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Agricultural Equipment Operators

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

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.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $41,730 Median per year · $20.06/hr Most earn $33,500–$58,650

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.
  • Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities.
  • Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.
  • Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools.
  • Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks.
  • Weigh crop-filled containers, and record weights and other identifying information.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
9% more jobs by 2035, much faster than average · about 10,100 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Crop production58.2%
  • Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods8.9%
  • Animal production and aquaculture8.8%
  • Self-employed (their own business)7.6%
  • Support activities for agriculture and forestry4.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Agricultural Equipment Operator is an entry-level job. Most people need a high school diploma and about 6 months to 1 year of related farm work before they run equipment on their own.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school, ideally with shop, agriculture, or mechanics classes, so you learn basic equipment and safety skills that employers look for.

  2. Farmworker, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

    6 months to 1 year

    Work on crop, nursery, or greenhouse operations to learn farm routines, handle tools, and get comfortable around machines before you run them yourself.

  3. Agricultural Equipment Operator

    Start of role

    Once you have hands-on farm experience, you can operate tractors, tillers, harvesters, and balers, usually while following a supervisor's instructions.

Where it can lead

  1. Farm Supervisor

    2-5 years of experience first

    You would lead a small crew, assign equipment and tasks, and keep work on schedule, which takes strong equipment knowledge plus clear communication and planning.

  2. Farm Manager

    5+ years of experience first

    You would oversee the whole operation, including budgets, planting plans, staff, and equipment purchases, which usually requires several years of hands-on experience and good record-keeping.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take shop, agriculture, or auto mechanics classesThese classes teach you how engines, hydraulics, and farm machines work, which is useful for operating equipment.
  • Join FFA or a similar agriculture clubChapters often offer hands-on projects, livestock and crop activities, and leadership roles that show farm experience to future employers.
  • Get a summer or weekend job on a farm, nursery, or landscaping crewWorking with real equipment and crops builds the 6 months to 1 year of experience this job usually expects.
  • Take a tractor or ATV safety courseMany county extension offices and local farm groups offer these, and the certificate shows you already know basic safety rules.

In college

  • Study agriculture, agricultural technology, or agricultural mechanicsThese programs teach equipment operation, maintenance, and crop or livestock basics that match this career directly.
  • Work on a campus farm or greenhouseMany colleges have student-run farms or greenhouses where you can practice operating equipment and handling crops.
  • Take a part-time job at a farm, co-op, or equipment dealershipFarm and dealership jobs give you hands-on time with machines and show employers you can work in the field.
  • Earn a certificate in equipment safety or farm machineryShort courses offered by community colleges or extension offices show employers you have formal training on machines.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a local farm, nursery, or landscaping business about summer or part-time work, even if it is only a few hours a week. Real hands-on time counts toward the experience employers want.
  • Learn basic equipment safety early. Many county extension offices and farm groups offer tractor safety courses, and that knowledge helps you get hired.
  • Keep a simple log of the equipment you have used and the tasks you did. It makes it easier to explain your experience in a job interview.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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