The history of farming goes back as far as history itself. People have long tilled their land and been sustained by the food they produced. They have also raised animals, drunk the milk produced by their cows, and eaten the eggs from their chickens. The variety of farms today is mind boggling. Crop farmers are concerned with a huge range of crops, horticultural farmers may specialize in plants, flowers, bulbs, or shrubbery and animal farmers raise a side variety of animals for food and other industries.
Furthermore, American farm operators produce enough food and fiber not only to feed the United States, but also to export huge quantities to countries all over the world. Farm operators may be the owners of their farms, as often is the case on family farms, or they may be tenant farmers who rent the land they work on. On crop and horticultural farms, farm operators choose the crops or plants to be harvested, till the soil, plant the crops or plants, care for them, and harvest them. Care for crops often includes cultivating, spraying, and dusting, and irrigation. Then the farm operators sort and package the crops and plan their marketing or storage.
On dairy, poultry, and livestock farms, farm operators take care of the animals. Since they are also involved with jobs management, they have titles such as farm general manager, and dairy farm manager. They keep the animals’ housing and bedding in good condition, feed the animals, and keep them healthy. Farmers must protect animals from diseases by inoculating them. They may also help in areas such as breeding, slaughtering, and marketing the animals they raise.
Like in a management employment, farm managers are usually hired by farm owners to oversee various facets of the farm’s operation. The managers usually work on larger farms that are run more like businesses. A large crop farm, for instance, may have one manager who oversees planning, one who handles planting and harvesting, and another manager who is in charge of marketing or storing the crops.
A farm may grow several different crops and breed livestock as well, or it may specialize in one crop or animal. Almost every farm markets its own produce. Besides the day-to-day work of farm operatives and managers, they must also plan a yearly schedule. They watch the economy and market prices and decide which crops to grow. They may store a crop for one season or keep their livestock longer until prices rise. They keep detailed records of their crops, methods of fertilization, and financial history, and keep track of new farm machinery that may help them. Jobs that used to take weeks can be accomplished in a matter of hours with some efficient irrigating, fertilizing, and harvesting machinery. Milking machines, hay balers and tractors combine have helped change the way farmers do their work. Farm operators may set up and operate machinery, erect fences, and sheds, and make managerial decisions. On large farms, they may oversee farm workers who do much of the physical labor. In this case, they may train the workers in the use of equipment and the performance of farm works. They decide when to seed, fertilize, cultivate, harvest, and market their crops. Some farm operators secure loans from credit agencies to help the farm purchase new machinery, or pay for fertilizer, livestock, or feed.
Farm managers’ management careers on large farms involve the task to oversee one major activity such as feeding livestock. On small farms, the manager is responsible for everything from planning output to planting and harvesting. Professional farm managers may find jobs at farm-management firms that may manage some farm operations or oversee farm operators on several farms. In this case, the manager may monitor production and establish output goals.
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