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Francisco Raya
Farm Managers offer professional management services to farmland owners to help them optimize the returns from their asset. Using their expertise in working with people, crop and livestock production, commodity marketing, soil conservation, financial analysis and accounting, and real estate brokerage, farm managers help their clients maintain and improve the value of their asset and generate cash returns that meet their client's objectives.
Managers associated with the ASFMRA follow a code of ethics and strive to provide high quality services that include leasing and tenant selection, crop production planning and supervision, improvement project management, commodity sales planning and execution, record keeping and investment analysis. An ASFMRA Accredited Farm Manager has achieved the highest level of professionalism and education in the industry.
An Accredited Farm Manager (AFM) possesses the skills, experience and education to provide land investment analysis and management of day-to-day operations for ag enterprises. The AFM designation is available only through the ASFMRA and is awarded to those individuals that demonstrate experience and complete a rigorous education program to enhance professional skills and knowledge of land management and production agriculture.
A farm manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations and strategic management of a farm. This role involves a diverse range of responsibilities, including crop and livestock management, financial planning, and overall farm maintenance.
Farm managers are instrumental in decision-making related to planting schedules, crop selection, and animal husbandry practices. They work closely with agricultural specialists, agronomists, and veterinarians to ensure optimal yields and the well-being of livestock. Their role extends beyond the field, involving interactions with suppliers, buyers, and regulatory authorities to ensure compliance with agricultural standards and regulations. Successful farm managers possess a blend of agricultural knowledge, leadership skills, and business acumen to navigate the complexities of modern farming.
Duties and Responsibilities
A farm manager holds a multifaceted role encompassing a wide range of duties and responsibilities related to the efficient operation of a farm. Some key responsibilities include:
The workplace of a farm manager is typically centered around the agricultural operations they oversee. This can encompass a diverse range of environments, including crop fields, pastures, orchards, and livestock facilities. The farm manager's work often involves frequent outdoor activities, such as monitoring crop growth, inspecting livestock, and coordinating fieldwork. The size and type of the farm contribute to the variety of landscapes, from expansive fields on large-scale farms to more specialized settings like vineyards or dairy operations.
In addition to the outdoor elements, farm managers spend time in on-site offices or administrative areas, handling tasks such as planning, budgeting, and record-keeping. This administrative aspect of the workplace involves using technology and agricultural software to manage farm data, analyze yields, and make informed decisions. The office environment allows farm managers to engage in strategic planning, collaborate with agricultural experts, and address administrative responsibilities essential to the farm's success.
The workplace also extends to interactions with various stakeholders. Farm managers often engage with suppliers for equipment and supplies, coordinate with buyers for crop or livestock sales, and maintain relationships with regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with agricultural standards and regulations. Furthermore, community engagement may be part of the farm manager's role, involving interactions with neighboring farms, agricultural organizations, and local communities.
The dynamic nature of a farm manager's workplace requires adaptability and versatility. They must navigate changing weather conditions, seasonal variations, and the unique challenges associated with different types of crops or livestock. The work environment can be demanding, especially during peak seasons such as planting or harvest, requiring long hours and hands-on involvement in daily farm activities.
I hope to incorporate more native plants throughout our hedgerows, plant more cover crops, and use more natural mulches, such as leaves and sea salt marsh hay (with less tarping). I would like to do more intercropping, and try things like installing bluebird houses and a bat house. I also hope to create more intentional, focused volunteer experiences centered around food access issues and racial equity, and gratitude practice. And, later down the road, it would be amazing to utilize our own compost.
There can be a lot of challenges and roadblocks for women working in what have traditionally been male-dominated fields. In your personal experience, have you found that this also exists in the farming community?
Yes, this definitely exists and is real in the farming community. The entire industry is male-dominated, which affects every aspect of farming from how tractors are designed down to the workwear. Many of the voices within the no-till community are white and male, which can be frustrating to see since this approach to farming was pioneered and practiced by indigenous communities long before colonization began. However, I will say in the Northeast there is a large female farmer population, and the other farm I worked on was mostly run by women so I have had a unique experience in that sense.
I love to spend my time hiking mountains, doing yoga, surfing and swimming, cooking, baking things like English muffins and peach cobblers, reading nonfiction, and traveling the globe, especially to Spanish-speaking countries.
I wanted to work at Elk Run because this farm has the rare ability to fight for food justice as a food bank farm, while also being an incubator for young folks to learn about farming and growing food. While there are many parts of farming that I love, food justice and environmental education are what I am most passionate about. I love being able to provide healthy, nutritious, and diverse foods to people who would otherwise have limited access. I also love being able to connect with students over how our food is grown and the importance of environmental stewardship.
I first found the world of small-scale agriculture when I was a senior at UW, doing a research project at the Organic Farm School on Whidbey Island. After graduating in the spring of 2020, the world was seemingly stuck in time because of the COVID pandemic, and I had the luxury of time to think about what made me happy and what I wanted to do with my post-grad life. I often found myself thinking about the Organic Farm School, so I researched some similar programs and found the Viva Farms Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture. I spent the growing season of 2021 at Viva learning all about small-scale agriculture and figuring out how I wanted to fit into the food system as a young aspiring farmer. I graduated from the program with the urge to learn more about other styles of farming from farmers all around the world. I set off in 2022 to WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farming) and settled in Hilo, Hawaii to learn about tropical permaculture and cultivating crops that cannot be grown in Washington (such as taro, cacao, bananas, and pineapple). Once I returned to Seattle, I took an AmeriCorps position at the UW Farm, where I helped run a farm that served a high volume of community members and students.
I love going to trivia and have a weekly trivia night with a group of friends. Though I am not particularly good at any specific area of knowledge, I love being in a lightly competitive environment where I get to share some of the silly things I know while learning new fun facts.
My name is Kate and I am the farm manager for this upcoming year. At the end of June, we said goodbye to the previous farm manager, Peter Staub. Peter will certainly be missed, but I am looking forward to continuing the love and care he has given our plants for the past year.
Before I share some updates about the Farm, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. A few short months ago, I graduated from Pomona College with a degree in French and English. Though I grew up in Connecticut, I have absolutely loved my time in Claremont and am looking forward to spending another year exploring LA County! As a student, I spent all four years as a farm employee, so I am grateful for the opportunity to be even more involved and help make the space I love grow.
During my training and first few weeks as farm manager, I was able to share the Farm with 18 students from the Pomona College Academy for Youth Success (PAYS). For two evenings each week, these PAYS students learned about composting, plant identification, bed preparation, and other aspects of sustainable agriculture. They also helped us paint a wheelbarrow and some stepping stones and eventually helped harvest, cut, and dry a large part of our apple crop!
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Despite declining employment, about 88,800 openings for farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers monitor the prices for their products. They use different strategies to protect themselves financially from unpredictable changes in the markets. For example, some farmers carefully plan the combination of crops they grow, so that if the price of one crop drops, they have enough income from another crop to make up for the loss. Farmers and ranchers also track disease and weather conditions, either or both of which may negatively impact crop yields or animal health. By planning ahead, farmers and ranchers may be able to store their crops or keep their livestock in order to take advantage of higher prices later in the year.
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