Mixed farmer to farm manager
A mixed farmer already meets 44% of what the farm manager role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
58.6/ 100
1 How much of what a farm manager is expected to do is already part of a mixed farmer’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 farm manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A farm manager role treats 9 of its required skills as things a mixed farmer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- agricultural business management
- agronomical production principles
- assign duties to agriculture workers
- manage farm products
- manage farm supplies
- manage production enterprise
What stands in the way is 6 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 farm manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a mixed farmer 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 9 the farm manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 9 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 assess new farming technologies required
- still to learn present the farm facilities required
- still to learn negotiate loan agreements required
- optional, not held manage plans for the utilisation of organic by-products optional
- optional, not held implement sales strategies optional
- optional, not held implement marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn manage crop rotation required
- optional, not held monitor forage grazing plans optional
- optional, not held maintain plant health optional
- optional, not held maintain plant soil nutrition optional
- optional, not held handling chemical products for soil and plants optional
- still to learn environmental policy required
- optional, not held livestock species optional
- still to learn pollution prevention required
- optional, not held livestock optional
- optional, not held plant disease control optional
- optional, not held pest control in plants optional
- optional, not held manage mechanically controlled livestock production environments optional
- optional, not held estimate harvest costs optional
- optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a farm manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assess new farming technologies practise this
- 02 manage crop rotation practise this
- 03 present the farm facilities 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 farm products skill
- already held manage farm supplies skill
- already held manage production enterprise skill
- already held market farm products skill
- already held operate farm equipment skill
- already held supervise hygiene procedures in agricultural settings skill
- already held manage crop production skill
- already held manage livestock skill
- already held manage the health and welfare of livestock skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held manage plans for the storage of organic by-products optional
- optional, not held create soil and plant improvement programmes optional
- optional, not held create crop protection plans optional
- optional, not held maintain farm equipment optional
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage mechanically controlled livestock production environments optional
- optional, not held manage plans for the storage of organic by-products optional
- optional, not held manage plans for the utilisation of organic by-products optional
- optional, not held monitor forage grazing plans optional
- optional, not held create crop protection plans optional
- optional, not held create soil and plant improvement programmes optional
- optional, not held estimate harvest costs optional
- optional, not held implement sales strategies optional
- optional, not held livestock optional
- optional, not held livestock species optional
- optional, not held maintain farm equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain plant health optional
- optional, not held maintain plant soil nutrition optional
- optional, not held plant disease control optional
- optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
- optional, not held handling chemical products for soil and plants optional
- optional, not held implement marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held pest control in plants optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
21 held skills the farm manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role agritourism knowledge
- not needed by the target role agroecology knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply sustainable tillage techniques skill
- not needed by the target role comply with farm regulations skill
- not needed by the target role crop production principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role cultivate crops for biomass skill
- not needed by the target role dairy animal production knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop agricultural policies skill
- not needed by the target role drive agricultural machines skill
- not needed by the target role e-agriculture knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation in agriculture and forestry knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle poultry skill
- not needed by the target role harvest crop skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with crop growers skill
- not needed by the target role livestock farming systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role livestock reproduction knowledge
- not needed by the target role move animals skill
- not needed by the target role operate agricultural machinery skill
- not needed by the target role recycle livestock manure skill
- not needed by the target role sustainable agricultural production principles knowledge
6 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 environmental policy required
- still to learn pollution prevention required
- optional, not held livestock optional
- optional, not held livestock species optional
- optional, not held plant disease control optional
- optional, not held pest control in plants optional
Common questions about this move
Can a mixed farmer become a farm manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A mixed farmer already covers 44% of what a farm manager is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 9 of which the farm manager role treats as required.
What skills does a mixed farmer need to become a farm manager?
6 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is assess new farming technologies.
How hard is the move from mixed farmer to farm manager?
Its learning distance is 58.6 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.