How to craft a professional cover letter as a farmer
Properly operating a farm involves many moving parts, requiring professional farmers to have diverse skill sets to be adequately qualified for the job. To earn a position as a farmer, you will need a cover letter that details your best professional attributes in the field of farming.
In this guide, we will teach you the 5 key steps for writing a cover letter as a farmer. Keep reading to learn how to:
- Create your farmer cover letter header & headline
- Personalize the content & greeting of your farmer cover letter
- Write an eye-catching introduction on your farmer cover letter
- Highlight your best skills & accomplishments as a farmer
- Conclude your cover letter with an enthusiastic closing statement
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1. Create an effective farmer cover letter header & headline
As you begin the task of writing your farmer cover letter, the first key step is to give your letter a sense of structure and organization. You can achieve this by creating a cover letter header and headline.
Starting with your cover letter header, this element should include all the need-to-know information about you (the applicant) and the company (the employer). This information includes:
- Your name and professional title
- The name of the company & department you are applying to
- Your professional contact information
- The company’s address
Here is an example of a well-formatted farmer header
John Doe, Pig Farmer
(123) 456-7890 | johndoe@email.com | linkedin.com/in/john-doe
To: Hanson Farms, Inc., Livestock Farming Department
1234 Street Address
Chattanooga, TN 37405
Moving on to your cover letter headline, this element is used to hook the employer’s attention – similar to how a new article title is used by journalists. While this element is optional, we highly recommend including it, as it helps to achieve a strong first impression when well-written.
Writing a headline requires the use of a keyword related to the position, an eye-catching number or trigger word, a powerful adjective or verb, and a promise.
Here is an example of an effective farmer headline, followed by a breakdown of its core components
My 3-Step Approach to Sustainable Farming & How I Can Apply it at Your Company
Trigger Word/Number: 3-Step Approach
Keyword: Farming
Adjective/Verb: Sustainable, Apply
Promise: Your Company – this detail insinuates to the employers that your cover letter is tailored specifically for their company’s open position.
2. Personalize the content & greeting of your farmer cover letter
For employers, reading countless cover letters can become monotonous when they all use the same generic language and greetings.
To make your cover letter more compelling, you should personalize the content and greeting of your letter. This is achieved through completing thorough research on the company, looking for specific information such as:
- The name of the exact person at the company who will review your cover letter. This will later be used to create a personalized greeting – a type of greeting that addresses a specific person by name
- The goals and values of the company
- Any projects the company is currently involved in
With this information in your tool belt, you can show the employer you have excellent attention to detail, as well as highlighting the fact that you have taken the time and effort to research the company beforehand.
Hear are 3 examples of personalized cover letter greetings
- Dear Farm Manager Jane Smith,
- Dear Ms. Jane Smith,
- Dear Jane Smith & the Farm Management Team,
Pro Tip: Whenever you use an honorific (Mr., Ms., Mrs., etc.), double-check that you are using the correct one for the person you are addressing. If you are unsure of their honorific, either research more thoroughly or omit it.
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3. Write an eye-catching introduction on your farmer cover letter
After you have completed the due diligence needed to personalize your cover letter, the next key step is to write your introduction. To make this introduction eye-catching and engaging for the employer, include:
- A brief overview of your professional history
- A statement on why you are enthusiastic about applying to this company
- A mutual acquaintance (when possible)
Pro Tip: Including a mutual acquaintance is great for building professional credibility and providing a trustworthy reference for the employer. However, even if you do not have any mutual acquaintances, all is not lost – you can use platforms like LinkedIn to expand your professional network and connect with employees at the companies you are most interested in.
Here is an example of a strong introduction from a farmer's cover letter
Dear Ms. Jane Smith,
I am a produce farmer with more than 5 years of experience caring for crops and managing both open-air fields and greenhouse environments. At a recent Organic Farmers Association meeting, I had the pleasure of meeting your head farm manager, Jack King, who encouraged me to apply for this opening. With your farm’s focus on sustainable agriculture, I believe my skills and experience make me the perfect fit for the position.
4. Highlight your best skills & accomplishments as a farmer
Following your introduction come the body paragraphs of your cover letter. These body paragraphs are where you will provide greater insight into your relevant qualifications for the position.
Most effective farmer cover letter will contain between 2 to 4 body paragraphs that include detailed – yet still concise – explanations of what skills and accomplishments you possess and how you can apply this expertise and experience in this new job.
Make sure to always use specific and quantifiable details when writing about your skills and accomplishments. Remember – the information you include here is not only building the employer’s impression of you but also informing them of the real-life value you have to offer.
Here are 6 skills that are great to include in a farmer's cover letter
- Crop maintenance & management (fertilizing, irrigation, etc.)
- Livestock care
- Farm equipment operation
- Creating production plans
- Drafting rotation plans
- Leadership
Here is an example of how to effectively describe an accomplishment in a cover letter
As an assistant farm manager for [Former Employer], I worked with the farm owner to develop a new annual rotation plan that resulted in 15% more crop yield. Additionally, I implemented a new equipment maintenance routine that cut spending on equipment repairs by 25%.
5. Conclude your farmer cover letter with an enthusiastic closing statement
It is always important to give your farmer cover letter a strong closing statement that encourages employers to contact you. This closing statement can include:
- An enthusiastic sentence saying you are looking forward to hearing from them
- An additional sentence stating you will follow up, including how you will contact them or how they can contact you
- A formal sign-off
Here is an example of a well-written closing statement from a farmer’s cover letter
I am greatly excited by this position and believe my farming skills and qualifications make me the perfect candidate for the job. As I am eager to hear from you, I hope to get in touch within the next week and will reach back out next Friday if I have not heard back. You may reach me any weekday between the hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at (123) 456-7890.
Sincerely,
[Applicant Name]
If you have ever wondered how a cover letter differs from a resume, this article will tell you everything about the key differences between the two.
