Occupations/45-2091.00
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.
Usually a high school diploma, plus some experience or short training.
AI automation risk
46%
Mixed exposure
Human characteristics
24%
Fewer uniquely human demands
Task orientation
29%
More resilient
A day in this job
- Mostly routine
Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.
- Task
Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.
- Task
Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.
The tasks we can read here lean routine. That sits next to the AI risk rank — it is not a forecast that the job disappears.
Core tasks
- 01Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.
- 02Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.
- 03Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.
- 04Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.
- 05Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery.
- 06Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.
Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)
- Repeating same tasks2.41
- Degree of automation2.04
- Time sitting3.12
- Originality (ability)2.12
- Conflict situations2.20
- Hands-on objects/tools3.41
- Outdoors / weather4.30
- Disease exposure1.16
- Decision freedom3.18
Top abilities
- Multilimb Coordination3.88
- Control Precision3.88
- Near Vision3.62
- Problem Sensitivity3.38
- Far Vision3.38
- Depth Perception3.38
- Response Orientation3.25
- Reaction Time3.25
Essential skills
- Reading Comprehension2.25
- Active Listening3.00
- Writing2.12
- Speaking2.75
- Mathematics1.88
- Science1.62
- Critical Thinking2.88
- Active Learning2.25
- Learning Strategies1.75
- Monitoring2.75
CIP matches
Schools offering related programs
12 of 14 shown
Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.
| Institution | Program | Tuition | Admit | Grad 6-yr | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX · Public | Agricultural Power Machinery Operation 01.0204 | $13,200 | 63% | 83% | 1 yr $63,005 2 yr $61,516 Bachelor's · CIP 01.02 |
University of Iowa Iowa City, IA · Public | Agricultural Power Machinery Operation 01.0204 | $10,700 | 86% | 79% | 1 yr $55,286 2 yr $55,693 Bachelor's · CIP 01.02 |
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA · Public | Agricultural Power Machinery Operation 01.0204 | $19,600 | 55% | 86% | 1 yr $52,107 2 yr — Bachelor's · CIP 01.02 |
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public | Agricultural Power Machinery Operation 01.0204 | $10,000 | 53% | 83% | 1 yr $51,794 2 yr $48,041 Bachelor's · CIP 01.02 |
South Dakota State University Brookings, SD · Public | Agricultural Power Machinery Operation 01.0204 | $9,600 | 99% | 66% | 1 yr $50,231 2 yr $47,520 Bachelor's · CIP 01.02 |
University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND · Public | Agricultural Power Machinery Operation 01.0204 | $10,800 | 83% | 66% | 1 yr $47,260 2 yr $52,107 Bachelor's · CIP 01.02 |
North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC · Public | Agricultural Power Machinery Operation 01.0204 | $9,200 | 47% | 84% | 1 yr $42,309 2 yr $41,007 Bachelor's · CIP 01.02 |
Ridgewater College Willmar, MN · Public | Agricultural Power Machinery Operation 01.0204 | $6,100 | 100% | 36% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Not reported |
Minnesota West Community and Technical College Granite Falls, MN · Public | Agricultural Power Machinery Operation 01.0204 | $6,000 | 100% | 37% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Not reported |
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI · Public | Agricultural Power Machinery Operation 01.0204 | $11,200 | 49% | 89% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Certificate · CIP 01.02 |
Iowa State University Ames, IA · Public | Agricultural Power Machinery Operation 01.0204 | $10,400 | 90% | 77% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Not reported |
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA · Public | Agricultural Power Machinery Operation 01.0204 | $14,800 | 11% | 93% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Bachelor's · CIP 01.02 |