Agricultural workers need physical strength and stamina to keep up with their tasks, but they also need technical skills and strong teamwork. These workers maintain crops and tend to livestock, under the supervision of farmers and ranchers. Although some agricultural workers do all types of work around a farm, many focus on a few tasks. Agricultural equipment operators use tractors, combines, conveyor belts, and other farm equipment to plow and sow seeds, then maintain and harvest crops. They also perform minor repairs on the equipment. Crop, nursery, and greenhouse farmworkers and laborers grow fruit, nuts, trees, flowers, and other crops through every phase from planting and pruning, to harvesting and loading for shipment. Farm and ranch animal farmworkers feed and care for animals, including cattle, pigs, goats, fish, and bees. They monitor their health, clean shelters, and administer medications or insecticides. Animal breeders select and breed animals to produce offspring with desired characteristics, such as chickens that lay more eggs. Some raise cats, dogs, and other pets. Many agricultural workers have seasonal schedules, with longer hours during planting or harvesting times. The work is nearly all outdoors in all kinds of weather, and involves lifting, crouching, and carrying heavy tools. Risks include exposure to pesticides, and injury from farm machinery or farm animals. Typically, specific education is not required, and on-the-job training is provided. Animal breeders need a high school diploma or equivalent, and must be licensed in some states. A valid driver’s license is required for some jobs.
What they do:
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.
On the job, you would:
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.
Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
food production
Math and Science
biology
Basic Skills
talking to others
People and Technology Systems
figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
Hand and Finger Use
keep your arm or hand steady
hold or move items with your hands
Physical Strength
use your lower back and stomach
lift, push, pull, or carry
Endurance
exercise for a long time without getting out of breath
Controlled Movement
quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat
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
Dependability
Cooperation
Integrity
Adaptability/Flexibility
Initiative
You might use software like this on the job:
Spreadsheet software
Microsoft Excel
Data base user interface and query software
BCL Landview Systems WinCrop
Farm Works Software Trac
Electronic mail software
IBM Lotus Notes
no high school diploma/GED or high school diploma/GED usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
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