Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers

People in this career often have these skills:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

• 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.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• 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.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 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 that there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

• 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.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Compile operational data.
• Maintain operational records.
• Manage agricultural or forestry operations.
• Analyze financial records to improve budgeting or planning.
• Determine resource needs.

• Develop emergency response plans or procedures.
• Develop agricultural methods.
• Perform manual agricultural, aquacultural, or horticultural tasks.
• Prepare reports related to compliance matters.
• Maintain regulatory or compliance documentation.
• Inspect condition or functioning of facilities or equipment.
• Perform manual service or maintenance tasks.
• Maintain personnel records.
• Direct sales, marketing, or customer service activities.
• Direct administrative or support services.
• Direct organizational operations, projects, or services.
• Negotiate sales or lease agreements for products or services.
• Negotiate contracts for transportation, distribution, or logistics services.
• Test materials, solutions, or samples.
• Advise customers on technical or procedural issues.
• Analyze data to inform operational decisions or activities.
• Manage construction activities.

• First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers

• Conservation Scientists

• Forest and Conservation Technicians

• Industrial Production Managers

• Hydrologists

• Forest and Conservation Workers

• Food Scientists and Technologists

• Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

• First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators

• First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers