animals.
- It is a genuine small business, so you can grow it and make it better yourself.
- You have less stress, so your mental health is improved.
Conclusion
There are many different types of farms for different industries, so the requirements for someone to be a farm manager will vary according to these factors. Farms can range from large commercial establishments like rice fields or cattle farms to smaller mom-and-pop operations with fewer than 20 animals.
While all farms may require that the person be capable of physically working on the farm, some may also want them to be able to manage machinery. Farmers and non professionals can learn to drive farm machinery locally working on the farm, some may also want them to be able to manage machinery. Farmers and nonprofessionals can learn to drive farm machinery. On large-scale farms, certain tasks can be automated. Smaller farms may need their managers to do such tasks manually.
If you are interested in becoming a farm manager, there are plenty of opportunities around the world. Have any questions about farm management or farms in general? Get in touch with us! We are always happy to help.
If any of this sounds good to you, then being a farm manager might be perfect for you! As many people reject factory farming because of how awful it is for the animals and the environment, there’s been an increase in small farms, like all certified organic farms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the reward of a farm manager?
In agriculture, the farm manager is usually regarded as the entrepreneur whose duties include the organisation, administration, production and marketing of products from the farm. The reward for management is profit.
What tools do farm managers use?
The tools of business analysis are composed of the financial records maintained for a farm business and the various documents that are developed from those records. Included in the list are budgets, the balance sheet, the income statement (profit and loss statement), and the cash flow summary.
References
- https://www.jliedu.com › blog › career-farm-manager
- https://www.betterteam.com › farm-manager-job-descri…
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