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First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers

SOC 45-1011.00Job Zone 3 · Medium Preparation

Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of agricultural, forestry, aquacultural, and related workers.

Context coveredRow-crop and orchard farms, ranches, aquaculture operations, logging crews, nurseries; seasonal labor management, equipment operations, regulatory compliance.

Sources:O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.SkillsCrosswalkSkillsCrosswalk — O*NET enrichment + adjacency index. Opens in new tab.
Emerging
Entry / Apprentice
  1. Daily crew assignments — hand out under a senior supervisor's direction on a row-crop or orchard farm.
  2. Time and attendance tracking — record accurately for piece-rate or hourly crews.
  3. Safety briefings (PPE, heat illness, equipment) — deliver consistently at start-of-shift.
  4. Tools, parts, and consumables — issue and account for at a farm or forestry yard.
  5. Worker check-ins on quality and pace — conduct during routine field rounds.
  6. Incident-report intake — collect from crew members and route to the manager.
  7. First-aid and emergency procedures — execute per company protocol on a remote work site.
  8. Communication with non-English-speaking crew members — conduct with respect and the company's interpreter resources.
  9. Routine equipment walk-arounds — perform with operators before daily use.
  10. Daily production logs and field maps — maintain to the operation's standards.
Developing
Mid-level / Established
  1. Crew of 8–20 workers — supervise across a single block, parcel, or harvest line.
  2. Piece-rate, hourly, and overtime tracking — calculate and explain to crew members.
  3. Equipment scheduling and routine PM — coordinate with mechanics on tractors, sprayers, or harvesters.
  4. Pesticide-application timing windows — execute per the licensed applicator's plan.
  5. H-2A or seasonal-labor compliance basics — apply with HR partners on housing, transport, and pay.
  6. Quality-control sampling and packout standards — enforce at packing sheds or on the line.
  7. Crew conflict and grievance issues — resolve at the field level with documented follow-up.
  8. Recordkeeping (spray logs, harvest yields, mortality) — maintain accurately and completely.
  9. Equipment failures and downtime — troubleshoot with operators and dispatch a mechanic when needed.
  10. Junior leads and crew chiefs — train on safety, leadership, and recordkeeping.
Proficient
Senior / Expert IC
  1. Multi-crew operations across an entire farm, ranch, or logging unit — lead through planting, growing, and harvest.
  2. Labor planning across a season — hire, schedule, and retain across H-2A, domestic, and contract sources.
  3. Equipment fleets and capital budgets — manage at the operating-unit level.
  4. Compliance with OSHA, EPA, USDA, and state-ag rules — own with documented programs and audits.
  5. Crew safety culture and near-miss programs — establish with measurable reduction in injuries.
  6. Production and yield targets — plan and adjust against weather, pests, and market conditions.
  7. Direct conversations with owners, agronomists, and processors — lead with operational data.
  8. Cost controls (labor, inputs, repairs) — manage against budget at the field-operation level.
  9. Junior supervisors and crew bosses — develop on leadership and operational ownership.
  10. Continuous-improvement projects (mechanization, harvest aids) — pilot and scale across the operation.
Advanced
Lead / Principal / Executive
  1. Farm-, ranch-, or forestry-operation general management — set direction across multiple sites, crops, or stands.
  2. Capital plans and major-equipment purchases — author and defend with the owner or board.
  3. Multi-state labor and contractor strategy — own with HR, legal, and agency partners.
  4. Industry forums (commodity boards, Farm Bureau, processor councils) — represent the operation.
  5. Land-use, water-rights, and conservation planning — lead with NRCS, irrigation districts, and counsel.
  6. Workforce-development pipelines — build with community colleges and apprenticeship programs.
  7. Major contracts (packers, processors, logging buyers) — negotiate at executive level.
  8. Succession and family-business planning — facilitate with owners and advisors.
  9. Disaster response (fire, flood, drought) — command across crews, equipment, and agencies.
  10. Legacy mentorship of the next generation of supervisors — institutionalize across an operation.

AI-at-Work Competency Framework

Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.

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  1. Emerging
  2. Developing
  3. Proficient
  4. Advanced
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Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework

Sources:Pathsmith™ Durable SkillsPathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
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Show O*NET source anchors65 anchors · skillscrosswalk.com

O*NET enrichment · skillscrosswalk.com

Suggest an O*NET correction

Source anchors that ground each statement

Related titles
Agricultural and Forestry Supervisor · Agriculture Manager · Agronomy Location Manager · Agronomy Manager · Animal Care Supervisor · Animal Caretaker Supervisor · Animal Husbandry Supervisor · Animal Maintenance Supervisor · Animal Research Facility Supervisor · Animal Shelter Manager · Aquacultural Worker Supervisor · Area Supervisor
RAPIDS apprenticeships
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O*NET skills
CoordinationCritical ThinkingSpeakingMonitoringReading ComprehensionManagement of Personnel ResourcesTime ManagementActive ListeningSocial PerceptivenessInstructingOperations MonitoringComplex Problem SolvingLearning StrategiesJudgment and Decision MakingWritingQuality Control AnalysisActive LearningPersuasionNegotiationOperation and ControlSystems AnalysisSystems Evaluation
Knowledge domains
Administration and ManagementProduction and ProcessingCustomer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageMechanicalEducation and TrainingBiologyFood ProductionMathematics
Abilities
Oral ComprehensionProblem SensitivityOral ExpressionSpeech RecognitionSpeech ClarityNear VisionFar VisionDeductive ReasoningInductive ReasoningInformation Ordering
Work styles
Leadership OrientationDependabilityPerseveranceCooperationAttention to DetailIntegrity
Technology
Project management softwareAccounting softwareData base user interface and query softwareCalendar and scheduling softwareEnterprise resource planning ERP softwareInventory management softwareMap creation softwareSpreadsheet softwareOffice suite softwareElectronic mail software
Tasks · seed anchors for statements
  1. Assign tasks such as feeding and treatment of animals, and cleaning and maintenance of animal quarters.
  2. Record the numbers and types of fish or shellfish reared, harvested, released, sold, and shipped.
  3. Monitor workers to ensure that safety regulations are followed, warning or disciplining those who violate safety regulations.
  4. Observe animals for signs of illness, injury, or unusual behavior, notifying veterinarians or managers as warranted.
  5. Observe fish and beds or ponds to detect diseases, monitor fish growth, determine quality of fish, or determine completeness of harvesting.
  6. Train workers in tree felling or bucking, operation of tractors or loading machines, yarding or loading techniques, or safety regulations.
  7. Treat animal illnesses or injuries, following experience or instructions of veterinarians.
  8. Train workers in spawning, rearing, cultivating, and harvesting methods, and in the use of equipment.
CIP education codes
01.010101.010401.019901.030101.030201.030301.030401.030601.030701.030801.031001.039901.040101.060401.060601.090101.090501.090601.090701.099901.100401.110101.110203.030103.050103.0510

Sources: O*NET v30.2 (CC BY 4.0), SkillsCrosswalk.com, LER.me®, Anthropic Economic Index, SAFI (Jadhav & Danve, 2026), WEF Skills Taxonomy 2021, Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework. © 2026 EBSCOed.