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Skilled Trades

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities.

Median salary

$35,690

Typical range

$32k – $46k

Job outlook

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AI exposure

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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Typical progression

  1. Junior Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

    Entry / Junior

    $32,260

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

    Established

    $35,690

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

    Senior

    $41,030

Key skills

A typical day

  • Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs.
  • Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting.
  • Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.
  • Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.
  • Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment.

Fields of study

Any field

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