Plan, direct, or coordinate the management or operation of farms, ranches, greenhouses, aquacultural operations, nurseries, timber tracts, or other agricultural establishments. May hire, train, or supervise farm workers or contract for services to carry out the day-to-day activities of the managed operation. May engage in or supervise planting, cultivating, harvesting, financial, or marketing activities.
U.S. Workers
5,910
Median Salary
$87,980
10-Year Growth
-1.3%
Annual Openings
85,500
Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
27 of 27 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Operate or oversee the operations of dairy farms that produce bulk milk.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated milking systems, sensor networks and AI analytics can run and monitor bulk‑milk dairy operations, handling routine operation and herd‑health oversight at scale.
Inspect orchards or fields to determine crop maturity or condition or to detect disease or insect infestation.
AI: Fully automatable - AI combined with drones, multispectral imaging, and trained models can reliably inspect orchards/fields to assess maturity and detect many diseases or infestations at scale.
Plan crop activities based on factors such as crop maturity or weather conditions.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can integrate weather forecasts, remote sensing, and crop maturity models to reliably plan crop activities and timing.
Maintain financial, operational, production, or employment records for farms or ranches.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated farm management and accounting systems driven by AI can fully maintain financial, operational, production, and employment records.
Buy or sell futures contracts or price farm products in advance of future sales to minimize risk or maximize profits.
AI: Fully automatable - By 2025 algorithmic trading and pricing models can analyze markets and execute futures trades automatically, so AI can fully perform buying/selling and pricing decisions.
Monitor and adjust irrigation systems to distribute water according to crop needs and to avoid wasting water.
AI: Fully automatable - AI integrated with soil moisture sensors, weather forecasts, and automated valves/pumps can monitor and adjust irrigation systems in real time to match crop needs and minimize waste.
Analyze soil to determine types or quantities of fertilizer required for maximum crop production.
AI: Fully automatable - Given soil test or sensor data, AI can accurately determine fertilizer types and quantities using established agronomic models and optimization techniques.
Evaluate marketing or sales alternatives for farm or ranch products.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can evaluate marketing and sales alternatives by analyzing price signals, channel costs, demand patterns, and logistics to produce actionable strategies.
Prepare budgets or financial reports for farm or ranch operations.
AI: Fully automatable - AI systems can process accounting data, generate budgets and standardized financial reports, and integrate with farm management software to automate most of this work.
Demonstrate or explain working techniques, practices, or safety regulations to farm or ranch workers.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can create and deliver training materials, interactive tutorials, and virtual demonstrations of techniques and safety protocols that cover explanatory and demonstrative needs in most situations.
Analyze market conditions to determine acreage allocations.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can ingest market data, price signals and policy information and run optimization and forecasting models to determine acreage allocations effectively.
Change processes such as drying, grading, storing, or shipping to improve efficiency or profitability.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can analyze throughput, control drying/grading/storage equipment, and optimize shipping/logistics, enabling full automation of process changes to improve efficiency and profitability.
Direct crop production operations, such as planning, tilling, planting, fertilizing, cultivating, spraying, or harvesting.
AI: Partial - AI can generate detailed plans and coordinate autonomous machinery for tilling, planting, fertilizing, spraying, and harvesting but cannot fully replace human oversight and on-site decision-making in diverse field conditions.
Monitor activities such as irrigation, chemical application, harvesting, milking, breeding, or grading to ensure adherence to safety regulations or standards.
AI: Partial - AI can monitor irrigation, chemical application, harvesting, milking, breeding, and grading via sensors and cameras and flag noncompliance, but final safety verification and complex judgment calls still require human oversight.
Direct the breeding or raising of stock, such as cattle, poultry, or honeybees, using recognized breeding practices to ensure stock improvement.
AI: Partial - AI can design breeding programs and recommend mating selections using genetic and performance data but cannot fully manage the hands-on husbandry, welfare, and regulatory decisions involved in raising stock.
Obtain financing necessary for purchases of machinery, land, supplies, or livestock.
AI: Partial - AI can prepare financial models, identify lenders, and automate application materials, but obtaining financing typically requires human negotiation and lender approval processes.
Inspect farm or ranch equipment to ensure proper functioning.
AI: Partial - AI can perform remote diagnostic inspection using telemetry, sensor data, and imagery to detect defects and predict failures, but physical inspection and repairs still need human technicians.
Plan and direct development or production of hardier or higher-yield hybrid plant varieties.
AI: Partial - AI can design breeding strategies, predict trait outcomes and analyze trial data, but planning and directing complex breeding R&D and making high‑level scientific decisions still require expert human scientists.
Monitor pasture or grazing land use to ensure that livestock are properly fed or that conservation methods, such as rotational grazing, are used.
AI: Partial - AI can monitor pasture use via satellite, drones, and collars and recommend/coordinate rotational grazing, but physically managing herds and local animal behavior still requires human or robotic intervention, so only partial automation is feasible.
Negotiate with buyers for the sale, storage, or shipment of crops or livestock.
AI: Partial - AI can analyze markets, formulate offers, and automate simple transactions, but complex negotiations, relationship management, and contract finalization usually require human negotiators.
Direct livestock or crop waste recycling operations.
AI: Partial - AI can optimize and control waste recycling processes (composting, digesters) and schedule operations, but full direction often requires human oversight and hands‑on interventions, so it is partially automatable.
Determine types or quantities of crops or livestock to be raised, according to factors such as market conditions, federal programs or incentives, or soil conditions.
AI: Partial - AI can analyze soil, weather and market data to recommend crop or livestock mixes and quantities, but cannot fully replace local experience, risk preferences, and unpredictable on‑farm conditions.
Hire, train, or supervise workers engaged in planting, cultivating, irrigating, harvesting, or marketing crops, or in raising livestock.
AI: Partial - AI can assist with candidate screening, training content and scheduling, but hiring, nuanced personnel decisions and day‑to‑day supervision require human leadership and interpersonal judgment.
Select or purchase machinery, equipment, livestock, or supplies, such as seed, feed, fertilizer, or chemicals.
AI: Partial - AI can recommend equipment, supplies and vendors using specs, price and compatibility data and automate procurement workflows, but nuanced selections (e.g., livestock genetics or local suitability) and negotiations still need human input.
Inspect farm or ranch structures, such as buildings, fences, or roads, ordering repair or maintenance activities, as needed.
AI: Partial - Drones and computer vision can perform many inspections and flag repair needs, but physical on‑site assessment and complex judgment calls about maintenance still require humans.
Replace chemical insecticides with environmentally friendly practices, such as adding pest-repelling plants to fields.
AI: Partial - AI can design and recommend integrated pest management and planting schemes to replace chemicals, but implementing ecological changes and on‑the‑ground establishment typically needs human labor and ecological judgment.
Supervise the construction of farm or ranch structures, such as buildings, fences, drainage systems, wells, or roads.
AI: Partial - AI can manage project schedules, budgets and provide oversight analytics, but on‑site construction supervision, contractor coordination and safety decisions remain primarily human responsibilities.