Occupation: Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities.

45-2092.00 | 26 tasks | 10 job titles

Reported Job Titles

(10)
  • Farm Laborer
  • Farmer
  • Field Irrigation Worker
  • Gardener
  • Greenhouse Worker
  • Grower
  • Harvester
  • Nursery Worker
  • Orchard Worker
  • Picker

Core Tasks

(12)
  • Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs.
  • Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting.
  • Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.
  • Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.
  • Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment.
  • Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand.
  • Set up and operate irrigation equipment.
  • Inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress.
  • Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers.
  • Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to plow, harrow and fertilize soil, or to plant, cultivate, spray and harvest crops.
  • Load agricultural products into trucks, and drive trucks to market or storage facilities.
  • Clean work areas, and maintain grounds and landscaping.

Supplemental Tasks

(14)
  • Sell and deliver plants and flowers to customers.
  • Regulate greenhouse conditions, and indoor and outdoor irrigation systems.
  • Feel plants' leaves and note their coloring to detect the presence of insects or disease.
  • Provide information and advice to the public regarding the selection, purchase, and care of products.
  • Maintain and repair irrigation and climate control systems.
  • Dig, cut, and transplant seedlings, cuttings, trees, and shrubs.
  • Record information about plants and plant growth.
  • Maintain inventory, ordering materials as required.
  • Dig, rake, and screen soil, filling cold frames and hot beds in preparation for planting.
  • Inspect plants and bud ties to assess quality.
  • Move containerized shrubs, plants, and trees, using wheelbarrows or tractors.
  • Tie and bunch flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees, wrap their roots, and pack them into boxes to fill orders.
  • Haul and spread topsoil, fertilizer, peat moss, and other materials to condition soil, using wheelbarrows or carts and shovels.
  • Repair farm buildings, fences, and other structures.