Farm manager to mixed farmer
A farm manager already meets 40% of what the mixed farmer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
62.6/ 100
1 How much of what a mixed farmer 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 mixed farmer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mixed farmer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a farm manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- agricultural business management
- agronomical production principles
- assign duties to agriculture workers
- manage crop production
- manage farm supplies
- manage livestock
What stands in the way is 10 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 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mixed farmer 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 farm products management skills
- already held market farm products communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage farm supplies communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held agricultural business management business, administration and law
- already held manage crop production handling and moving
- already held assign duties to agriculture workers management skills
All 12 carried skills, including the 8 the mixed farmer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 8 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 crop production principles required
- still to learn livestock farming systems required
- still to learn livestock reproduction required
- still to learn sustainable agricultural production principles required
- optional, not held agroecology optional
- optional, not held dairy animal production optional
- optional, not held e-agriculture optional
- still to learn cultivate crops for biomass required
- still to learn harvest crop required
- optional, not held move animals optional
- optional, not held apply sustainable tillage techniques optional
- optional, not held handle poultry optional
- optional, not held recycle livestock manure optional
- still to learn drive agricultural machines required
- still to learn operate agricultural machinery required
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- optional, not held agritourism optional
- still to learn environmental legislation in agriculture and forestry required
- optional, not held comply with farm regulations optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mixed farmer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 crop production principles study this
- 02 cultivate crops for biomass practise this
- 03 drive agricultural machines 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 12 skills that carry over
- already held agricultural business management knowledge
- already held agronomical production principles knowledge
- already held assign duties to agriculture workers skill
- already held manage crop production skill
- already held manage farm supplies skill
- already held manage livestock skill
- already held operate farm equipment skill
- already held supervise hygiene procedures in agricultural settings skill
- already held manage farm products skill
- already held manage production enterprise skill
- already held manage the health and welfare of livestock skill
- already held market farm products skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held liaise with crop growers optional
- optional, not held develop agricultural policies optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held comply with farm regulations optional
- optional, not held move animals optional
- optional, not held agroecology optional
- optional, not held apply sustainable tillage techniques optional
- optional, not held dairy animal production optional
- optional, not held e-agriculture optional
- optional, not held handle poultry optional
- optional, not held liaise with crop growers optional
- optional, not held recycle livestock manure optional
- optional, not held agritourism optional
- optional, not held develop agricultural policies optional
25 held skills the mixed farmer role does not ask for
- 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 maintain plant health skill
- not needed by the target role maintain plant soil nutrition skill
- not needed by the target role manage crop rotation 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 monitor forage grazing plans skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate loan agreements skill
- not needed by the target role pest control in plants knowledge
- not needed by the target role plant disease control knowledge
- not needed by the target role pollution prevention knowledge
- not needed by the target role present the farm facilities skill
- not needed by the target role report pollution incidents skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
10 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 crop production principles required
- still to learn livestock farming systems required
- still to learn livestock reproduction required
- still to learn sustainable agricultural production principles required
- still to learn environmental legislation in agriculture and forestry required
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- optional, not held agroecology optional
- optional, not held dairy animal production optional
- optional, not held e-agriculture optional
- optional, not held agritourism optional
Common questions about this move
Can a farm manager become a mixed farmer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A farm manager already covers 40% of what a mixed farmer is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 8 of which the mixed farmer role treats as required.
What skills does a farm manager need to become a mixed farmer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary. The single most important is crop production principles.
How hard is the move from farm manager to mixed farmer?
Its learning distance is 62.6 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.