Functions Of Farm Manager | Meaning & Problems

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Hi, welcome to this hall. At the end of this article, students should be able to know the following on functions of farm manager.

Table Of Contents

At the end of this article, students should be able to know:

  1. Meaning of farm manager
  2. Functions Of farm manager
  3. Types and functions
  4. Problems of farm manager
  5. Revision Questions

MEANING OF FARM MANAGER

Meaning: In agriculture, the farm manager is usually regarded as the entrepreneur whose duties include the organization, administration, production and marketing of produce from the farm. The reward for manager is profit.

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FUNCTIONS OF FARM MANAGER

The functions of farm manager can be grouped into five major headings:

  • Organization
  • Administration
  • Production
  • Marketing
  • Evaluation

1. Organization: The functions of farm manager is as follows.

  • The farm manager secure suitable land for farming.
  • He determines what to produce.
  • He determines the scale of production
  • He procure loan or capital for farming.
  • He recruits or employ labour or workers for the farm
  • He decide on which Enterprise is to undertake, given the availability resources, e.g, fish farming and rice production.

2. Administration: The functions of farm manager (administration) is as follows:

  • A farm manager supervises the work on the farm
  • He arranges work roasters
  • He directs staff on day-to-day activities
  • He makes arrangement for staff welfare
  • He rewards or disciplines staff according to their performance
  • He organizes the training of manpower in the farm
  • He maintains good labour relations to avoid disruption of Farm activities.
  • He acquaint himself with government agricultural policies with respect to opportunities and constraints they pose on the farm

3. Production: Functions of farm manager (production manager) is as follows;

  • A farm manager is responsible for the purchase and use of Farm inputs.
  • He ensures the health of animals/crops on the farm
  • He makes arrangement for general security of the farm
  • He ensures the adequate supply of feeds.
  • He adheres to modern farming techniques
  • He avoid waste by efficient use and maintenance of Farm resources.
  • He combines resources to yield optimum profits
  • He sets production targets and wage level.

4. Marketing: The followings are the roles and functions of Farm Manager (marketing manager);

  • The farm manager determines the quantity of produce to sell
  • He determines the best marketing channel to use to make maximum profits.
  • He determines when to sell to make maximum profits.
  • He determines at what price to sell.
  • He may also be responsible for the processing of Farm produce.
  • He monitors marketing trends in order to decide which commodities to produce in his farm.
  • He arranges for storage and warehousing of unsold produce. Study about farm storage [here]

5. Evaluation: Evaluation manager is as follows;

  • He keeps the general record of the farm
  • He supervises account and bookkeeping of all operations on the farm.
  • He analyzes Farm operations with respect to target an objectives.
  • He assesses the staffing conditions.
  • He develops new strategies for further improvement of Farm operations.

PROBLEMS OF FARM MANAGER

PROBLEMS which a farm manager may face during the course of discharging his duties include you following:

  1. Inadequate information: He may lack information on where to buy Farm inputs, or acquire information on new innovation and current prices of Farm produce.
  2. Problem of marketing: He may not know how and where to sell his produce, at what time to sell and at which price to sell to make maximum profits.
  3. Inadequate Farm inputs: Farm input like seeds, feed, fertilizers and chemicals, may be inadequate, scars and expensive together.
  4. Financial problems: He may not have enough capital. Banks may not provide loans and produce may not sell at the right price to make more money to reinvest in the business.
  5. Inadequate personnel: He may not get the right management team to work on the farm. They may be too expensive to employ for the farm.
  6. Government policies: Bad government policies like importation of food which are also produced by the farm manager may lead to losses, discouragement and may even result in the folding up of the business.
  7. Transport problems: He may not have a very good vehicle to do the running around, to deliver Farm input and to take Farm produce to the market.
  8. Administrative problem: He may lack the technical know how, good human relationship with staff, and the condition of his health may affect the performance of his duties.

Revision Questions

  1. What is farm manager?
  2. Outline five functions of farm manager.
  3. Discuss any six problems of farm manager.

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