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.
Related:
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, & Tenders, Metal & Plastic
Motion Picture Projectionists
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, & Tenders, Metal & Plastic
Pourers & Casters, Metal
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, & Brazers
Work Activities
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Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.
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Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.
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Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.
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Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.
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Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery.
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Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks.
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Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities.
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Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.
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Operate towed machines such as seed drills or manure spreaders to plant, fertilize, dust, and spray crops.
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Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions.
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Weigh crop-filled containers, and record weights and other identifying information.
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Walk beside or ride on planting machines while inserting plants in planter mechanisms at specified intervals.
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Drive trucks to haul crops, supplies, tools, or farm workers.
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Guide products on conveyors to regulate flow through machines, and to discard diseased or rotten products.
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Position boxes or attach bags at discharge ends of machinery to catch products, removing and closing full containers.
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Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps.
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Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools.
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Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
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Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
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Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
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Control Precision
The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
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Multilimb Coordination
The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
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Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
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English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
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Mechanical
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
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Public Safety and Security
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Education
No formal educational credential
- Work Experience
No work experience
- Training
1 to 12 months on-the-job training
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Looking for technical training programs?
Check out these programs:
Realistic:
People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
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Dependability
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Persistence
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Cooperation
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Attention to Detail
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Independence
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Initiative
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Seed drills
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Haymaking machinery
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Harvesters
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Fertilizer spreaders or distributors
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Container trailers
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Spreadsheet software
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Presentation software
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Map creation software
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Enterprise resource planning ERP software
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Data base user interface and query software
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Bright Outlook occupations will grow rapidly in the next few years, have a large number of openings, or are new and emerging careers.
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Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.
