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Career Details : Farmers and Ranchers

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Description

On an ownership or rental basis, operate farms, ranches, greenhouses, nurseries, timber tracts, or other agricultural production establishments that produce crops, horticultural specialties, livestock, poultry, finfish, shellfish, or animal specialties. May plant, cultivate, harvest, perform post-harvest activities, and market crops and livestock; may hire, train, and supervise farm workers or supervise a farm labor contractor; may prepare cost, production, and other records. May maintain and operate machinery and perform physical work.

Experience

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Education

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.

Training

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers.

Tasks

  • Harvests crops and collects specialty products, such as royal jelly from queen bee cells and honey from honeycombs.
  • Sets up and operates farm machinery to till soil, plant, prune, fertilize, apply herbicides and pesticides, and haul harvested crops.
  • Inspects growing environment to maintain optimum growing or breeding conditions.
  • Determines kind and quantity of crops or livestock to be raised, according to market conditions, weather, and farm size.
  • Breeds and raises stock, such as animals, poultry, honeybees, or earthworms.
  • Arranges with buyers for sale and shipment of crops.
  • Hires and directs workers engaged in planting, cultivating, irrigating, harvesting, and marketing crops and raising livestock.
  • Assembles, positions, and secures structures, such as trellises or beehives, using hand tools.
  • Lubricates, adjusts, and makes minor repairs on farm equipment, using oilcan, grease gun, and hand tools.
  • Grades and packages crops for marketing.
  • Maintains employee and financial records.
  • Demonstrates and explains farmwork techniques and safety regulations to workers.
  • Installs irrigation systems and irrigates fields.
  • Selects and purchases supplies and equipment, such as seed, tree stock, fertilizers, farm machinery, implements, livestock, and feed.
  • Destroys diseased or superfluous crops, such as queen bee cells, bee colonies, parasites, and vermin.
  • Plans harvesting considering ripeness and maturity of crop and weather conditions.
  • Grows out-of-season crops in greenhouse or early crops in cold-frame bed, or buds and grafts plant stock.

    Related Careers

    Important Abilities

    General Work Activities

    Important Skills

    Frequent Work Context

    • Consequence of Error
    • Frustrating Circumstances
    • Importance of Being Sure All Is Done
    • Using Hands on Objects, Tools, Controls
    • Outdoors

    Related Majors

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    Field Cropsadd Field Crops to MyFSA
    Pre-ministryadd Pre-ministry to MyFSA
    Vegetable Cropsadd Vegetable Crops to MyFSA
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