Crop and Livestock Managers Onet SOC Code 11-9011.02 Career Description: Direct and coordinate, through subordinate supervisory personnel, activities of workers engaged in agricultural crop production for corporations, cooperatives, or other owners. Related Clusters: Programs of Study Crop and Livestock Managers

Career Summary:

• Experience- A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
• Education- Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
• Job Training- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
• Examples- Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, human resource managers, computer programmers, teachers, chemists, and police detectives.

• Record information such as production figures, farm management practices, and parent stock data, and prepare financial and operational reports.
• Confer with buyers to arrange for the sale of crops.
• Contract with farmers or independent owners for raising of crops, or for management of crop production.
• Evaluate financial statements, and make budget proposals.
• Analyze soil to determine types and quantities of fertilizer required for maximum production.
• Purchase machinery, equipment, and supplies such as tractors, seed, fertilizer, and chemicals.
• Analyze market conditions to determine acreage allocations.
• Direct and coordinate worker activities such as planting, irrigation, chemical application, harvesting, and grading.
• Inspect orchards and fields to determine maturity dates of crops, or to estimate potential crop damage from weather.
• Hire, discharge, transfer, and promote workers.
• Enforce applicable safety regulations.
• Plan and direct development and production of hybrid plant varieties with high yields or with disease or insect resistance.
• Inspect equipment to ensure proper functioning.
• Negotiate with bank officials to obtain credit.
• Determine procedural changes in drying, grading, storage, and shipment processes in order to provide greater efficiency and accuracy.
• Coordinate growing activities with activities of related departments such as engineering, equipment maintenance, and packing.

• Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

• Growing up on a family farm and participating in agricultural programs for young people sponsored by the National Future Farmers of America or the 4-H youth educational programs are important sources for training for this career. However, modern farming requires increasingly complex scientific, business, and financial decisions. Therefore, even individuals who were raised on farms must acquire the appropriate education. For related information and recommended courses to prepare for this occupation, Tennessee high school students may visit the Agriculture Standards, Competency Profiles, and Resource Links online.

  Not all farm managers grew up on farms or ranches. For these individuals, a bachelor's degree in business with a concentration in agriculture is important. In addition to formal education, managers need several years of work experience in all aspects of farm and ranch operations in order to qualify for a manager position.

• Management of Financial Resources - Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
• Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Number Facility - The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.

• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources - Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Analyzing Data or Information - Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.

• Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Third Interest High-Point - Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• First Interest High-Point - Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

• Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
• Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
• Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
• Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
• Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
• Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
• Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

• Autonomy - Workers on this job plan their work with little supervision.
• Independence-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employs to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
• Authority - Workers on this job give directions and instructions to others.
• Responsibility - Workers on this job make decisions on their own.
• Creativity - Workers on this job try out their own ideas.
• Ability Utilization - Workers on this job make use of their individual abilities.
• Activity - Workers on this job are busy all the time.
• Achievement-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
• Achievement - Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.
• Variety - Workers on this job have something different to do every day.
• Social Status - Workers on this job are looked up to by others in their company and their community.
• Compensation - Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers.
• Company Policies and Practices - Workers on this job are treated fairly by the company.
• Working Conditions-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
• Recognition-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
• Working Conditions - Workers on this job have good working conditions.
• Recognition - Workers on this job receive recognition for the work they do.
• Co-workers - Workers on this job have co-workers who are easy to get along with.
• Moral Values - Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
• Security - Workers on this job have steady employment.

Wage and salary data provided by:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
• TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
• Bureau of Economic Analysis website