Occupation · SOC 25-9021
Farm and Home Management Educators
Instruct and advise individuals and families engaged in agriculture, agricultural-related processes, or home management activities. Demonstrate procedures and apply research findings to advance agricultural and home management activities. May develop educational outreach programs. May instruct on either agricultural issues such as agricultural processes and techniques, pest management, and food safety, or on home management issues such as budgeting, nutrition, and child development.
Median wage
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Projected growth
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Annual openings
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per year
Employed (US)
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Job Zone 5
Typical preparation
Extensive preparation
Stackable credential programs
1,033 mapped
Core skills
Active ListeningSpeakingReading ComprehensionSocial PerceptivenessInstructingWritingJudgment and Decision MakingComplex Problem Solving
Knowledge areas
Education and TrainingEnglish LanguageFood ProductionCustomer and Personal ServiceBiology
Technology & tools
Web page creation and editing softwareGeographic information systemGraphics or photo imaging softwareMulti-media educational softwareEnterprise resource planning ERP software
Representative tasks
Advise farmers and demonstrate techniques in areas such as feeding and health maintenance of livestock, growing and harvesting practices, and financial planning.Conduct classes or deliver lectures on subjects such as nutrition, home management, and farming techniques.Collaborate with producers to diagnose and prevent management and production problems.Research information requested by farmers.Collect and evaluate data to determine community program needs.Act as an advocate for farmers or farmers' groups.Conduct field demonstrations of new products, techniques, or services.Maintain records of services provided and the effects of advice given.Prepare and distribute leaflets, pamphlets, and visual aids for educational and informational purposes.Organize, advise, and participate in community activities and organizations, such as county and state fair events and 4-H Clubs.Schedule and make regular visits to farmers.Conduct agricultural research, analyze data, and prepare research reports.Set and monitor production targets.Collaborate with social service and health care professionals to advise individuals and families on home management practices, such as budget planning, meal preparation, and time management.Provide direct assistance to farmers by performing activities such as purchasing or selling products and supplies, supervising properties, and collecting soil and herbage samples for testing.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Livestock feeding and health maintenance protocols — demonstrate foundational techniques to farmers under the guidance of a supervising extension educator in a rural county setting.Educational lectures on nutrition and home management — deliver structured presentations using prepared materials under the oversight of an experienced program coordinator.Community program data — collect field surveys and compile preliminary findings for supervisor review in support of regional needs assessments.Farmer research requests — locate and summarize relevant agricultural literature and extension publications under direction to support client advisory sessions.Field demonstration logistics — assist in organizing and setting up product and technique demonstrations at farm sites under the supervision of a senior educator.Spreadsheet software and office suite tools — use to maintain basic records of client contacts and services provided in a county extension office environment.Active listening skills — apply during initial farmer consultations to identify stated concerns and relay findings accurately to supervising educators.Presentation software and multimedia educational materials — prepare and adapt for use in classroom and workshop settings under guidance from program leadership.Farming technique instructional content — review and study current extension guidelines to build foundational knowledge prior to independent client interactions.Service records and outcome notes — maintain organized logs of advice delivered and follow-up actions required, following established record-keeping protocols in an extension program.
developing
Livestock production and health management practices — advise small and mid-sized farm operations with reduced oversight, drawing on current extension research and established diagnostic frameworks.Classroom instruction and workshop delivery — conduct sessions on topics including sustainable farming techniques, financial planning, and family resource management for diverse rural audiences.Management and production problem diagnosis — collaborate with producers to identify operational challenges and recommend evidence-based corrective strategies in routine field situations.Community needs assessment data — evaluate collected survey results and program participation metrics to recommend adjustments to extension program offerings for a county or district.New agricultural products and techniques — coordinate and lead field demonstrations on working farm sites, adapting presentation content to the technical background of attending producers.Farmer advocacy activities — represent producer interests in local advisory committee meetings and communicate constituent concerns to institutional and agency stakeholders.Geographic information system tools — use to map service areas, visualize agricultural trends, and support spatial analysis for program planning purposes.Written extension reports and briefs — compose clear, evidence-supported documents summarizing research findings and program outcomes for agency leadership and partner organizations.Electronic communication and web-based resources — use email, internet browsers, and web content tools to disseminate timely agricultural information to enrolled farm families.Critical thinking and inductive reasoning — apply when evaluating conflicting field data or emerging pest and disease reports to provide sound, context-appropriate guidance to producers.
proficient
Full-scope farm and home management advisory services — deliver autonomously across livestock, crop production, financial planning, and family resource domains to a diverse county or multi-county clientele.Complex agricultural production problems — diagnose and resolve non-routine management challenges by synthesizing biological, economic, and systems analysis knowledge in real farm environments.Regional community program curriculum — design, implement, and evaluate comprehensive education programs using adult learning strategies tailored to the knowledge levels of agricultural and rural audiences.Applied agricultural research — conduct or coordinate field-based investigations, interpret results, and translate findings into practical recommendations disseminated through extension publications and demonstrations.Systems evaluation of farm operations — assess the interdependencies among production, financial, and environmental factors to provide integrated, long-range management recommendations to producer clients.Farmer advocacy at agency and legislative levels — articulate producer needs persuasively to policymakers, funding bodies, and state extension leadership using data-driven position statements.Multi-media and ERP software platforms — employ advanced tools to design interactive educational modules and track program outcomes across large, geographically dispersed participant populations.Cross-sector collaboration — coordinate with university researchers, government agencies, and agribusiness partners to align extension programming with emerging industry priorities and research developments.Program impact data — collect, analyze, and report outcome metrics demonstrating measurable changes in farm productivity, financial health, or household well-being attributable to extension services.Originality in instructional design — develop novel workshop formats, demonstration approaches, and digital learning experiences that address underserved topics in farm and home management education.
advanced
Statewide or regional extension education strategy — set programmatic direction and establish multi-year priorities for farm and home management education aligned with state land-grant and agency missions.Emerging agricultural and rural challenges — lead institutional response efforts by convening interdisciplinary teams and deploying evidence-based programs at organizational scale during crises such as disease outbreaks or economic downturns.Professional development of extension educator staff — mentor, coach, and evaluate a team of county and district educators, cultivating competency in instructional delivery, community engagement, and research translation.Organizational systems for data and accountability — design and implement enterprise-level record-keeping, impact reporting, and program evaluation frameworks adopted across an entire extension system.Farmer and rural community advocacy — represent extension constituents before state and federal legislative bodies, shaping policy that affects agricultural support, rural development funding, and land-use regulations.Institutional partnerships and grant development — negotiate and steward high-value collaborations with USDA, foundations, and private industry to secure funding and co-design large-scale programming initiatives.Extension knowledge management infrastructure — lead the creation and governance of digital resource repositories, web portals, and multimedia educational content libraries serving statewide practitioner and producer audiences.Cross-disciplinary systems analysis — synthesize insights from food production science, public health, environmental sustainability, and economics to lead the development of integrated rural community programs.Scholarly and applied research leadership — direct extension research agendas, oversee publication of peer-reviewed and practitioner literature, and establish the organization as a recognized knowledge authority in agricultural education.Organizational culture and integrity standards — model and institutionalize values of dependability, social equity, and service orientation, establishing conduct expectations and accountability structures across extension program divisions.
Also known as
70 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Home AdvisorCooperative Extension AgentFamily and Consumer Sciences Educator (FACS Educator)Agriculture ConsultantYouth Development AgentMarine Corps Community Services Marine (Marine Corps 4133)Agricultural AgentFarm Services ConsultantTechnology Education Teacher (Tech Ed Teacher)Extension Agricultural AgentFuture Farmers of America Advisor (FFA Advisor)Youth Development ProfessionalAgriculture Extension AgentAgricultural Extension AgentHome EconomistCooking InstructorFarm ConsultantExtension OfficerFarm Services AdvisorExtension Service SpecialistCounty Home-Demonstration AgentFarm DemonstratorHome Economics Extension WorkerUSMA, Professor of Geography and Environmental Engineering (Army 47P)Farm Management SpecialistExtension WorkerSmart Home ExpertCounty Home Demonstrator4-H Club AgentFarm AgentExtension AgentCommunity EducatorHome Improvement AdvisorFour-H Club AgentFarm Management AdvisorFeed Management Advisor4-H Youth Development EducatorFeed and Farm Management AdviserExtension SpecialistFeed Advisor