extension.missouri.edu g420
Designing a Farm Resume for Print and Online
I
n the past few decades, agriculture has experienced
enormous change. e 2017 Census of Agriculture
shows a decrease in the number of farms and a slight
increase in average farm size. At the same time, the
average age of all U.S. farm producers has continued to
rise. As farmland transitions and operations grow and
evolve, competition for rental acreage increases.
Producers who want to rent land must promote
themselves and their management abilities to
dierentiate themselves from the competition. In
many cases, they must also educate landowners about
agriculture. More farmland is now owned either by
landowners who are multiple generations removed from
the farm or by investors. ese individuals often don’t
live near the farm operation, and they may lack on-farm
experience of their own.
Communication with a landowner is an important
factor in gaining the right to farm the landowner’s
ground, and a farm resume is one tool you can use to
introduce yourself to landowners. A farm resume is
much like a resume for employment in that it highlights
your qualications to do a job. A farm resume can help
tenants to creatively promote their skills, education and
experiences. When a lease takes shape as a crop-share
or exible cash rent agreement, a landowner will likely
have particular interest in the tenant’s skills because the
tenant’s performance aects the landowner’s income
potential.
is publication outlines ways for you to communicate
your qualications as a producer and a prospective tenant
farmer. Sharing your story can be accomplished through
distributing a traditional paper resume or using social
media such as LinkedIn.
Developing resume content
A printed or online resume should concisely
convey a summary of your skills, experiences and
accomplishments. Remember, you are promoting
yourself, and you want readers to get an idea of who you
are and why they should choose you. e resume should
include the following elements:
Biographical background
Provide some background information about yourself
such as how and when you became involved in farming,
where you live and how many acres you farm already.
Be sure to include information about your spouse and
other family members. If you employ on-farm workers or
partner with other farmers, then briey summarize the
team that works with you.
Education
Include your formal education, such as degrees
completed, certicates held, and continuing education
experiences. List any seminars, conferences or
workshops that you attend regularly.
Leadership
Add examples of your community, state or national
leadership activities. is would include participation in
boards, cooperatives, state commissions or committees.
Skills and experiences
Provide information about your skill set and farming
experiences. Include use and knowledge of technology
(e.g., GPS, autosteer, yield mapping/monitoring, apps).
Add any work you do with custom-farming, crop,
livestock or value-added enterprises. List licenses or
advanced training certications you have received. Share
examples of the major types of equipment that you use.
Make note of those pieces of equipment that improve
production eciency or protect the environment, such as
tracked tractors for reduced soil compaction.
When you can, quantify your farm accomplishments
to add detail to your resume. If you maintain a farm
website, blog or social media page, then consider
providing links to those pages, so landowners can review
them and get to know you and your operation better.
See MU Extension publication G419, Communicating
with Landowners, for more information about using
communication tools to reach and inform landowners.
Revised by
Karisha Devlin, Field Specialist, Agricultural Business and Policy Extension
Alice Roach, Senior Research Associate, Applied Social Sciences
Jill Moreland, Program Director, Agricultural and Applied Economics
page 2g420 University of Missouri Extension
References
You should be able, if asked, to give references.
One-liners from landowners who know your work may
be included in your resume. If you utilize LinkedIn,
then request references to write and post comments
about your experience in your prole’s recommendations
section.
Include nancial institutions where you handle the
majority of the banking for your farm business, and you
could consider your insurance agent as another reference
contact. You should always obtain permission from all
references.
Photograph
If possible, then provide a photo of yourself. On
LinkedIn, you should upload a prole picture to your
account. When choosing a photo, be conscious of what
you are wearing, your facial expression and backgrounds.
You may want to provide photos of your home operation
to show the landowner the pride and care you take
in your work. Be sure to pick photos that depict your
operation and yourself in a positive light.
Putting it in print
e purpose of your farm resume is to summarize
and give a good impression of your qualications as a
prospective tenant. As a rule, consider these tips for a
printed resume.
• Limit the resume to one page.
• Use a font that is easy to read on white or o-white
resume paper.
• Avoid cluttered pages by using appropriate margins
(suggested 1-inch margins all around) and adding
extra spacing before subheadings.
• Proofread your work — more than once — or ask
someone to review it for you.
• Update your resume as your farming operation
changes.
• See the sample farm resume (Figure 1).
Publishing an online prole
A LinkedIn prole may serve as an online resume
where prospective tenant farmers can share information
that a landowner might consider when selecting a farm
lessee. When creating a LinkedIn prole, note these best
practices:
• Write a headline that uses keywords to highlight
your value proposition.
• Develop a summary or “about” statement that
shares your farming philosophy, expertise, successes
and interests.
• Upload visuals such as photos or videos to share
more about you and your operation, and provide
links to a farm website or blog if you maintain and
regularly update one.
• Complete your prole’s experience, education and
skills sections, and make note of awards, honors and
organizational involvement.
• Keep your contact information current.
• Don’t stop at creating the prole, but continue
engaging by posting updates and liking, sharing and
adding comments to others’ posts and connecting
with new contacts to build your network.
• Be authentic and professional in your interactions.
• See the sample LinkedIn prole (Figure 2).
Original author: Joe Parcell, Agricultural and Applied Economics
page 3g420 University of Missouri Extension
JOE SMITH
Corn and soybean farm operator
PROFILE
I am a mid-Missouri corn and soybean
producer with more than 20 years of
experience. I currently work alongside
my spouse, who manages financial
records for the farm and teaches
elementary school students in
Hallsville, Missouri.
On 1,000 acres, I practice no-till
planting to reduce soil erosion and
have adopted new technologies,
such as cover crops, grid soil sampling
and variable-rate applications, to
efficiently use and conserve resources.
In the next five years, I intend to
increase total crop acreage under
production while maintaining a
commitment to economically sound
and environmentally conscious
agricultural production.
CONTACT
PHONE:
(555) 622-9999
ADDRESS:
100 Top Farmer Lane
Columbia, Missouri 65211
EMAIL:
TWITTER:
@JoeSmithFarmMidMo
LINKEDIN:
@Joe Smith
SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
20 years of experience farming cropland in Boone County
Grow corn and soybeans on 600 owned acres and 400 rented acres
Average yields of 125 bu./acre for corn and 45 bu. /acre for soybeans
Certified Missouri chemical applicator
Certified crop adjustor
Training in optimal waterway construction
Machinery
John Deere tracked tractor
No-till drill
John Deere combine
EDUCATION
University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
BS, Agricultural Economics, 1998
Completed Grow Your Farm program through MU Extension
Achieved proficiency in networking and financial skills and gained
knowledge on legal issues relevant to crop production and farming
Attend approximately five continuing education workshops annually
Examples include Mid-MO Soil Health Seminar, Mizzou Integrated Pest
Management Field Day and Abner Womack Missouri Agriculture
Outlook Conference
LEADERSHIP & ACTIVITIES
Soil Conservation Committee Member
Two years of service
Public Water Supply District Board Member
Missouri Farm Bureau Member
REFERENCES
References available upon request
Figure 1. Sample farm resume.
page 4g420 New 5/99; Revised 8/20page 4
For any even-numbered
publication, use this lefthand back
page as the last page.
If the publication is going to
be printed, it must have an even
number of pages.
Figure 2. Sample LinkedIn prole.
