This theme investigates the future of farm management including the impacts of technology, serving an ever-evolving Extension audience, training new Extension economists, and managing the system through Extension administration.

We discuss the characteristics of current and future farm management extension clientele and the increasing relevance of private–public collaborations in the fulfillment of the land grant mission. If private–public collaborations fail to prosper, the land grant system will lose relevance for future extension clientele.

This paper discussed emerging technologies and their impact on farm management by describing upcoming technological developments, the importance of technological change to productivity and financial performance, and farm management in a rapidly changing environment. Emerging technologies are an important ingredient in improvements to efficiency and productivity, but will create challenges.

We look at the changing faces of Extension farm management specialists and recognize that many do not come from agricultural backgrounds. How effectively we recruit professionals for Extension will depend on our willingness to work with a pool of nontraditional candidates such as women, minorities, and international students.

The article describes the role of Extension specialists in the future and how they will deliver their educational materials using technology and strategy. The article also discusses future farm management economists and how administrators can actively recruit, incentivize, and support Extension faculty in their execution of the Land Grant mission.