Career Overview
Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.
Also Known As
- Apple Sorter
- Grader
- Potato Grader
- Sorter
Alternate Job Titles
- Agricultural Establishment Grader Inspector
- Agricultural Produce Sorter
- Agriculture Laborer
- Apple Sorter
- Apple Turner
- Asparagus Buncher
- Banana Expert
- Banana Grader
- Bean Sorter
- Bulb Grader
- Butter Grader
- Camelid Fiber Sorter
- Carrot Buncher
- Carrot Tier
- Casing Grader
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Place products in containers according to grade and mark grades on containers.
- Weigh products or estimate their weight, visually or by feel.
- Discard inferior or defective products or foreign matter, and place acceptable products in containers for further processing.
- Grade and sort products according to factors such as color, species, length, width, appearance, feel, smell, and quality to ensure correct processing and usage.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Production and Processing
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Near Vision
- Manual Dexterity
- Category Flexibility
- Oral Comprehension
- Finger Dexterity
- Oral Expression
- Speech Recognition
- Trunk Strength
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Speech Clarity
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Stress Tolerance
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Working Conditions
- Relationships
- Independence
- Achievement
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Less than a High School Diploma
On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- 12-inch aluminum Kemper calipers
- 6-inch plastic calipers
- Apple corers
- Belt conveyors
- Binocular light compound microscopes
- Cherry sizers
- Color sorters
- Crate openers
- Cross belt sorters
- Deformation testers
- Diameter sorting machines
- Digital calipers
- Digital cameras
- Digital refractometers
- Digital surface thermometers
Work Environment
- Spend Time Standing
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
- Physical Proximity
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $30,490 |
| Median | $35,430 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $43,280 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 26,870
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Packers and Packagers, Hand
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $35,580
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
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Median Salary: $42,730
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
Education: Less than a High School Diploma
Median Salary: $37,700
Food Batchmakers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $40,790
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $40,900
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.