Farmers and Ranchers
Official O*NET title: Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers (11-9013.00)
Also called: aquaculture director, farm manager, farm operations technical director, fish hatchery manager, greenhouse manager
Do you do this at work?
Answer each card — it takes about a minute.
Do you do this at work?
Direct crop production operations
Swipe right for yes, left for not me. On a keyboard: → yes, ← not me, Z undo. +2 XP per answer.
How AI is changing farmers and ranchers work
6 of 22 measurable main tasks for this job show up in real AI-use data, so we rate it Amber (some AI use) — 27%. 7 newer tasks are not in the data yet and left out.
This shows where people already use AI, not whether the job will disappear. How we measure this.
Tasks in this job and recorded AI use
- Direct crop production operations (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Prepare reports required by state and federal laws (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Provide information to customers on the care of trees, shrubs, flowers, plants, and lawns (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Monitor environments to make sure maintenance of optimum animal or plant life (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Determine plant growing conditions (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Determine types or quantities of crops, plants, or livestock to be grown and raised, based on budgets, federal incentives, market conditions, executive directives, projected sales volumes, or soil conditions (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Collect and record growth, production, and environmental data (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Manage nurseries that grow horticultural plants for sale to trade or retail customers, for display or exhibition, or for research (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Direct and monitor trapping and spawning of fish, egg incubation, and fry rearing, applying knowledge of management and fish culturing techniques (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Direct and monitor the transfer of mature fish to lakes, ponds, streams, or commercial tanks (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Determine how to allocate resources and to respond to unanticipated problems (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Devise and participate in activities to improve fish hatching and growth rates, and to prevent disease in hatcheries (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Position and regulate plant irrigation systems, and program environmental and irrigation control computers (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Inspect facilities and equipment for signs of disrepair, and perform necessary maintenance work (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Maintain financial, operational, production, or employment records for farms or ranches (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Coordinate clerical, record-keeping, inventory, requisitioning, and marketing activities (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Direct the breeding or raising of stock (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Negotiate with buyers for the sale, storage, or shipment of crops or livestock (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Coordinate the selection and maintenance of brood stock (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Analyze soil to determine types or quantities of fertilizer required for maximum crop production (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Analyze market conditions to determine acreage allocations (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Supervise the construction of farm or ranch structures (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Conduct inspections to determine crop maturity or condition or to detect disease or insect infestation (main task) — too new for the AI data
- Conduct or supervise stock examinations to identify diseases or parasites (main task) — too new for the AI data
- Determine, administer, and execute policies relating to operations administration and standards, facility maintenance, and safety (main task) — too new for the AI data
- Evaluate marketing or sales alternatives for products (main task) — too new for the AI data
- Hire, supervise, and train support workers (main task) — too new for the AI data
- Monitor activities (main task) — too new for the AI data
- Obtain financing for and purchase necessary machinery, land, supplies, or livestock (main task) — too new for the AI data
- Replace chemical insecticides with environmentally friendly practices — no recorded AI use
Tasks: O*NET 31.0. AI use: Anthropic Economic Index (exact or close text match).
Your first steps (guidance)
- Week 1: Open a free AI assistant and say hello. Follow our “Getting started with AI” guide. Ask it one simple question about your work.
- Week 2: Use AI on one task you do often. Try the prompt for: “Direct crop production operations”. Try the prompt for: “Prepare reports required by state and federal laws”.
Tick your own tasks above to get a plan based on what you really do. The first 2 weeks are free; Premium (coming soon) adds weeks 3–12. New to AI? Read our beginner’s guide.
Questions about AI and farmers and ranchers
Will AI replace farmers and ranchers?
Our data can’t predict job losses, and we don’t try to. What it does show: 6 of the 29 main tasks for this job match tasks people already use AI for (Anthropic Economic Index), giving a Amber rating (some AI use). Using AI on a task is not the same as AI doing the whole job, and 17 of the 30 listed tasks show no recorded AI use yet.
Which farmer tasks is AI used for most?
In the data, the most AI use among this job’s tasks is for: direct crop production operations; prepare reports required by state and federal laws; provide information to customers on the care of trees, shrubs, flowers, plants, and lawns.
Which farmer tasks show little or no AI use?
For example: collect and record growth, production, and environmental data; manage nurseries that grow horticultural plants for sale to trade or retail customers, for display or exhibition, or for research; direct and monitor trapping and spawning of fish, egg incubation, and fry rearing, applying knowledge of management and fish culturing techniques. These are good places to keep building your own skills.
How does this job compare to others?
In Microsoft Research’s “Working with AI” study, this job’s AI applicability score is equal to or higher than 23% of the occupations they scored. That measures overlap with AI chat use, not risk of job loss.
How can a farmer start learning AI?
Start small: open a free AI assistant, try it on one task you do often, and always check facts and numbers yourself. The plan on this page is guidance, not professional advice.
See how this job ranks
Farmers and Ranchers ranks #295 of 572 jobs for the share of main tasks with AI use (#1 = most), and #1 of 4 in Farming & Outdoors.