Agricultural Equipment Operators
Also called: Equipment Operator, Farm Hand, Farm Laborer, Tractor Operator
What they do:
Drive and control farm equipment to till soil and to plant, cultivate, and harvest crops. 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:
- Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions.
- Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.
- Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps.
Knowledge
Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
- food production
Business
- human resources (HR)
- management
Math and Science
- chemistry
Arts and Humanities
- English language
Skills
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
Abilities
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
- hold or move items with your hands
- keep your arm or hand steady
Personality
People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
- Attention to Detail
- Analytical Thinking
- Self Control
- Independence
- Stress Tolerance
- Initiative
Technology
You might use software like this on the job:
Enterprise resource planning ERP software 
- Farm Management Software Hay and Crop Manager
Data base user interface and query software
- Martens Farms Farm Trac
Map creation software
- Martens Farms Farm Site Mate
Education
high school diploma/GED or
no high school diploma/GED
usually needed
no high school diploma/GED
usually needed
Examples of Registered Apprenticeship programs include:
- Farmworker, General I
Job Outlook
New job opportunities are likely in the future.
$30,110
$20,250
$44,620
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