Career Overview
Drive and control equipment to support agricultural activities such as tilling soil; planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops; feeding and herding livestock; or removing animal waste. May perform tasks such as crop baling or hay bucking. May operate stationary equipment to perform post-harvest tasks such as husking, shelling, threshing, and ginning.
Also Known As
- Equipment Operator
- Farm Equipment Operator
- Loader Operator
- Rake Operator
Alternate Job Titles
- Agricultural Equipment Operator (Ag Equipment Operator)
- Agricultural Equipment Operators
- Agricultural Farm Equipment Operator
- Agricultural Plow Operator
- Agriculture Equipment Operator
- Baler
- Baler Operator
- Bean Picker Machine Operator
- Berry Picker Machine Operator
- Broomcorn Thresher
- Cane Cutter Machine Operator
- Cane Flume Chute Operator
- Cane Flume Feeding Machine Operator
- Cane Piler
- Chopper Operator
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.
- Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.
- Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.
- Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.
- Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery.
- Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.
- Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions.
Emerging Responsibilities
As this field evolves, you may also:
- Operate drones to monitor crop health, growth and pest infestations, and apply targeted treatments.
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Operation and Control
- Operations Monitoring
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Multilimb Coordination
- Control Precision
- Near Vision
- Depth Perception
- Far Vision
- Problem Sensitivity
- Oral Comprehension
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Reaction Time
- Rate Control
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cautiousness
- Perseverance
- Stress Tolerance
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Independence
- Achievement
- Relationships
- Working Conditions
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 Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
Tools & Equipment
- 2-point sprayers
- 3-point sprayers
- Air carts
- Air drill seeders
- Air reels
- Air seeders
- All terrain vehicle ATV discs
- All terrain vehicle ATV harrows
- All terrain vehicle ATV manure spreaders
- All terrain vehicle ATV plows
- All terrain vehicle ATV post hole diggers
- All terrain vehicle ATV rakes
- All terrain vehicle ATV seeders
- All terrain vehicle ATV sprayers
- All terrain vehicles ATV
Work Environment
- Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment
- Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $31,240 |
| Median | $42,580 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $57,790 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 30,940
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
Education: Less than a High School Diploma
Median Salary: $35,690
Machine Feeders and Offbearers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $39,700
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $49,500
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $45,130
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $48,310
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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.