Career
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
Run a farm or ranch as both a way of life and a business, from planting to market.
$89,900
Median pay
-3.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
70,800
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Collect and record growth, production, and environmental data.
- Manage nurseries that grow horticultural plants for sale to trade or retail customers, for display or exhibition, or for research.
- Direct and monitor trapping and spawning of fish, egg incubation, and fry rearing, applying knowledge of management and fish culturing techniques.
- Direct and monitor the transfer of mature fish to lakes, ponds, streams, or commercial tanks.
- Determine how to allocate resources and to respond to unanticipated problems, such as insect infestation, drought, and fire.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Collect and record growth, production, and environmental data.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $89,900 a year and 70,800 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Animal ScienceSee the degree →
- Agricultural BusinessSee the degree →
- Agricultural Business and Management, GeneralCIP 01.0101
- Agribusiness/Agricultural Business OperationsCIP 01.0102
- Farm/Farm and Ranch ManagementCIP 01.0104
- Agricultural Business and Management, OtherCIP 01.0199
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Agricultural Technicians$49,630 · +5.4%
- Agricultural Engineers$98,590 · +6.9%
- Soil and Plant Scientists$78,850 · +6.7%
- First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers$59,320 · +3.8%
- Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$98,700 · +2.9%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.