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Agriculture45-2091.00Specialization

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.

$39,690
Median Pay
Less than 6 months
Training
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AI-Augmented
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This is a specialization of

Agricultural Workers

Career Overview Video

AI Impact Assessment

AI Resilience Score

Score 4/6: low AI task exposure, growing job demand, limited human advantage means AI will assist but humans remain essential

🟡AI-Augmented

How we calculated this:

AI Exposure
Low+2

0% of tasks can be accelerated by AI

Job Growth
Growing+2

+8% projected (2024-2034)

Human Advantage
Weak+0

EPOCH score: 10/25

Total Score4/6
Methodology: v2.0 - GPTs are GPTs / BLS / EPOCH Additive ScoringUpdated: 2026-01-09
View full methodology →

Key Responsibilities

  • 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.

Education & Training

Typical Entry Education

Less than high school

Time to Job Ready

0-0.5 years

Based on Job Zone 1. For formal education duration only, see education_duration.

Technology Skills

GPS/precision agricultureEquipment monitoringMicrosoft OfficeFarm management software

Key Abilities

Control PrecisionMultilimb CoordinationNear VisionProblem SensitivityFar VisionDepth PerceptionOral ComprehensionArm-Hand SteadinessResponse OrientationRate Control

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Compensation Details

$30,050
10th Percentile
$39,690
Median
$54,550
90th Percentile

Based on 28,910 employed workers

Also Known As

Agricultural Equipment Operator (Ag Equipment Operator)Agricultural Equipment OperatorsAgricultural Farm Equipment OperatorAgricultural Plow OperatorAgriculture Equipment OperatorBalerBaler OperatorBean Picker Machine OperatorBerry Picker Machine OperatorBroomcorn Thresher

Data from O*NET 30.1 and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics

O*NET Code: 45-2091.00