Will AI replace farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers?

Some tasks are already handled by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 2h 27m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots largely take over. The other 5h 33m (69%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3.4% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 5 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 2h 27m of a typical shift. 2 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 4 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Direct crop production operations, such as planning, tilling, planting, fertilizing, cultivating, spraying, and harvesting. (1h 18m a shift; e.g. Sabanto Steward autonomy retrofit on John Deere 6130E with 1745 planter, in use)
• Collect and record growth, production, and environmental data. (20m a shift; e.g. Solix Ag Robot (Solinftec), in use)
• Conduct inspections to determine crop maturity or condition or to detect disease or insect infestation. (20m a shift; e.g. Solix (Solinftec), in use)
• Position and regulate plant irrigation systems, and program environmental and irrigation control computers. (15m a shift; e.g. DropControl, in use)

5h 33m of a typical shift, or 69%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Inspect facilities and equipment for signs of disrepair, and perform necessary maintenance work. (49m a shift)
• Direct the breeding or raising of stock, such as cattle, poultry, or honeybees, using recognized breeding practices to ensure stock improvement. (34m a shift)
• Maintain financial, operational, production, or employment records for farms or ranches. (29m a shift)
• Hire, supervise, and train support workers. (29m a shift)
• Determine how to allocate resources and to respond to unanticipated problems, such as insect infestation, drought, and fire. (20m a shift)

On Indeed, job postings in the Management sector are at 104% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 8.3% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 71,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $89,900 a year ($43.22 an hour), 76% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $54,320 and $160,020 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects a decline of 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 762,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 71,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 6,500 people in the U.S., roughly 0.00% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 710th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 762,000 in 2035.

O*NET rates the job at level 4 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: bachelor's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Management of Financial Resources, Management of Personnel Resources, Negotiation, Coordination
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 5h 33m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Photoshop, Atlassian Confluence, Facebook

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Biofuels Production Managers (0m touched, $126k median pay)
• Construction Managers (1h 4m touched, $115k median pay)
• Geothermal Production Managers (52m touched, $126k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 5 with robots in real deployments, 25 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.