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Agricultural Equipment Operators

Also called: Equipment Operator, Farm Equipment Operator, Loader Operator, Rake Operator

What they do:

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.

On the job, you would:
  • 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.
On the job, you'll need:

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Engineering and Technology

  • mechanical

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Controlled Movement

  • quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat
  • use your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down

Hand and Finger Use

  • keep your arm or hand steady
  • hold or move items with your hands

Realistic

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

  • Dependability
  • Persistence
  • Cooperation
  • Attention to Detail
  • Independence
  • Initiative

Data base user interface and query software

  • Martens Farms Farm Trac
  • Microsoft Access

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Spreadsheet software

  • Microsoft Excel

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Bright.

New job opportunities are very likely in the future. This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Median Annual Salary: $37,780

Education

No high school diploma/GED or high school diploma/GED is usually needed.

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