Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Management and business operations / 11-9013.00

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate the management or operation of farms, ranches, greenhouses, aquacultural operations, nurseries, timber tracts, or other agricultural establishments. May hire, train, and supervise farm workers or contract for services to carry out the day-to-day activities of the managed operation. May engage in or supervise planting, cultivating, harvesting, and financial and marketing activities.

US jobs
6,500
Median wage
$89,900 a year
Job family
Management and business operations

Can agents do the work of farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Management and business operations:

  • Task levelPartialOnly adjacent evidence. On TheAgentCompany, which gives agents workplace tasks inside a simulated software company, the best agent resolves 42.9% of tasks (a November 2025 result). No task-level benchmark in our collection maps directly to management or business operations.
  • Project levelPartialMixed. OpenAI reports that GPT-5.5's GDPval deliverables won or tied against professionals' work in 84.9% of comparisons, and the best agent passes 73.5% of APEX-Agents tasks on the first try. Running a business is weaker: on Vending-Bench 2 the best model ends a simulated year with $15,515, about a quarter of Andon Labs' estimate for a good strategy.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in management and business operations, not always this occupation's tasks.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • 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.
  • Direct and monitor the transfer of mature fish to lakes, ponds, streams, or commercial tanks.
  • Determine how to allocate resources and to respond to unanticipated problems, such as insect infestation, drought, and fire.
  • Determine plant growing conditions, such as greenhouses, hydroponics, or natural settings, and set planting and care schedules.
  • Devise and participate in activities to improve fish hatching and growth rates, and to prevent disease in hatcheries.
  • Position and regulate plant irrigation systems, and program environmental and irrigation control computers.
  • Prepare reports required by state and federal laws.
  • Inspect facilities and equipment for signs of disrepair, and perform necessary maintenance work.
  • Maintain financial, operational, production, or employment records for farms or ranches.
  • Coordinate clerical, record-keeping, inventory, requisitioning, and marketing activities.
Other job titles for this occupation (73)

Aquaculture Director · Farm Manager · Farm Operations Technical Director · Fish Hatchery Manager · Greenhouse Manager · Harvesting Manager · Hatchery Manager · Hatchery Supervisor · Nursery Manager · Ranch Manager · Accredited Farm Manager (AFM) · Activation Manager · Agricultural Crop Farm Manager · Agricultural Manager · Agriculture Farmer · Agriculture Manager · Agronomy Manager · Agronomy Operations Manager · Animal Husbandry Manager · Annual Greenhouse Manager · Aquaculture Cooperative Marketing Director · Aquaculture Farm Manager · Aquaculture Program Director · Barn and Property Manager · Beef Farm Operator · Beekeeper · Christmas Tree Farm Manager · Crop or Livestock Tenant Farmer · Crop, Grain, or Livestock Farm Manager · Dairy Farm Manager · Dairy Grazier · Dairy Manager · Facility Operations Manager · Farm Facility Manager · Farm Field Manager · Farm Operations Manager · Farmer · Farmers Market Manager · Feedlot Manager · Field Manager · Fruit or Nut Crops Farm Manager · Game Breeding Farm Manager · Garden Center Manager · General Farm Manager · Germination Testing Manager · Greenhouse Project Manager · Grower · Horticultural Farm Manager · Horticultural Manager · Horticulture Manager · Horticulture Superintendent · Livestock Farm Manager · Location Manager · Orchard Manager · Organic Farmer · Organic Vegetable Farm Manager · Perennial House Manager · Pineapple Plantation Manager · Plant Culture Manager · Plant Health Manager · Plant Manager · Plant Nursery Manager · Poultry Barn Manager · Poultry Hatchery Manager · Producer Arborist Manager · Production Superintendent · Propagation Manager · Range Manager · Seed Cleaning Manager · Seed Corn Production Manager · Shellfish Manager · Sow Farm Manager · Sugar Plantation Manager