Occupational Employment Statistics
45-2091 Agricultural Equipment Operators
Drive and control farm equipment to till soil and to plant, cultivate, and harvest crops. 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.
Southwest Minnesota
| 190 | 19 | $23.25/hr | $18.11/hr | $18.66/hr | $23.05/hr | $27.19/hr | $29.58/hr |
Natural Resources and Mining | 450 | $24.60/hr |
Manufacturing | 30 | $24.37/hr |
Trade, Transportation and Utilities | 190 | $22.56/hr |
Professional and Business Services | 30 | $25.54/hr |
Education and Health Services | 20 | $22.31/hr |
- Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.
- Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions.
- Position boxes or attach bags at discharge ends of machinery to catch products, removing and closing full containers.
- Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.
- Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities.
- Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.
- Weigh crop-filled containers, and record weights and other identifying information.
- Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.
- Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps.
- Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.