Agricultural Careers By: Dr. Frank Flanders and Anna Burgess Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office Georgia Department of Education June 2005 START Nursery Manager

Job Duties & Responsibilities Monitor and schedule the production and shipment of plants. Specialize in the production of plants raised in greenhouses. Oversee the breeding of new plants from seeds, cuttings, grafting, or tissue samples. Run retail nurseries Calculate the cost of inventory Supervise the assembling, packing, and shipping of orders. Growers and mangers may specialize in a particular type of plant. Some growers and managers may specialize in their field even further, cultivating only one species of plant or flower.

Qualities and Skills Nursery managers should have an interest in horticulture and enjoy growing and working with plants and flowers. They should have good leadership and management skills for supervisory positions. They will also need excellent communication skills for working with clients, customers, and teams of nursery workers. Nursery Managers should also have good business and computer skills.

Salary Nursery managers generally earn salaries in the $30,000-40,000 range. Head growers and general managers in large, urban, top- notch nurseries can earn as much as $70,000 annually.

Work Environment Fields Plant nurseries Greenhouses Nursery offices Working with tools and large equipment Bending, carrying, and stooping Be able to withstand a variety of weather conditions Physical Requirements

Education Employers usually look for growers and managers with an associate's degree in horticulture, agriculture, or plant science. However, some large nurseries only hire managers and growers with a bachelor's degree. Managers and growers may be able to begin their careers with a high school diploma at an entry-level position as a nursery worker. They train on the job and, after many years of experience, an employer promotes them to the position of manager or grower.

Career Resources Grow it.com Internet: Jobs in Horticulture Internet: American Horticultural Society Internet: Southern Nursery Association Internet: American Society for Horticultural Science Internet: American Nursery and Landscape Association Internet: