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Hiring a farm manager as a member of your hobby farm requires forethought, planning and care. By assessing her farm needs, Michelle Dietzler of Dietzler Farms outlined the responsibilities and required skills of the farm manager she wanted to hire. Use her list below to jump-start a list of your own.
Farm Manager Responsibilities
- Delegating responsibilities to the workers, supervising hands and recruiting employees
- Creating and working within budgets
- Planning and scheduling crop planting and harvesting
Farm Manager Requirements
- Extensive knowledge of raising cattle, cattle reproduction and animal science
- Knowledge of non-GMO feeding techniques
- Knowledge and experience with farm equipment and machinery
- Graduate of competitive university agriculture program
- Prior leadership experience
- Motivated about the industry and the future of all-natural beef production
- Computer proficient and able to utilize technology for record keeping
- Excellent organizational skills
- 5-plus years in the farm industry
Interviewing the Farm Manager
Once you know what you’re looking for in a farm manager, make sure your candidates meet your preset qualifications. Here are some sample questions you can ask during the interview to ensure you get all the information you need.
- Background, including education, hands-on experience, specialty training
- Crop- and livestock-specific education, including hands-on and specialty training
- Management experience, including size of staff; knowledge of human resources
- Marketing background, including modern marketing techniques and social media marketing
- Business methodology background
- Computer experience and knowledge; ability to learn new programs and hardware; new media and new technology abilities
- Regional and area knowledge; sales, product, marketing and market of your region, state
- Level of organizational skills for both farm and business needs
- Budgeting and money handling experience and skills
- Basic farming knowledge as it pertains to farm equipment, farm tools, maintenance and upkeep
