A sample of 145 people representing eighty farm operations and a statewide sample of 233 agricultural and agribusiness workers participated in a study to identify competencies, their importance (on a one to five rating scale), and the performance level required of a beginning farm operator in each of the following five cluster areas considered important to the agricultural economy of southwest Wisconsin: agricultural mechanics, farm business management, dairy production, livestock production, and crop production. It was anticipated that results would be useful in setting curriculum priorities in vocational agriculture programs. A survey instrument using a Likert-type scale was administered to participants to obtain a mean value for each duty and task in each of the five clusters. The survey instrument was then modified and re-administered to determine performance levels. Each duty area and its separate tasks were rated based on the amount of outside assistance needed to complete duties and tasks. Results showed that a majority of the duties and tasks listed are of high or extreme importance for survival and growth as a farm operator and that a farm operator must rely on his/her own skills and expertise, acting for the most part, independently of outside assistance. (The major portion of this report consists of the rated duties (seventy-nine) and tasks for the beginning farm operator, grouped according to cluster. Recommendations for the farm operator technician curriculum are included.) (SH)