Agricultural Managers

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze soil to determine types or quantities of fertilizer required for maximum crop production.
• Monitor activities, such as irrigation, chemical application, harvesting, milking, breeding, and grading, to ensure adherence to safety regulations or standards.
• Supervise the construction of farm or ranch structures, such as buildings, fences, drainage systems, wells, or roads.
• Inspect facilities and equipment for signs of disrepair, and perform necessary maintenance work.
• Obtain financing for and purchase necessary machinery, land, supplies, or livestock.
• Collect and record growth, production, and environmental data.
• Devise and participate in activities to improve fish hatching and growth rates, and to prevent disease in hatcheries.
• Prepare reports required by state and federal laws.
• Position and regulate plant irrigation systems, and program environmental and irrigation control computers.
• Determine, administer, and execute policies relating to operations administration and standards, facility maintenance, and safety.
• Direct crop production operations, such as planning, tilling, planting, fertilizing, cultivating, spraying, and harvesting.
• Manage nurseries that grow horticultural plants for sale to trade or retail customers, for display or exhibition, or for research.
• Determine types or quantities of crops, plants, or livestock to be grown and raised, based on budgets, federal incentives, market conditions, executive directives, projected sales volumes, or soil conditions.
• Determine plant growing conditions, such as greenhouses, hydroponics, or natural settings, and set planting and care schedules.
• Determine how to allocate resources and to respond to unanticipated problems, such as insect infestation, drought, and fire.
• 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.
• Coordinate clerical, record-keeping, inventory, requisitioning, and marketing activities.
• Direct and monitor the transfer of mature fish to lakes, ponds, streams, or commercial tanks.
• Provide information to customers on the care of trees, shrubs, flowers, plants, and lawns.
• Hire, supervise, and train support workers.
• Analyze market conditions to determine acreage allocations.
• Monitor environments to ensure maintenance of optimum animal or plant life.
• Coordinate the selection and maintenance of brood stock.
• Direct and monitor trapping and spawning of fish, egg incubation, and fry rearing, applying knowledge of management and fish culturing techniques.
• Evaluate marketing or sales alternatives for products.
• Maintain financial, operational, production, or employment records for farms or ranches.
• Conduct inspections to determine crop maturity or condition or to detect disease or insect infestation.
• Direct the breeding or raising of stock, such as cattle, poultry, or honeybees, using recognized breeding practices to ensure stock improvement.
• Conduct or supervise stock examinations to identify diseases or parasites.