Occupation: Agricultural Equipment Operators|Skills.Boutique

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: Ag Equipment Operator, Agricultural Equipment Operator, Agricultural Equipment Operators, Agricultural Farm Equipment Operator, Agricultural Plow Operator, Agriculture Equipment Operator, Baler, Baler Operator +93 more

Video

45-2091.00 - Agricultural Equipment Operators

Core Tasks

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.
Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools.

Supplemental Tasks (9)

Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks.
Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities.
Operate towed machines such as seed drills or manure spreaders to plant, fertilize, dust, and spray crops.
Weigh crop-filled containers, and record weights and other identifying information.
Walk beside or ride on planting machines while inserting plants in planter mechanisms at specified intervals.
Drive trucks to haul crops, supplies, tools, or farm workers.
Guide products on conveyors to regulate flow through machines, and to discard diseased or rotten products.
Position boxes or attach bags at discharge ends of machinery to catch products, removing and closing full containers.
Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps.

Education & Training

Job Zone 1 Job Zone One: Little or No Preparation Needed

Education: Some of these occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate.

Experience: Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a waiter or waitress even if he/she has never worked before.

On-the-Job Training: Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

Less than a High School Diploma

57%

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

19%

Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)

14%

Some College Courses

10%

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

Software (6)

Tools & Equipment (188)

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Agricultural Technology & Automation Agriculture

Zone 1

Agricultural Equipment Operators You are here

Zone 2

Farm Labor Contractors 74% match

Zone 3

Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians 75% match

Zone 4

Agricultural Engineers 73% match

Resume Builder

Select key tasks to generate action-oriented resume bullets for Agricultural Equipment Operators positions.

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. Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools.

Related Occupations

Show all 20 related occupations

Real Talk

Hear from real Agricultural Equipment Operatorss about their work:

Reddit Day-in-the-life discussions Reddit Salary discussions YouTube Video day-in-the-life Glassdoor Reviews & salaries