Onboarding plan
Farm Manager Onboarding Plan (30-60-90 Days)
A practical, printable plan to take a new farm manager from first day to full productivity.
Farm Manager onboarding at a glance
Week one covers orientation, safety and shadowing. Days 1–30 build vocabulary and supervised practice on core procedures; days 31–60 move to independent work with competency sign-offs; days 61–90 focus on full productivity, cross-training and a credential plan.
Before day one
- Confirm start date, schedule, pay and supervisor in writing
- Verify required credentials: Private pesticide applicator license, Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) (as applicable)
- Prepare equipment and access: tractors and combines; GPS and precision ag software; farm management software; irrigation systems
- Assign a buddy or preceptor
- Enroll the new hire in Farm Manager training so foundations are covered before or during week one
Week one: orient and protect
- Workplace tour, emergency procedures and incident reporting
- Follow tractor and equipment safety
- Use PPE with pesticides
- Handle livestock carefully
- Prevent heat illness
- Shadow an experienced farm manager through a full shift
- Training modules 1–3: role foundations, a day on the job and essential vocabulary (15 terms)
Days 1–30: learn
Goal: perform core tasks safely under supervision.
- Supervised practice: plan a crop rotation
- Supervised practice: build a farm budget
- Supervised practice: scout a field
- Training modules 4–7: duties, step-by-step tasks, tools and safety
- 30-day check-in: confidence, questions and early wins
Days 31–60: contribute
Goal: handle a regular workload independently.
- Plan crop and livestock production: independently
- Manage planting, harvesting and animal care: independently
- Hire and supervise workers: independently
- Maintain equipment and facilities: independently
- Competency sign-offs completed (see checklist below)
- Training final knowledge check and certificate of completion
- 60-day check-in
Days 61–90: own
Goal: full productivity and a growth plan.
- Meet productivity and quality targets for the role
- Begin cross-training on a secondary task
- Agree on a credential goal (for example, Private pesticide applicator license)
- Discuss the career path: Farmworker → Crew Leader or Herdsman → Farm Manager
- 90-day review
Competency checklist
| Skill or task | Trained | Observed | Signed off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan a Crop Rotation | |||
| Build a Farm Budget | |||
| Scout a Field | |||
| Crop and livestock management | |||
| Farm equipment | |||
| Farm finance | |||
| Marketing and commodity pricing |
How to measure onboarding success
- Time to independent work
- Injuries and equipment damage
- Quality checks, client complaints or animal outcomes
- Seasonal return rate
How Farm Manager training maps to this plan
- Introduction to the Farm Manager Role
- A Day on the Job
- Essential Farm Manager Vocabulary
- Core Duties and Responsibilities
- Common Tasks, Step by Step
- Tools, Equipment and Technology
- Safety, Compliance and Professional Standards
- Skills Employers Look For
- Launching Your Farm Manager Career
- Final Knowledge Check