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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 (BLS)

$35,660

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$33k – $46k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Plan a path to Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

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

    Entry / Junior

    $32,900

    ~2 yrs to advance

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

    Established

    $35,660

    ~3 yrs to advance

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

    Senior

    $40,675

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

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.