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Agricultural Equipment Operators
Agricultural Equipment Operators 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.
Table of Contents
Job description
Agricultural Equipment Operators 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.
- 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.
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Salary
Agricultural Equipment Operators with little to no experience tend to make between $20890 and $25510 while the more experienced ones can earn over $38100 per year.
| Top 5 paying states | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| ND | $19 | $39,760 |
| MI | $19 | $39,640 |
| NE | $19 | $39,020 |
| SD | $19 | $38,780 |
| NY | $18 | $37,430 |
One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as an Agricultural Equipment Operator is to move to a higher paying state like ND. Right now, the highest paying states for Agricultural Equipment Operators are ND, MI, NE, SD and NY.
However, a higher pay at ND doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at ND might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.
Three other factors that can increase your salary as an Agricultural Equipment Operator is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.
Requirements
We asked other Agricultural Equipment Operators what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had less than a High School Diploma followed by a High School Diploma.
Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.
| Agricultural Power Machinery Operation |
Pros and Cons
Here are some of the pros and cons of being an Agricultural Equipment Operator.
| PROS |
|---|
| Suitable for people who likes practical and hands-on work |
| Suitable for people who wants to work in a supportive work environment |
| This career is perfect for people who love to work outdoors. |
| It is easy to get into this career. Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career. |
| CONS |
|---|
| Not suitable for people who likes to help and teach others |
| One of the lowest paying jobs |
| Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week) |
What is the job like
62% of Agricultural Equipment Operators said they were satisfied with their job and 57% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.
Is this right for me
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..
They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.
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Related career information
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