Farm manager to crop production manager
A farm manager already meets 22% of what the crop production manager role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.
83/ 100
1 How much of what a crop production manager is expected to do is already part of a farm manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the crop production manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A crop production manager role treats 8 of its required skills as things a farm manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- agronomical production principles
- assign duties to agriculture workers
- manage crop production
- manage crop rotation
- manage production enterprise
- pest control in plants
What stands in the way is 22 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A crop production manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a farm manager background worth leading with.
- already held manage crop rotation handling and moving
- already held maintain plant soil nutrition handling and moving
- already held maintain plant health handling and moving
- already held manage crop production handling and moving
- already held assign duties to agriculture workers management skills
- already held present the farm facilities communication, collaboration and creativity
All 11 carried skills, including the 8 the crop production manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 49 missing skills fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn agroforestry required
- still to learn crop production principles required
- still to learn plant harvest methods required
- still to learn soil structure required
- still to learn technical equipment for crop production required
- still to learn fertilisation principles required
- optional, not held agroecology optional
- optional, not held conservation agriculture optional
- optional, not held e-agriculture optional
- optional, not held irrigation systems optional
- optional, not held organic farming optional
- optional, not held plant propagation optional
- optional, not held watering principles optional
- optional, not held agronomy optional
- still to learn cultivate crops for biomass required
- still to learn ensure soil fertility required
- still to learn monitor fields required
- still to learn store crops required
- still to learn store products required
- still to learn maintain storage facilities required
- optional, not held apply alternate wetting and drying techniques optional
- optional, not held apply sustainable tillage techniques optional
- optional, not held grow plants optional
- optional, not held harvest crop optional
- optional, not held irrigate soil optional
- optional, not held prepare planting area optional
- optional, not held propagate plants optional
- still to learn plant species required
- still to learn ecology required
- optional, not held bioeconomy optional
- still to learn operate agricultural machinery required
- optional, not held execute fertilisation optional
- optional, not held perform on-farm product processing optional
- optional, not held prepare equipment for harvest optional
- still to learn manage agricultural staff required
- optional, not held manage agritourism activities optional
- optional, not held optimise production optional
- still to learn environmental legislation in agriculture and forestry required
- optional, not held project management principles optional
6 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a crop production manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 agroforestry study this
- 02 crop production principles study this
- 03 cultivate crops for biomass practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held agronomical production principles knowledge
- already held assign duties to agriculture workers skill
- already held manage crop production skill
- already held manage crop rotation skill
- already held manage production enterprise skill
- already held pest control in plants knowledge
- already held plant disease control knowledge
- already held supervise hygiene procedures in agricultural settings skill
- already held maintain plant health skill
- already held maintain plant soil nutrition skill
- already held present the farm facilities skill
The 6 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn maintain technical equipment required
- optional, not held use agricultural information systems and databases optional
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- optional, not held agritourism optional
- still to learn execute disease and pest control activities required
- still to learn leadership principles required
- still to learn types of storage facilities required
- optional, not held promote farm products optional
- optional, not held provide agri-touristic services optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
27 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held agroecology optional
- optional, not held apply alternate wetting and drying techniques optional
- optional, not held apply sustainable tillage techniques optional
- optional, not held conservation agriculture optional
- optional, not held e-agriculture optional
- optional, not held execute fertilisation optional
- optional, not held grow plants optional
- optional, not held harvest crop optional
- optional, not held irrigate soil optional
- optional, not held irrigation systems optional
- optional, not held manage agritourism activities optional
- optional, not held optimise production optional
- optional, not held organic farming optional
- optional, not held perform on-farm product processing optional
- optional, not held plant propagation optional
- optional, not held prepare equipment for harvest optional
- optional, not held prepare planting area optional
- optional, not held promote farm products optional
- optional, not held propagate plants optional
- optional, not held provide agri-touristic services optional
- optional, not held use agricultural information systems and databases optional
- optional, not held watering principles optional
- optional, not held agritourism optional
- optional, not held agronomy optional
- optional, not held bioeconomy optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
26 held skills the crop production manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role agricultural business management knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess new farming technologies skill
- not needed by the target role create crop protection plans skill
- not needed by the target role create soil and plant improvement programmes skill
- not needed by the target role environmental policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role estimate harvest costs skill
- not needed by the target role handling chemical products for soil and plants skill
- not needed by the target role implement marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role implement sales strategies skill
- not needed by the target role livestock knowledge
- not needed by the target role livestock species knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain farm equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage farm products skill
- not needed by the target role manage farm supplies skill
- not needed by the target role manage livestock skill
- not needed by the target role manage mechanically controlled livestock production environments skill
- not needed by the target role manage plans for the storage of organic by-products skill
- not needed by the target role manage plans for the utilisation of organic by-products skill
- not needed by the target role manage the health and welfare of livestock skill
- not needed by the target role market farm products skill
- not needed by the target role monitor forage grazing plans skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate loan agreements skill
- not needed by the target role operate farm equipment skill
- not needed by the target role pollution prevention knowledge
- not needed by the target role report pollution incidents skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
23 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn agroforestry required
- still to learn crop production principles required
- still to learn plant harvest methods required
- still to learn plant species required
- still to learn soil structure required
- still to learn technical equipment for crop production required
- still to learn types of storage facilities required
- still to learn ecology required
- still to learn environmental legislation in agriculture and forestry required
- still to learn fertilisation principles required
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- still to learn leadership principles required
- optional, not held agroecology optional
- optional, not held conservation agriculture optional
- optional, not held e-agriculture optional
- optional, not held irrigation systems optional
- optional, not held organic farming optional
- optional, not held plant propagation optional
- optional, not held watering principles optional
- optional, not held agritourism optional
- optional, not held agronomy optional
- optional, not held bioeconomy optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
Common questions about this move
Can a farm manager become a crop production manager?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A farm manager already covers 22% of what a crop production manager is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 8 of which the crop production manager role treats as required.
What skills does a farm manager need to become a crop production manager?
22 required skills are missing, plus 27 optional ones. They fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary. The single most important is agroforestry.
How hard is the move from farm manager to crop production manager?
Its learning distance is 83 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.