Agricultural Workers

How to become an Agricultural Equipment Operator

Official title: Agricultural Equipment Operators

Also called: Baler Operator, Cutter Operator, Equipment Operator, Farm Equipment Operator, Hay Baler, Loader Operator, Packing Tractor Machine Operator, Rake Operator, Sprayer, Windrower Operator

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.

Main 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.

How to become one

Most agricultural workers do not need a formal educational credential to enter these occupations; however, animal breeders typically need a high school diploma. Agricultural workers typically receive on-the-job training.

Typical education to start: No formal educational credential

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Farm Worker, General I.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $41,730 a year The middle half earn $36,810 to $48,100.
About 66,900 people work in this job now, and about 72,600 are projected by 2035. (+8.6%)
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Questions people ask

How do I become an Agricultural Equipment Operator?

How much does an Agricultural Equipment Operator earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $41,730 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $36,810 to $48,100.

Is an Agricultural Equipment Operator a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 9% by 2035, from about 66,900 to about 72,600 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become an Agricultural Equipment Operator?

Usually not. Only 9% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Farm Worker, General I.

Will AI change the work of an Agricultural Equipment Operator?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.