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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Agricultural Supervisor

💰 $ - $

AgricultureFarm ManagementSupervision

🎯 Role Definition

The Agricultural Supervisor is responsible for planning, coordinating, and supervising all aspects of farm operations to achieve production, quality, safety, and cost objectives. This role leads field and/or livestock teams, implements agronomic and husbandry best practices, ensures compliance with regulatory and food-safety standards, maintains equipment and infrastructure, and uses data and precision-agriculture tools to improve yields and profitability. Ideal candidates combine hands-on agricultural experience with strong leadership, operational planning, and technical knowledge.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Farmhand / Field Worker with demonstrated leadership
  • Lead Harvester / Equipment Operator
  • Assistant Farm Manager or Crew Leader

Advancement To:

  • Farm Manager / Estate Manager
  • Operations Manager (Agribusiness)
  • Regional Production Manager / Agronomy Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Crop Production Specialist / Agronomist
  • Irrigation/Water Management Specialist
  • Livestock Supervisor / Herd Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Oversee daily field and farm operations for crop production or livestock management, including planting, irrigation scheduling, fertilization, pest and disease control, animal care, and harvest/processing activities to meet production targets, quality specifications, and customer requirements.
  • Supervise, coach, schedule, and evaluate a team of seasonal and permanent workers (typically 5–25+), contractors and equipment operators; maintain high standards for productivity, safety, and employee retention.
  • Develop, implement and manage seasonal production plans and labor schedules that align planting windows, equipment availability, and harvest logistics to reduce downtime and maximize on-time deliveries.
  • Implement integrated pest management (IPM) practices: perform crop scouting, maintain pest/disease monitoring records, coordinate targeted pesticide/herbicide applications and biological controls while ensuring applicator certification and PPE use.
  • Plan and execute irrigation and water management programs (drip, pivot, furrow, or other systems), monitor soil moisture and system performance, and adjust schedules to optimize water-use efficiency and crop performance.
  • Conduct soil sampling and fertility management programs; interpret soil/test results, create nutrient plans, and manage fertilizer and amendment applications (including variable rate application where applicable).
  • Maintain and optimize mechanical assets: perform routine maintenance and troubleshooting on tractors, harvesters, sprayers, irrigation pumps and implements; schedule service, manage spare parts inventory and minimize equipment downtime.
  • Coordinate harvest operations and post-harvest handling: lead picking/harvesting crews, manage grading/packing procedures, control temperature and storage conditions, and oversee loading/delivery to packers or processors to protect quality and reduce losses.
  • Ensure compliance with food safety and certification programs (GAP, GFSI, HACCP) and maintain accurate records to pass audits and meet buyer specifications.
  • Prepare and manage operational budgets, monitor input costs (seed, fertilizer, pesticides, fuel), implement cost-control strategies and identify opportunities to increase profitability and reduce waste.
  • Maintain accurate production, spray, fertilizer, equipment maintenance and labor records using farm management systems or digital tools, and deliver timely reports to ownership or corporate management.
  • Apply precision agriculture tools and data analytics (GPS guidance, variable rate tech, drones, sensors) to improve planting accuracy, input efficiency, and yield predictability.
  • Recruit, onboard and deliver training programs for seasonal hires and permanent staff covering safety, equipment operation, pesticide application, and quality standards to ensure consistent performance.
  • Develop and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for production, safety, equipment use, and emergency response to maintain high operational consistency and reduce risk.
  • Liaise with agronomists, veterinarians, extension agents, suppliers and contractors to troubleshoot agronomic or health issues, improve practices and implement new techniques.
  • Negotiate and manage contracts with input suppliers, custom harvesters, transport providers and other vendors; evaluate bids and ensure service-level performance.
  • Monitor crop and livestock performance metrics, perform yield estimations and quality sampling, and lead corrective actions to address yield gaps or animal health issues.
  • Lead continuous improvement and sustainability initiatives such as soil-health programs, cover cropping, nutrient-reduction strategies, and energy- or water-saving projects.
  • Ensure workplace safety and regulatory compliance (OSHA/Cal/OSHA, environmental permits, labor laws), conduct daily safety briefings, incident investigations, and follow-up corrective actions.
  • Respond to on-farm emergencies (severe weather, equipment failure, disease outbreaks), enact contingency plans and coordinate recovery to protect people, assets and production.

Secondary Functions

  • Maintain day-to-day administrative tasks: payroll timesheets, purchase orders, inventory tracking, and permit renewals to support smooth operations.
  • Support farm owner or corporate management with weekly/monthly KPI reports, production forecasts, variance analyses and actionable recommendations for process improvements.
  • Champion adoption of farm software and digital recordkeeping (e.g., FarmLogs, Granular, CropTrak) and train staff on digital workflows and data entry best practices.
  • Build relationships with local communities, extension services and buyer representatives to support marketing, compliance and social license to operate.
  • Participate in sustainability reporting, carbon/soil sequestration documentation and traceability programs required by retailers and certification bodies.
  • Assist with seasonal planning for succession, workforce forecasting and capital expenditure proposals to upgrade equipment or infrastructure.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Crop production and agronomy (planting, fertility, pest/disease management, harvest best practices)
  • Irrigation system operation and scheduling (drip, pivot, drip tape, pumps and controllers)
  • Equipment operation and preventive maintenance (tractors, harvesters, sprayers, loaders)
  • Pesticide and fertilizer application knowledge and licensed applicator experience (including adherence to label and safety rules)
  • Animal husbandry and livestock health management (if applicable: feeding, breeding, biosecurity)
  • Food-safety and traceability systems (GAP, HACCP, GFSI-compliant practices)
  • Farm management software and digital recordkeeping (e.g., FarmLogs, Granular, AgriWebb, CropTrak)
  • Soil testing interpretation and nutrient management planning
  • Budgeting, cost-control, and basic farm financial analysis
  • Precision agriculture technologies (GPS guidance, variable-rate application, drones, remote sensing)
  • Regulatory compliance (OSHA, environmental permits, labor laws and pesticide regulations)
  • Inventory, logistics and harvest planning

Soft Skills

  • Strong people leadership: hire, coach, motivate and develop seasonal and permanent teams
  • Clear communication to align cross-functional teams, contractors and management
  • Problem solving and troubleshooting under time pressure (equipment breakdowns, disease outbreaks)
  • Time management and ability to prioritize competing seasonal demands
  • Adaptability and resilience in variable weather and market conditions
  • Attention to detail for recordkeeping, safety compliance and quality control
  • Decision-making with practical risk assessment and cost–benefit thinking
  • Training and mentorship skills for skill transfer to seasonal workers
  • Collaboration and relationship-building with suppliers, buyers and technical advisors
  • Initiative and continuous-improvement mindset focused on yield and margin gains

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent with significant, documented hands-on agricultural experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Horticulture, Animal Science, Agricultural Business or related field preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Agronomy
  • Horticulture
  • Animal Science
  • Agricultural Business / Agribusiness
  • Soil Science
  • Environmental Science / Natural Resources

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressive, hands-on farm experience with increasing supervisory responsibility; experience supervising seasonal crews and coordinating harvests is expected.

Preferred: 5+ years managing comparable operations (specialty crops, row crops or livestock), experience with food-safety certifications and farm management software, and possession of pesticide applicator license or equivalent certifications.

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